{"id":206,"date":"2011-02-21T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=206"},"modified":"2011-02-20T19:06:39","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T03:06:39","slug":"mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/02\/mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads &#8216;Mockingjay&#8217;: Chapter 17"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the seventeeth chapter of <em>Mockingjay<\/em>, Katniss finds an unexpected ally (and someone to bond with) when she has to go through a rigorous and painful training routine. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read <em>Mockingjay<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Well, this is all pretty uncomfortable, right? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting a much better sense why there was fandom backlash against this book. (At least this is what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard, but I could be wrong.) I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel that way myself. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s painfully obvious at this point that I love fiction that is ~difficult~ and ~challenging~ and possibly ~frustrating~ because I am probably ~mostly dead inside~ or something.<\/p>\n<p>No, but really, this book is really frustrating to read. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still very satisfying for me at this point, much more so than the past two books, because Collins isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bothering to answer any of these complicated questions she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bringing up. She can be pretty blunt at times, especially through Katnis, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still impressed that there is actually a whole lot of subtlety to the many character threads working through this final story.<\/p>\n<p>Chapter seventeen starts off with Katniss finding out from Haymitch that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not actually being allowed to head to the Capitol. I have to say, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m impressed that Collins didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have Coin say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153OH YEAH, JUST GO, TOTALLY FINE.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I mean, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great because Collins acknowledges that Katniss has been kind of occupied this whole time. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not believable that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be immediately shipped off to battle. I do have to admit that there is a sense of speed to chapter seventeen. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rushed, per se, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s certainly not sluggish.<\/p>\n<p>Coin gives Katniss only three weeks to train, every day, to get into shape to head off to the Capitol to fight. I guess the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153speed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I feel that exists in this chapter is because it does feel like one extended montage of sorts. Unexpected for me, though, was Katniss immediately recruiting Johanna to train with her, since they both have a drastic motivation to head to the Capitol themselves.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The next morning, when we report for training at 7:30, reality slaps me in the face. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been funneled into a class of relative beginners, fourteen- or fifteen-year-olds, which seems a little insulting until it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obvious that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in far better condition than we are. Gale and the other people already chosen to go to the Capitol are in a different, accelerated phase of training. After we stretch\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich hurts\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a couple of hours of strengthening exercises\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich hurt\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand a five mile run\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich kills. Even with Johanna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivational insults driving me on, I have to drop out after a mile.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The only thing I can relate to is having a contusion on my sternum. I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shot, but I know that physical activity when your chest\/ribs are in pain is A NIGHTMARE. Katniss, how are you going to heal in time to go to the Capitol if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re constantly destroying yourself day after day?<\/p>\n<p>I should have thought of it myself, but what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s District 13\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s answer to pretty much everything? Drugs. Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trainer informs her that there is actually a method to speeding up the healing process. Unfortunately, it is INCREDIBLY PAINFUL.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Twenty-four needle jabs to my rib cage later, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m flattened out on my hospital bed, gritting my teeth to keep from begging them to bring back my morphling drip.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yeah, this really grossed me out:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I think I can actually smell the ring of flesh around my chest burning\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WHAT! No, no thank you. But Katniss bears through it, as Johanna continues to go into withdrawal off of morphling thoughout the night as well. The next morning, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re up early for the next round of training and IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S RAINING. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like the god of the Hunger Games is telling them LOL THIS IS GOING TO BE A PARTY. Johanna is pretty reluctant to train in the rain (WHO WOULDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T BE), and this gives Katniss the chance to continue to bond with her. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re both suffering from different ailments and on the second day, it seems Katniss is the one helping Johanna out this time. She even assembles her gun during training when Johanna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands are too shaky to complete it on her own. It leads to a great development between the two: they become roommates!<\/p>\n<p>And then <em>Mockingjay<\/em> turns into a romping sitcom about survivors of Capitol violence! Yay!<\/p>\n<p>Seriously, though, I like this new turn of events. I like that Katniss went to the plate and helps Johanna get discharged from the hospital by offering to room with her across from Prim and her mom. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like Katniss is being patronizing here, or that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of some sort of guilt-ridden apology. She respects Johanna and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re both working together on this challenge. It also leads to a great moment when they first move in together.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to talk about Peeta. One of the best things about training is, it keeps me from thinking of him.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Haymitch says he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s getting better,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe. But he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s changed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153So have you. So have I. And Finnick and Haymitch and Beetee. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get me started on Annie Cresta. The arena messed us all up pretty good, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you think? Or do you still feel like the girl who volunteered for your sister?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she asks me.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the one thing I think my head doctor might be right about. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no going back. So we might as well get on with things.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Amen to that, Johanna. The two of them have experienced an immeasurable amount of pain at this point of their lives. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a section like this that makes me think back to those beginning chapters of <em>The Hunger Games<\/em>. It feels like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a lifetime since I first opened that book, and I can recall exactly how different Katniss is nearly two years later. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I anticipated more than one visit to the arena, and I certainly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect as much death and destruction either. My only hope is precisely that these characters get a chance to heal and move forward from where they are now.<\/p>\n<p>We get a chance to find out what the other characters are up to as the story moves to the end of training, where Katniss and Johanna have both improved drastically from where they were at the beginning. They join Gale, Delly, Annie, and Finnick for lunch; Katniss notes that Finnick has transformed immensely since he got married to Annie:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>His earlier incarnations\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe decadent Capitol heartthrob I met before the Quell, the enigmatic ally in the arena, the broken young man who tried to help me hold it together\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthese have been replaced by someone who radiates life. Finnick\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s real charms of self-effacing humor and easygoing nature are on display for the first time. He never lets go of Annie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand. Not when they walk, not when they eat. I doubt he ever plans to.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AWWWWWWW SO ROMANTIC, RIGHT? <em>Where is our Finnick <strong>where is he<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Oh wait, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interrupt the situation with <em>PEETA SHOWING UP UNANNOUNCED<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an improvement of the last visit, but things are still just as tense and frustrating as the last time. Peeta isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allowed to sit with anyone without permission, and Johanna doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even hesitate to oblige:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sure he can sit here. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re old friends,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Johanna, patting the space beside her. The guards nod and Peeta takes a seat. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Peeta and I had adjoining cells in the Capitol. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re very familiar with each other\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s screams.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Johanna is kind of endearing with her crudeness, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t she?<\/p>\n<p>The meal never seems to escape this first moment, though. First, everyone is absolutely silent, which is certainly not alienating at all, right? Right??? Then Peeta says THE WEIRDEST THING IMAGINABLE to Finnick as he and Annie leave:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You be nice to her, Finnick. Or I might try and take her away from you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It could be a joke, if the tone wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so cold. Everything it conveys is wrong. The open distrust of Finnick, the implication that Peeta has his eye on Annie, that Annice could desert Finnick, that I do not even exist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It sucks. I know. I know this is an awful, complicated, and depressing situation. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put myself in these people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoes and pretend I know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on, but I also cannot ignore the fact that KATNISS YOU NEED TO SERIOUSLY STOP BEING SO DEFENSIVE WITH PEETA. Peeta is quick to point out that Finnick saved his life for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the rebellion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d because in his mind, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an active participant in any of this. He still has a giant dose of distrust running through his veins for everyone. (Well, not Delly, it seems.) And yet\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6WHY DOES KATNISS FEEL THE NEED TO GOAD PEETA ON?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t rise to the bait, but I do. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe not. But Mags is dead and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still here. That should count for something.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah, a lot of things should count for something that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to, Katniss. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got some memories I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make sense of, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the Capitol touched them. A lot of nights on the train, for instance,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>FUCK. <em>FUCK<\/em>. It sucks because I think in any other context, I think Peeta and Katniss would need to talk about these things. But now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just Peeta and Katniss lobbing insults at each other. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s uncomfortable and it makes me sad and, again, CAN JUST ONE THING GO RIGHT<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But Gale simply says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have believed it if I hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen it myself.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d asks Peeta.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Gale answers.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to be more specific,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Peeta. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What about me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve replaced you with the evil-mutt version of yourself,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Johanna.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A thousand tears could not properly demonstrate my sadness. What an awful, fucked up situation. Is Peeta ever going to be ok?<\/p>\n<p>As Gale takes Katniss away from Peeta, he makes a really good point that I hope Katniss takes to heart.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Katniss, as your oldest friend, believe me when I say he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really seeing you as you really are.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He kisses my cheek and goes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And it really is the truth. Sure, Katniss has things she needs to work out with Peeta, and apologies will probably need to be made for what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happened in the past. But she cannot take to heart what Peeta is saying right now. Also STOP ANTOGONIZING HIM. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good first step.<\/p>\n<p>But this is the difficult hand Katniss has been dealt, so I do want to end this review by stating that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m entirely aware how hard this is for her. She is a naturally defensive person and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to make herself vulnerable to have a better chance at a tolerable conversation with Peeta. Well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to take a lot to help Peeta in general, but I really hope Katniss takes a step back and realizes that she is not helping the situation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the seventeeth chapter of Mockingjay, Katniss finds an unexpected ally (and someone to bond with) when she has to go through a rigorous and painful training routine. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,5],"tags":[28,39,24,27],"class_list":["post-206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mockingjay","category-hunger-games","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads-mockingjay","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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