Real or Not Real?There is the simple question but with it comes a complex background along with complex answers. This is the one question that is repeating though the novel Mockingjay by Susan Collins—the third and last book of the Hunger Games series. In this novel, Katniss Everdeen becomes a soldier for the resistance and fights to destroy the Capitol—a civil war in a dystopian world. Both sides air propaganda throughout the war but with such drastic elements that one cannot tell if it is reality or a visual effects concoction. The characters must simply try to determine if what they see is truly real or not real. However, that is not the only thing that spikes the question. When looked at closer—and with perhaps a more critical view of the text—one can see how Panem, set in a future dystopia, may not be the future after all but actually a reflection of the present. This is when I ask you, “real or not real?” Katniss, who is seen as the protagonist of the series, does not base her fighting and involvement with the resistance on it being a way to solve a corrupt government—how any true civil war should be based on. However, with the knowledge of the history of our own country, we can see that this is surely never the case. It is based off of hatred—wanting to seek revenge for hurtful actions caused by others and wanting retribution for the ones that have caused it. Katniss bases her involvement off of her hatred for the Capitol and most of all, President Snow. She admits that she is “running on hate.”—it is the very thing that fuels her. It is what may fuel us many times in order to achieve something that we believe should be set right or that needs to be created—so can we truly achieve anything without it? The dream of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness was documented—but only after a revolution occurred that was spawn from a hate of British government and actions. So in order to have life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, one most have at least the slightest anger or seek of retribution for a certain thing that is standing in the way. Katniss states it herself when saying that hate is what fuels her and that, “when the energy for that ebbs, I’ll be worthless.” Without the slightest bit of hate or wanting of revenge towards something, we lose the thing that powers us to fight and achieve what we really want—so without the slightest want of revenge that sparks hatred in us, our pursuit of happiness becomes worthless. The only dream that exists is the one of retribution—which has become the way to pursue one’s own happiness. So answer the question—real…or not real?
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But there are much worse games to play. |