The fourth in a series of Hunger Games posts by Mary Baldwin College professor Louise Freeman:

Random musings

Prim points out after the first Reaping that if Katniss wins, they’ll be “as rich an Haymitch.”  But the state of his house makes it appears as though Haymitch still lives in poverty, despite a quarter century of Victor’s income, with no dependents to support.  It takes him 25 years to hire a maid?  What’s he supposed to be spending all his money on?  And don’t tell me liquor; with the income of a Games champion he could set Ripper up for life if she agreed to run a personal still for him in his cellar. My only thought is that he funnels his money to revolutionaries. Or perhaps he forged alliances with the other Mentors by providing for the families of the Tributes they lost, as Peeta tried to do for Rue and Thresh’s loved ones. [Read more…]

More Hunger Games thoughts from Mary Baldwin College Professor Louise Freeman:

The Peeta-Neville connection

My first impression of Peeta is that he reminded me of Neville Longbottom and my second reading, if anything, reinforced that image. While the “stocky” 16-year old Peeta may be capable of slinging 100 lb bags of flour, I imagine the 11-year-old of Katniss’s memories as a pudgy and not noticeably talented child, similar to Neville in the early years of Harry Potter.  He is bullied by his mother much as Neville was browbeaten by his Gran; though, somehow I don’t see a proud Mama Mellark showing up to assist at the final battle of Mockingjay, as Augusta did in Deathly Hallows.  Like Neville, Peeta showed a spark of heroic potential as a child; he summoned enough courage to defy his mother and toss a couple of bread loaves to a starving classmate (and got beaten for his efforts) just as Neville’s courage in standing up to the Trio got him petrificused by Hermione. But let’s face it, at this stage, a baker’s child with a talent for cake decorating seems to have as much champion potential as a chronic toad-loser with a talent for herbology. [Read more…]

More from Prof. Louise Freeman at Mary Baldwin College on neglected details in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games!

“Mark Evanses”

(What is a ‘Mark Evans’? People we’ve heard mentioned in the story but not been told about who could turn out to be important later, or could just as likely be nobodies. Read here for the Harry Potter reference.)

1. Peeta’s brothers. We know Prim from the get-go. We at least meet and learn something about Gale’s siblings: their ages, genders, the fact that little Rory registers for tesserae and was starting to learn hunting. All we know is that Peeta has two older brothers, one likely too old to be in the Games, the other eligible but who Katniss flatly states “won’t” volunteer to take his kid brother’s place.  Either Brother #2 knows of the Pearl Plot and realizes Peeta’s the best to court the Mockingjay, or he takes after his mom. [Read more…]