{"id":176,"date":"2011-02-02T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=176"},"modified":"2011-01-31T21:36:40","modified_gmt":"2011-02-01T05:36:40","slug":"mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/02\/mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads &#8216;Mockingjay&#8217;: Chapter 4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the fourth chapter of <em>Mockingjay<\/em>, we learn more about the captive prep team, Gale and Katniss get to hunt, and then the rebels discover they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve traded one tyranny for another. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read <em>Mockingjay<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><!--more-->The stink of unwashed bodies, stale urine, and infection breaks through the cloud of antiseptic. The three figures are only just recognizable by their most striking fashion choices: Venia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gold facial tattoos. Flavius\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s orange corkscrew curls. Octavia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s light evergreen skin, which now hangs too loosely, as if her body were a slowly deflating balloon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE. I LITERALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS.<\/em> Also, I wish Cinna were with them. WAIT. Ok, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wish Cinna were being held captive because I LOVE CINNA, but I mean that I wish his fate hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been given a single sentence. At least if he was here, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d know he was still alive. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE. I am not wishing that Cinna be tortured.<\/p>\n<p>Ok, back to awfulness: Flavius and Octavia are so frightened they actually shy away from Katniss, as if she is going to hurt them. WHAT.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What happened, Venia?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I ask. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What are you doing here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They took us. From the Capitol,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says hoarsely.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>WHAT. WHY. WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We thought it might be comforting for you to have your regular team,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Plutarch says behind me. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cinna requested it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_lfx5tlIHes1qavbnl.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"132\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Oh, no. No. <em>I do not accept this line of reasoning at all. <\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cinna requested <em>this<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I snarl at him. Because if there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one thing I know, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that Cinna would never have approved the abuse of these three, who he managed with gentleness and patience. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why are they being treated like criminals?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RIGHT???? What the fuck is going on?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I honestly don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something in his voice that makes me believe him, and the pallor on Fulvia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face confirms it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And then it clicked: Plutarch is <em>not<\/em> on even ground with the leaders in District 13. In hindsight, that does seem incredibly obvious, but I assumed (wrongly) that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d treat him as one of their own. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m beginning to see just how difficult this situation is turning out to be.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We had to restrain them after an altercation over some bread,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says the guard.<\/p>\n<p>Venia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brows come together as if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still trying to make sense of it. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No one would tell us anything. We were so hungry. It was just one slice she took.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING. District 13, LOOK AT YOUR LIFE. LOOK AT YOUR CHOICES. I get it. You have rules. They have kept you alive for decades. You also just took in THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THOSE ARE.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This seems extreme,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Plutarch.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because they took a slice of bread?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d asks Gale.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There were repeated infractions leading up to that. They were warned. Still they took more bread.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The guard pauses a moment, as if puzzled by our density. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take bread.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>What we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seeing here is the clash of cultures, of a group of people desperately fleeing the tyrannical grasp of the Capitol, who sought refuge with the only people they felt safe around and who could provide them protection, and now they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re dealing with a brand new culture and society. And certainly one that has its obvious downsides to it.<\/p>\n<p>Seriously, bravo, Collins. This is fascinating.<\/p>\n<p>Katniss, like the BADASS she is, demands that the guard unchain her prep team to the guard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s utter bewilderment. Her dedication to her prep team is goddamn fantastic. There. I said it. I know that what they do can certainly be viewed as antagonistic, privileged, and an active supporter in oppression. I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t argue with that. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right. But STILL Katniss believes in them and supports them in turn and I love her for it.<\/p>\n<p>But we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get to that in a second when we spend time with Gale. First, Katniss takes her trio to the hospital ward, where we learn more about how Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother has assimilated into the culture there:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>My mother was welcomed into the hospital, but she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s viewed as more of a nurse than a doctor, despite her lifetime of healing. Still, no one interferes when she guides the trio into an examination room to assess their injuries. I plant myself on a bench in the hall outside the hospital entrance, waiting to hear her verdict. She will be able to read in their bodies the pain inflicted upon them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a neat subtext to this that I want to bring up. Katniss and her mother have had a troubled relationship for a long time, but I feel like this is a sign of how much Katniss truly respects who her mother is, not only for her capacity to excel at her skill, but as a sign that she supports her and what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone through. We saw how she grew to understand why her mother had shut down after her husband died and now it seems she enjoys that her mom has a found a place where she can feel comfortable and necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Just a thought.<\/p>\n<p>Katniss takes this opportunity in the hallway to make a frightening point about the situation they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d all gotten themselves into:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Punishing my prep team\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a warning,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I tell her. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not just to me. But to you, too. About who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really in control and what happens if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not obeyed. If you had any delusions about having power, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d let them go now. Apparently, a Capitol pedigree is no protection here. Maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even a liability.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Touche. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d agree with this.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is no comparison between Plutarch, who masterminded the rebel breakout, and those three beauticians,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Fulvia icily.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Katniss, ready with a fantastic retort to the concept that Fulvia and Plutarch are <em>important<\/em> to the rebellion:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course you are. The tributes were necessary to the Games, too. Until they weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And then we were very disposable\u00e2\u20ac\u201dright, Plutarch?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I wanted to say OOOOOH, SICK BURN, but then I realized no one wins in this situation.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s move on to Gale and Katniss hunting. I love that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a longer section without dialogue and I think the two of them needed. So much of their day now involves talking and planning and scheming and here, they get to interact in complete silence. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great parallel to <em>The Hunger Games<\/em>, when we first meet the two of them, and we understand how seamless and natural their relationship is. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interesting how, like their time in District 12, this is also an act of freedom, a chance for them to feel open and limitless, even if just for a couple hours. The symmetry is impressive.<\/p>\n<p>When they do finally begin to talk, Gale surprises Katniss by asking her why she cares so much about her prep team. On a superficial level, I understand Gale\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disgust at the idea. As he puts it, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spent the last year prettying you up for slaughter,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which is sort of hard to argue with. Katniss tries to defend them because their privilege essentially clouds them from ever knowing what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re <em>actually<\/em> doing.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what, Katniss?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That tributes\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwho are the actual children involved here, not your trio of freaks\u00e2\u20ac\u201dare forced to fight to the death? That you were going into that arena for people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s amusement? Was that a big secret in the Capitol?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Damn. Touche, Gale. But. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re nice? And clueless? Katniss is also confused as to why she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so defensive and Gale makes an ever better point:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Coin was sending you some big message by punishing them for breaking the rules here. She probably thought you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d see it as a favor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>BUT BUT BUT. I want to be part of some ~sinister conspiracy~<\/p>\n<p>Hmph.<\/p>\n<p>Back at District 13, everyone is preparing for Coin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s assembly, where she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll announce that Katniss has agreed to be the Mockingjay. As they head into the Collective, the giant room that can hold all of the residents of the underground district, Katniss spots Finnick. He stands in a daze, tying and untying knots in a thin rope, ostensibly part of his therapy. As they talk, Finnick happy to see a familiar face, he states that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s glad that Katniss is asking for immunity for the other tributes because he hopes that Annie will be spared.<\/p>\n<p>OOPS KATNISS FORGOT ABOUT ANNIE. And so she rushes to make sure Coin adds the name to the list and Coin is a fuckbag when she finds out who this woman is:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, the mad girl. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really necessary,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make a habit of punishing anyone that frail.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>SHUT YOUR ABLEIST TRAP. YOU SHUT IT.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/keepyourmouthshut.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-177\" title=\"keepyourmouthshut\" src=\"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/keepyourmouthshut.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/keepyourmouthshut.gif 350w, https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/keepyourmouthshut-300x174.gif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ugh. I DO NOT LIKE HER. And it only gets worse as Coin continues with the assembly, announcing that Katniss has agreed to be the Mockingjay as long as the four people she named are pardoned.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The president allows a few moments of unrest, and then continues in her brisk fashion. Only now the words coming out of her mouth are news to me. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But in return for this unprecedented request, Solider Everdeen has promised to promote herself to our cause. It follows that any deviance from her mission, in either motive or deed, will be viewed as a break in this agreement. The immunity would be terminated and the fate of the four victors determined by the law of District Thirteen. As would her own. Thank you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, I step out of line and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all dead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>FUCK YOU, COIN. JUST FUCK YOU. This is seriously FUCKING HORRIBLE.<\/p>\n<p>I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the fourth chapter of Mockingjay, we learn more about the captive prep team, Gale and Katniss get to hunt, and then the rebels discover they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve traded one tyranny for another. 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-176","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":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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