{"id":77,"date":"2010-12-15T10:01:28","date_gmt":"2010-12-15T18:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=77"},"modified":"2015-02-07T21:10:20","modified_gmt":"2015-02-08T05:10:20","slug":"mark-reads-the-hunger-games-chapter-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2010\/12\/mark-reads-the-hunger-games-chapter-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Hunger Games\u00e2\u20ac\u2122: Chapter 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twentieth chapter of The Hunger Games<\/em>, Peeta and Katniss do their best to figure out what their next move as Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s condition continues to worsen. When the Gamemakers invite the tributes to a particularly appealing feast, Katniss does something drastic to save Peeta. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Hunger Games<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Getting the broth into Peeta takes an hour of coaxing, begging, threatening, and yes, kissing, but finally, sip by sip, he empties the pot.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a fan of this new twist in the story or any sort of romantic plot, but I feel I should explain why.<\/p>\n
I know a few of you asked me about pairings in Harry Potter<\/em> and wondered why I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to care much about shipping in my reviews, especially since it was such a contentious point of the series. I tried saying that my mind just simply didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wander there, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really what is actually going on. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just a matter of experience. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t intend for this to be something depressing or sad, but I did not have any romantic experiences until I was 19. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to date my peers in school. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to have the typical high school romance. I had no way to relate or empathize with all the personal, relationship, or romantic drama in Harry Potter<\/em>. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably why Twilight<\/em> was so vile to me as well, since that was the only<\/em> thing left in that book.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that any of this is wrong or anything. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just me and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m well aware it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my problem and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my preference. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also why I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t watch romantic comedies ever. Romance bores me. So I feel like I should admit this straight up right now so that you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m criticizing any of this because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something actually wrong here. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just whiny, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all.<\/p>\n
The temperature drops rapidly and soon I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m chilled to the bone. Eventually, I give in and slide into the sleeping bag with Peeta. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s toasty warm and I snuggle down gratefully until I realize it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more than warm, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s overly hot because the bag is reflecting back his fever.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I know that this is not a reference to anything else and exists because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a way for Katniss to stay warm, but I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read any sort of scene with people sharing a sleeping back and one of them has a fever and not think of that horrific chapter in Eclipse<\/em>. AGAIN, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M SORRY, THIS BOOK IS CLEARLY NOT TWILIGHT<\/em> BUT I CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T HELP IT. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just where my mind goes STOP YELLING AT ME.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You were worried about me? Have you taken a look at yourself lately?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought Cato and Clove might have found you. They like to hunt at night,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says, still serious.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Clove? Which one is that?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The girl from District Two. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still alive, right?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Man, these characters have fucked up names, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they?<\/p>\n
Oh, right, the whole romance thing. I reach out to touch his cheek and he catches my hand and presses it against his lips. I remember my father doing this very thing to my mother and I wonder where Peeta picked it up. Surely not from his father and the witch.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No more kisses for you until you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve eaten,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n
Seriously, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m now completely checkout out of the narrative. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about this charade. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just not interesting, you know?<\/p>\n
I must be heartless when Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s festering, swollen leg holds more interest\u00c2\u00a0 to me than anything else. And ohhhh boy, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worse.<\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no more pus in evidence, but the swelling has increased and the tight shiny skin is inflamed. Then I see the red streaks starting to crawl up his leg. Blood poisoning. Unchecked, it will kill him for sure.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, this is not good. Maybe Collins will go for the super fucked up route and have Katniss and Peeta survive the game but then Peeta dies of blood poisoning anyway. Then this book would be super tragic. Right? Well, if not then, then this story is now turning towards the opposite inevitability: Katniss is going to have to do something to get that medicine. She mentions that it is so expensive that the chance that Haymitch can gather enough sponsors is nearly impossible.<\/p>\n
So what on earth is she going to do? The truth is that this fact is such an overwhelming reality that when Katniss launches into a flashback about getting Prim her goat, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m instantly bored. The problem with this flashback is that it feels like the entire narrative comes to a standstill. There are only four other tributes left, Peeta is dying, and the book is nearly done. What is the relevance of this story to what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening here? I mean, it does remind us of Gale again, as if to suggest that Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s relationship with her now has some relation to what happened back then. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not ready to connect those dots yet because Katniss doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t respect Peeta in the same way she does with Gale.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, Collins doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spend much time on this sidetracking story:<\/p>\n
The sound of the trumpets startles me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on my feet and at the mouth of the cave in a flash, not wanting to miss a syllable. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my new best friend, Cladius Temptlesmith, and as I expected, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s inviting us to a feast. Well, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not that hunger and I actually wave hiss offer away in indifference when he says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
I do need something desperately. Something to heal Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leg.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Claudius.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, holy shit. I have to say, these Gamemakers know how to complicate things. It makes me wonder what the other four tributes need right now as well.<\/p>\n
I jump as Peeta grips my shoulder from behind. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not risking your life for me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Um, OF COURSE SHE IS GOING TO.<\/em> Duh. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just how these things work, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they?<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, they bicker about what to do. Katniss tries to lie and say she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll wait it out, but Peeta doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe. Then he tries to say he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll follow her there (REALLY, DUDE), and then actually gives her an ultimatum that he won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t die if she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go to the Cornucopia. REALLY, PEETA. THAT IS A TOTALLY FAIR DEAL. Ugh, I hate when characters do petty shit like this. IT IS SO IRRITATING.<\/p>\n
But Katniss agrees to placate him, thinking of some way to get to the District 12 backpack. Her answer comes from Haymitch, who has sent another parachute. At first, she believes that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the medicine needed to cure Peeta, but she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disappointed to find out he sent her sleeping syrup. That disappointment, though, turns to pure joy when she realizes she can use it to drug Peeta to sleep so she can go to the Cornucopia alone. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing quite as romantic as drugging people against their will, right????<\/em><\/p>\n
It does make me a bit uncomfortable, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lost the ability to care for most of these people anyway, so as long as the story moves forward, I suppose I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m ok with it in this context.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re as sweet as syrup,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says, taking the last spoonful. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Syrup.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. I clamp my hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. He tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too late, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already losing conscious. Even as he fades away, I can see in his eyes what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done is unforgivable.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
RIGHT? I mean, JESUS FUCK KATNISS, YOU ARE DRUGGING HIM<\/em>. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll justify it as necessary in the Games, but it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it any less fucked up.<\/p>\n
Man, I seriously don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how more messed up this can all get. But whatever: Bring it, Collins. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M PREPARED FINALLY.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the twentieth chapter of The Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss do their best to figure out what their next move as Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s condition continues to worsen. When the Gamemakers invite the tributes to a particularly appealing feast, Katniss does … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,488],"tags":[28,24,27],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hunger-games","category-the-hunger-games-novel","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","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=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}