Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

The crux of the concerning content revolves around the games where children from a number of different districts are placed into an environment (an arena) and forced to hunt each other to the death. This is organized by a government (the Capital) that wants to ensure the Districts know the Capital is fully in control and remind them what it would be like if the districts chose to rebel again. The Capital controls the environment so even someone who tried to hide and not fight would eventually be taken out by them. In fact, the Capital takes steps to draw contestants together at various stages. All this while everyone in society watches the “games” on TV in a live reality show format. The violence is certainly described, but potentially not what some people would call “gory”. Right away a young boy dies in front of Katniss via a knife in the back (the boy coughs blood all over her). She looks and sees several kids fighting to the death and as well as several already lying dead. In later parts of the story a boy’s neck is snapped, a spear is driven through a young girl, another young boy is also killed by a spear, an arrow is put through a young man’s neck. There is a forest fire Katniss has to run from for her life, mutated insects that cause death or madness and mutated wolves appear that Katniss believes are somehow made from the previously deceased contestants (besides the insects and wolves, most everything feels “this worldly”). One character is mauled by these wolves and the violence is again described, but attempts to be non-gory. — The society, of which the games are one part, is shown to be terrible. This has hardened the main character and the author shows this in several ways. Very early in the book she says that she nearly drowned a cat her young sister brought home because she couldn’t afford another mouth to feed. Her father died (“blown to bits” and “buried alive”) in a mining accident and this has caused her mother to nearly completely check out, ruining her relationship and trust with her. She supports her family by hunting illegally and selling what she hunted in a black-market area. She also has times of making darker comments like, “If we have to choose between starving and a bullet to the head, the bullet is much faster.” She assumes the worst in other people’s motives and even takes steps to counter what she assumes they are doing. At one point she gets so low she welcomes death. During the games there is a lot of lying and deception to manipulate sponsors into sending aid (this is never completely shown as wrong or viewed in a negative light). And while this may be sold as being “understandable” Katniss does not act like a total victim. There are multiple times when she takes an active role in trying to take the initiative to take out other contestants (e.g., when she gets a new weapon and looks forward to using it). Katniss mentions that she won’t get married as she is not willing to bring kids into the world of the games (the kids would be in a pool to potentially be selected). — Other items include a very vivid fear-focused hallucination due to a string from one of the insects mentioned above. There are servants who are described as being those who were caught committing a crime and had their tongues cut out. — Katniss tries wine, justifying that she may not get another chance. She immediately feels the effects and stops. Another character is known for being a drunk. At one point he tries to hug a lady who turns away disgusted and Katniss replies that she bets she will try and get a new assignment where, “drunks don’t try and molest you in front of the entire nation.” Later this man gets sick to his stomach and falls down in it. — Katniss and a male friend (who she has some confused feelings for) are alone a lot out in the woods during the initial “normal life” portion of the book (they are catching food to survive together). Later Katniss shares a sleeping bag with a boy, but there is no hint of anything sexual and at this point they are both typically hanging on by a thread and this is seen as last-ditch survival (for warmth). Katniss and the boy tribute from her district kiss multiple times (this is a part of the deception to the sponsors discussed above). — One part of the games is very sensational outfits for the contestants. One character is said to have been given a “sexy” look and appears in a completely see-through dress. Later when Katniss is given a dress, she immediately notices padding was added to her chest area (the word “breasts” is used). The designer (who she has befriended) says it was a compromise because the Capital wanted to “surgically alter” her. There are a couple times where it mentions something along the lines of “stripping off my shirt and pants and climbing into bed in my underwear” (again, not meant to be sexual, but may impact decision for your reader) — Finally some of the scattered language is very direct and poignant: blood bath, cannibalism (said, but not done in the story), slitting throats, bludgeoning one another to death, quiet bloodless deaths (e.g., freezing), bash head, wait for the blood to begin to flow, kill viciously, “I wonder if she will enjoy watching me die”. At the end the character’s look to be ready to commit suicide, but we are not sure if they would have gone through with it. There are also a few mentions of idiots and “sexy” and a few “gross” references, such as when she says she cleans her kill and throws the “entrails” to the cat.