{"id":94,"date":"2010-12-21T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2010-12-21T18:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=94"},"modified":"2015-02-07T21:09:39","modified_gmt":"2015-02-08T05:09:39","slug":"mark-reads-the-hunger-games-chapter-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2010\/12\/mark-reads-the-hunger-games-chapter-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Hunger Games’: Chapter 26"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-sixth chapter of The Hunger Games<\/em>, Katniss learns the horrifying consequences of her actions at the end of the Games. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Hunger Games<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Well, I can certainly say I predicted approximately zero percent of this. I spent so much time saying that so many of the foreshadowed plots seemed super obvious that I never really gave the idea that that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the case a chance.<\/p>\n

I was so, so, so wrong. And I need to say that.<\/p>\n

As I said in the last review, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no joy to be had at the closing of the Games. I do not feel exhilarated or victorious in the slightest for Katniss. Instead, I feel tricked. I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been complicit in cheering along the suffering as my own form of entertainment.<\/p>\n

Shit is fucked up.<\/p>\n

The hovercraft materializes overhead and two ladders drop, only there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m letting go of Peeta. I keep one arm around him as I help him up, and we each place a foot on the first rung of the ladder. The electric current freezes us in place, and this time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not really sure Peeta can hang on for the whole ride. And since my eyes were looking down, I can see that while our muscles are immobile, nothing is preventing the blood from draining out of Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leg. Sure enough, the minute the door closes behind us and the current stops, he slumps to the floor unconscious.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A terrible, evil thought popped in my head when I read this: What if Collins keeps Peeta alive through all this BUT THEN KILLS HIM FROM BLOOD LOSS AFTER THE GAMES ARE OVER<\/em>. This is certainly fucked up enough, though, so I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it was a possibility. Well, at least a realistic one.<\/p>\n
Doctors in sterile white, masked and gloved, already prepped to operate, go into action. Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so pale and still on a silver table, tubes and wires springing out of him every which way, and for a moment I forget we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out of the Games and I see the doctors as just one more threat, one more pack of mutts designed to kill him. Petrified, I lunge for him, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m caught and thrust back into another room, and a glass door seals between us. I pound on the glass, screaming my head off. Everyone ignores me except for some Capitol attendant who appears behind me and offers me a beverage.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Guess what just happened? Suddenly, over the course of a paragraph, I believe Katniss. I feel like her characterization here, while dramatic, is very real<\/em>. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve complained (probably a bit too much) that I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe her interactions with Peeta, but now they seem so clearly genuine. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure what took me so long to come around, but she has real<\/em> feelings for this boy, despite them being shrouded in a lot of confusing circumstances.<\/p>\n
This is going to get interesting.<\/p>\n
Now is the time to run away to the woods, to hide in the trees until the patient is long gone and in another part of the Seam the hammers make the coffin. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m held here both by the hovercraft walls and the same force that holds the loved ones of the dying. How often I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen them, ringed around our kitchen table and I thought, Why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they leave? Why do they stay to watch?<\/em><\/p>\n
And now I know. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because you have no choice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I really adore this passage because, again, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a further development in Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s realization that Peeta means something more to her than someone who helped her escape the Games.<\/p>\n
I startle when I catch someone staring at me from only a few inches away and then realize it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my own face reflecting back in the glass. Wild eyes, hollow cheeks, my hair tangled mat. Rabid. Feral. Mad. No wonder everyone is keeping a safe distance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Collins isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t subtle. We all know that. But she ties the themes of identity into this scene well, as Katniss is revolted by her physical appearance. So much of this book is all about what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in her mind that we forget the physicality of it all. I think this would be an awesome thing to see in the film version of the novel.<\/p>\n
As the hovercraft lands on the Training Center, Katniss is injected with something and quickly slips into unconsciousness. We learn just how terrifying the Gamemakers are when she awakes to discover that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve literally erased the evidence that she was in the Games<\/em>.<\/p>\n
I tentatively lift my left hand above the cover. Not only has it been scrubbed clean, the nails are filed in perfect ovals, the scars from the burns are less prominent. I touch my cheek, my lips, the puckered scar above my eyebrow, and am just running my fingers through my silken hair when I freeze. Apprehensively I ruffle the hair by my left ear. No, it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an illusion. I can hear again.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Like the moment when Katniss wins the Games, this is not an ecstatic opportunity. Instead, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re reminded how much this is all controlled, ruthlessly so. The redheaded Avox comes in to feed her (and also communicates that Peeta has survived), and the tiny amount of food is a struggle for Katniss to consume. When she tries to get out of her bed, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s drugged back to sleep. This happens so many times that we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know how much time passes when she finally wakes up, unrestrained and free of the drugs keeping her asleep.<\/p>\n
After dressing in the same outfit that she wore in the arena (THANKS FOR THE REMINDER, GAMEMAKERS), she walks out in a long, deserted hallway\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno Peeta anywhere. But before she can see them, some familiar figures are at the end of the hall.<\/p>\n
I turn and see them all waiting in a big chamber at the end of the hall\u00e2\u20ac\u201dEffie, Haymitch, and Cinna. My feet take off without hesitation. Maybe a victor should show more restraint, more superiority, especially when she knows this will be on tape, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care. I run for them and surprise even myself when I launch into Haymitch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arms first. When he whispers in my ear, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nice job, sweetheart,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound sarcastic. Effie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s somewhat teary and keeps patting my hair and talking about how she told everyone we were pearls. Cinna just hugs me tight and doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say anything. Then I notice Portia is absent and get a bad feeling.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Before we move on to the Portia detail, I have to say that this is the first time since the Games ended that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel terrible. I kind of like this trio of characters in a strange way, especially Cinna. I feel like I have a better understanding of precisely why Haymitch ended up as who he is now. And Effie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tearful greetings seem so genuine. Funny that I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really care for Effie or Haymitch that much at the beginning.<\/p>\n
On to Portia. Portia turns out to be with Peeta, who is fine, but the Gamemakers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want them to see each other until the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The ceremony? Yeah, turns out they have to have MULTIPLE MOMENTS ON LIVE TELEVISION. Oh god. It only gets worse, but Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reunion with the trio of artists is pretty nice. I love this set of lines:<\/p>\n
They are truly thrilled to see me and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy to see them, too, although not like I was to see Cinna. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more in the way one might be glad to see an affectionate trio of pets at the end of a particularly difficult day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Kind of adorable, right? Though not for long, unfortunately.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s funny, because even though they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re rattling on about the Games, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about where they were or what they were doing or how they felt when a specific event occurred. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I was still in bed!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I had just had my eyebrows died!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I swear I nearly fainted!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That sort of casual fuckery is so damaging, too. Katniss manages to block them out while they continue to work on her. When Cinna brings her the simple dress she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be wearing that night, we learn yet another fucked up result of the Games.<\/p>\n
I immediately notice the padding over my breasts, adding curves that hunger has stolen from my body. My hands go to my chest and I frown.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Cinna before I can object. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But the Gamemakers wanted to alter you surgically. Haymitch had a huge fight with them over it. This was the compromise.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
LITERALLY SO FUCKED UP. Holy shit, could you imagine going through all this and waking up to find out that the Gamemakers surgically altered your body to match their idea of beauty? FUCKED. UP.<\/p>\n
Cinna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dress for her is so simple, as well as the makeup, that it actually makes Katniss look far below her actual age. She knows this is intentional, but can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t figure out why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d want her to look younger<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought Peeta would like this better,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he answers carefully.<\/p>\n
Peeta? No, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not about Peeta. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about the Capitol and the Gamemakers and the audience. Although I do not yet understand Cinna\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s design, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a reminder the Games are not quite finished. And beneath his benign reply, I sense a warning. Of something he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even mention in front of his own team.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Oh. Oh great. GREAT. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not even out of the clear yet. UGH CAN THIS JUST END SOON.<\/p>\n
She heads to where she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be raised up onto the stage and before she is, Haymitch comes up beside her, leaning in to whisper.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Listen up. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in trouble. Word is the Capitol\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s furious about you showing them up in the arena. The one thing they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stand is being laughed at and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the joke of Panem,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Haymitch.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT<\/strong>. Katniss single act of rebellion, that act to reclaim and define her identity, actually worked<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your only defense can be you were so madly in love you weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t responsible for your actions.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Haymitch pulls back and adjusts my hairband. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Got it, sweetheart?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He could be talking about anything now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is somehow even worse to me than the Games. At least she could exercise some control. She has no power left in this situation.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Got it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Did you tell Peeta this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Haymitch. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, holy shit. Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plan to announce that he had a crush on Katniss was based entirely in truth. I mean, we knew that, but now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossible for Katniss to ignore this anymore.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much worse than being hunted in the arena. There, I could only die. End of story. But out here Prim, my mother, Gale, the people of District 12, everyone I care about back home could be punished if I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pull off the girl-driven-crazy-by-love scenario Haymitch has suggested.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Yeah, so now Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions will outright effect people who weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever in the Games. I gotta say the Gamemakers sure know how to make things truly terrible for people in order to keep them in line.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n
Already thinking ahead of me in the Games again and well aware of the danger we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in? Or\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6already desperately in love? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even begun to separate out my feelings about Peeta. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too complicated. What I did as part of the Games. As opposed to what I did out of anger at the Capitol. Or because of how it would be viewed back in District 12. Or simply because it was the only decent thing to do. Or what I did because I cared about him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
You know, I do feel for Katniss. (Finally.) This is a terribly complicated situation that she now has to figure out (partially) while in public. Is it also weird that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only now<\/em> that I am beginning to understand the entire Katpee drama at all? Now<\/em> it seems like it has a point, and a very important one at that.<\/p>\n
And right now, the most dangerous part of the Hunger Games is about to begin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
UGH. AWFUL. NO THANKS YOU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the twenty-sixth chapter of The Hunger Games, Katniss learns the horrifying consequences of her actions at the end of the Games. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Hunger Games.<\/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":[21,28,24,27],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hunger-games","category-the-hunger-games-novel","tag-awful","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads-the-hunger-games","tag-suzanne-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94","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=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}