As I do my the essential re-readings to ‘get’ any Suzanne Collins novels, I find myself thinking again and again about three questions for which we have yet to have answers about Sunrise on the Reaping and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Structure: The only comments the author has made about her story structure was with respect to standard three part sequence of story events (inciting incident, turn, reversal, climax, denouement, etc.). Her use in four of the five Hunger Games novels of a three-based system (3 Parts with 3-squared chapters in each, the first three comprising a trilogy of books), however, where her story-points occur as a rule in that structure, if it has ring or chiastic elements within it, whether there is a literary alchemy black-white-red sequence as there seemed to be in the Mockingjay novels, all those structural questions remain unanswered. Collins’ obvious structure suggests significant, signature artistry. I’m determined to explore that at last.
Symbolic Depth: The first three novels were at their anagogical depths transcending the surface political allegory the story of the soul’s apotheosis; the soul triptych being Gale as the body, Katniss the soul, and Peeta the Spirit. Read about that in these three ‘Unlocking Mockingjay’ posts:
- ‘Unlocking Mockingjay: The Spiritual Allegory’ On Katniss as a Soul Seeking Perfection and Iconological Reading
- ‘Unlocking Mockingjay: The Literary Alchemy’ On Literary Alchemy and Peeta as Postmodern Christ
- ‘Unlocking Mockingjay: Katniss’ Apotheosis’ On the Alchemical Arena and Katniss’ Perfection in the Inner Sanctuary
Collins’ achievement as a writer in the original Hunger Games trilogy was largely her use of traditional symbolism to create a story in which her readers could share in Katniss’ agonizing transformation and union with Peeta, a cathartic bonanza almost unique in YA literature.
Is there anything like this going on in the prequel novels? It is hard to believe there isn’t given Collins’ accomplishment in the first series, but one has to allow, as Elizabeth Baird Hardy suggested yesterday, that the pressure for a profit-taking and series re-introduction must be enormous.
Series Destination: Are we done? If not, where are we going? Is the prequel series to be a three book set that closes with the Plutarch Heavensbee novel, one that takes from that oligarch’s first meetings with Coriolanus Snow through the Catching Fire Quarter Quell and Mockingjay revolution? Or will it be an indefinite number of books providing more and more back story of the original books? Quo vadis? We’ll be obliged to ask that question.
What questions haunt you? Let me know and Elizabeth Baird Hardy and I will discuss it here!
Here’s a thought on the series destination: what if Collins writes the next novel in first person PoV as…Astred March-Everdeen?
She’s one of few survivors of 2 quarter quells and the revolution.
Classmate of Haymitch.
This perspective would be from a non-Tribute view of the games.
This would give additional perspective in the time between 2nd and 3rd quarter quells from a District view.
She is a teenager after Haymitch’s victory, so that gives continuity in the YA format.
Collins could explore the philosophical justification for revolution (“At what point do we ‘draw the line in the sand’ and then take the bold step to cross it, knowing the step could/will cost us dearly?) to go along with Hume’s “implicit submission” exercise.
Then, a pre-Ballad novel could go back to the war that started it all. Snow would be about 8 at the time and very impressionable. Another YA PoV.
As with the others, I guess we’ll see…
w
I wonder, how can Plutarc live with himself? What is his point of view? How is he able to carry on with his life seeing such violence and continue to be two sided. How does he justify himself?