{"id":190,"date":"2011-02-09T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-09T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=190"},"modified":"2011-02-06T21:50:30","modified_gmt":"2011-02-07T05:50:30","slug":"mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2011\/02\/mark-reads-mockingjay-chapter-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Mockingjay’: Chapter 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the ninth chapter of Mockingjay<\/em>, Gale and Katniss return to District 12 to film another propos and be reminded how awful their lives are. Then: PEETA WTF. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Mockingjay<\/em>.<\/p>\n

These chapters are getting much, much longer, right? And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also no hope in sight, right? Because man, this shit is getting dark<\/em>. I cannot begin to feel remotely prepared for what Collins has planned for the remaining two-thirds of this novel; if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sowing the seeds for her endgame, aside from Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s speech, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to pick up what might happen in Mockingjay.<\/em><\/p>\n

I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have expected that Finnick and Katniss would end up so close. This chapter opens with the two of them taking the opportunity to head out to the woods. (Gale was busy working for Beetee, so Finnick took his place.) There, Katniss gets the chance to speak openly about seeing Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s broadcast the night before. The scary thing is that no one<\/em> is talking about it. Katniss isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t na\u00c3\u00afve; she knows everyone else had to see it, so why has no one decided to talk to her about it? Why are people purposely avoiding the topic?<\/p>\n

This chapter helps solidify the way those in charge here in District 13 treat Katniss as if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a child or if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fragile\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to handle what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on. I know that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been through a lot of trauma, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kind of awful how little credit these people give her. She just survived TWO Hunger Games and blew up a hovercraft with an arrow<\/em>. Trust her for HALF A SECOND.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfortunate that Finnick is the only one to give her this sort of respect. The next day, things are tense between Gale and Katniss; Gale has also<\/em> been ignoring the topic as well. At breakfast, she finally confronts him about this reality.<\/p>\n

Our eyes lock, and I realize how furious I am with Gale. That I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe for a second that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s propo. That I feel completely betrayed that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell me about it. We know each other too well for him not to read my mood and guess what has caused it.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 he begins. Already the admission of guilt is in his tone.<\/p>\n
I grab my tray, cross to the deposit area, and slam the dishes onto the rack.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Is it weird that my first thought was, I HOPE YOU ATE ALL YOUR FOOD, KATNISS, PLEASE DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T WASTE IT.<\/p>\n
But this is an argument on which I side entirely on the side of Katniss, despite that maybe her reaction is a bit much.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry. All right? I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what to do. I wanted to tell you, but everyone was afraid that seeing Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s propo would make you sick,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They were right. It did. But not quite as sick as you lying to me for Coin.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d At that moment, his communicuff starts beeping. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There she is. Better run. You have things to tell her.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
For a moment, real hurt registers on his face. Then cold anger replaces it. He turns on his heel and goes. Maybe I haven been too spiteful, not given him enough time to explain. Maybe everyone is just trying to protect me by lying to me. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sick of people lying to me for my own good.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Good for you, Katniss. She expects this from everyone but<\/em> Gale, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad she calls him out. Harshly, yes, but it needed to be done.<\/p>\n
Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for AWKWARD CITY. Because right after this, Katniss finds out she is traveling with Gale back to District 12 to shoot more footage. You know, I get that the need to do this to win the war, but surely District 12 is the most uniquely triggering place they could possibly take them to, right? It makes me wonder what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do with them after the war is over. There is some good news, though, as Plutarch informs them that the rebels have actually taken Districts 3 and 11. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not enough hope to mop up the rainstorm of sad and depressing that falls down on us.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not until we land in the Meadow that I realize Haymitch isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t among our company. When I ask Plutarch about his absence, he just shakes his head and says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t face it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Haymitch? Not able to face something? Wanted a day off, more likely,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think his actual words were \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t face it without a bottle,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Plutarch.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Well, shit. I know Katniss is being mean to him (COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED, DUDE IS A DICK TO HER), but I think it is pretty sad that Haymitch can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even return to his home anymore.<\/p>\n
Of course, the first place the TV crew takes Katniss is to her DESTROYED HOME. Cressida tells her to do \u00e2\u20ac\u0153whatever you feel like\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Katniss simply zones out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a short moment, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one full of a lot of pain. It irritates me that the rebels in District 13 are using her for all of this. Yes, Katniss has consented to it, but what other choice does she have?<\/p>\n
It seems even worse for Gale, who is also asked to visit the remains of his house as well. But instead of standing in silence, Cressida begins to interrogate him about what happened on the night of the bombing and even asks him to reenact it. THEN. THEN. To make matters work, they take them to the house by the lake, which, to Katniss, is about the only sacred, meaningful place left in her district. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s there that they decide to take a break, the heat overwhelming them, and Katniss begins to communicate with Pollux, an Avox on the crew who escaped the Capitol.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a big fan of singing in novels because I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hear the song, but this scene is FANTASTIC. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheesy, sure, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such an understated moment of peace for these characters. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also great to be reminded what the mockingjay means to the people in Panem and especially to Katniss.<\/p>\n
We hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had a flashback in a long time either, and we get small pieces of Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past with her father when he was still live. She chooses to sing a song called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hanging Tree\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for Pollux, as an example of how the mockingjays can repeat melodies back to people. This song is one her mother was upset over when she sang it as a child and her father had to console her. For Katniss, this song represents her positive feelings towards her father, someone she lost long ago. I found it evocative that it was here in the woods, out by the lake, her life torn apart by the Capitol, that she takes the opportunity to pull out a positive memory and share it in her own way with Pollux.<\/p>\n
As I glance sideways, I see Castor has been taping me. Everyone is watching me intently. And Pollux has tears running down his cheeks because no doubt my freaky song has dredged up some terrible incident in his life. Great. I sigh and lean back against the trunk. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when the mockingjays begin their rendition of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hanging Tree.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In their mouths, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quite beautiful. Conscious of being filmed, I stand quietly until I hear Cressida call, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cut!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
THANKS FOR RUINING THE MOMENT, CRESSIDA.<\/p>\n
They head to Gale and Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s old hunting rendezvous and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s there that Katniss chooses to do something incredibly mature, something deserving of all the high fives<\/em>.<\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no District 12 to escape from now, no Peacekeepers to trick, no hungry mouths to feed. The Capitol took away all of that, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on the verge of losing Gale as well. The glue of mutual need that bonded us so tightly together for all those years is melting away. Dark patches, not light, show in the spaces between us. How can it be that today, in the face of 12\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horrible demise, we are too angry to even speak to each other?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Thus, Katniss decides, even though she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s entirely in the right, to make sure that she keeps Gale on her side.<\/p>\n
My fingers encircle a blackberry and pluck it from its stem. I roll it gently between my thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, I turn to him and toss it in his direction. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And may the odds\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 I say. I throw it high so he has plenty of time to decide whether to knock it aside or accept it.<\/p>\n
Gale\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes train on me, not the berry, but at the last moment, he opens his mouth and catches it. He chews, swallows, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a long pause before he says \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbe ever<\/em> in your favor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But he does say it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a small sign, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s there. They have to stick together. (I still expect Gale to apologize.) Speaking of sticking together, Katniss records a particularly heartbreaking message for Peeta:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Peeta, this is your home. None of your family has been heard of since the bombing. Twelve is gone. And you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re calling for a cease-fire?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I look across the emptiness. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no one left to hear you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
FUCK<\/strong><\/p>\n
Ok, I totally understand why Katniss then decides to go to the Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Village alone, but why does her team let her? It seems a bit too risky given what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on. Anyway, she goes to her old house she lived in before the second Hunger Games and starts to pack objects they left behind. Gale surprises her inside and then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back to AWKWARD TOWN again.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Remember?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asks. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is where you kissed me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Oh, boy. So we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to talk about this right now<\/em>?<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be like that man in \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Hanging Tree.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Still waiting for an answer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Gale, who I have never seen cry, has tears in his eyes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
UGH NO. PLEASE DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T CRY. I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T LIKE CRYING.<\/p>\n
To keep them from spilling over, I reach forward and press my lips against his. We taste of heat, ashes, and misery. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a surprising flavor for such a gentle kiss. He pulls away first and gives a wry smile. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I knew you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d kiss me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I say. Because I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know myself.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in pain,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only way I get your attention.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He picks up the box. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worry, Katniss. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll pass.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
The burn. IT BURNS.<\/p>\n
Man, JUST WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO BE OK. I guess that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that understands Gale, to an extent. He is kind of<\/em> right. Not entirely. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fair at all to expect Katniss to do much of anything beyond what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing to help District 13. I mean, she is CLEARLY occupied with other matters, right?<\/p>\n
UGH THIS IS ALL TOO COMPLICATED. MY HEAD.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all too complicated for Katniss too. She sleeps upon returning to her home, wakes up for breakfast, and goes back to sleep in a supply closet. I suppose for her, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how she copes with how overwhelming this all is. Boggs manages to catch after her closet nap to tell her that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an urgent meeting in Command.<\/p>\n
There, we get to see Beetee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work: he is going to attempt to interrupt a live Capitol broadcast. President Snow himself leads the transmission, with Peeta off to the side, who begins to speak about his desire to see a cease-fire. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when Beetee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first clip makes it through and the reaction is electric.<\/p>\n
I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Beetee would be alive post-Catching Fire<\/em> and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great to see him doing work like this now. He continues to assault and hijack the airwaves with the propos they had filmed the day before.<\/p>\n
Plutarch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in spasms of delight and most everybody is cheering Beetee on, but Finnick remains still and speechless beside me. I meet Haymitch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes from across the room and see my own dread mirrored back. The recognition that with every cheer, Peeta slips even farther from our grasp.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Another sign that for those in charge, victory is essentially, even if it means losing Peeta. The chaos builds on screen and while many in Command are celebrating, Peeta guarantees that shit has gotten so real:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Katniss\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6how do you think this will end? What will be left? No one is safe. Not in the Capitol. Not in the districts. And you\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6in Thirteen\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He inhales sharply, as if fighting for air; his eyes look insane. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dead by morning!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
WAIT WHAT THE FUCK HOW DOES HE KNOW WHERE SHE IS WHAT THE FUCK<\/strong><\/p>\n
Off camera, Snow orders, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153End it!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Beetee throws the whole thing into chaos by flashing a still shot of me standing in front of the hospital at three-second intervals. But between the images, we are privy to the real-life action being played out on the set. Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempt to continue speaking. The camera knocked down to record the white tiled floor. The scuffle of boots. The impact of the blow that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s inseparable from Peeta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cry of pain.<\/p>\n
And his blood as it spatters the tiles.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the ninth chapter of Mockingjay, Gale and Katniss return to District 12 to film another propos and be reminded how awful their lives are. Then: PEETA WTF. 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":[28,23,39,24,27],"class_list":["post-190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mockingjay","category-hunger-games","tag-katniss-everdeen","tag-mark-reads","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\/190","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=190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}