Okay honestly is this such a bad thing? Honestly? NO! So what if she doesn’t want to hurt her best friend that didn’t cut and run from her when things got tough? Or the guy she loves who fought to the death to protect her? And at least she didn’t just sit there and have a private war within herself during the middle of an actual war and make the wrong choice in the end. I love THG but the fanbase drives me fucking crazy. If you don’t want to compare the book’s love triangle to TTS then don’t at all. Don’t sit there and act like Katniss is so superior just because she managed to fake her way through a revolution, while Bella reacted like a normal teen to the events around her. I’ll probably lose followers for saying that Twilight is a decent series but if you’d ever read the books instead of jumping on the movie hating bandwagon you’d realize that it’s not as bad as all the hate says. You’re all mostly as pathetic as TTS fangirls except all you do is act superior because the main girl is a warrior in one and an average teen in another.
(spoilers)Well, as someone who as read both series, I’m going to have to disagree with you. See Bella doesn’t do much. Bella does literally nothing if there is not a boy in her life, see the pages labeled with only the month in New Moon. There are parts in the book where Bella talks about this hole that only feels filled around either Jacob or Edward.
And at least she didn’t just sit there and have a private war within herself during the middle of an actual war and make the wrong choice in the end.
Only Katniss didn’t just sit around. She became the face of the rebellion, which wasn’t something she really wanted to do. Katniss’ goal was To Keep Prim Safe. Her secondary goal was to stay alive. Katniss did make bad choices, but that’s what makes her interesting. Like when she votes for the New Hunger Games in the meeting. That’s not a good choice, but it’s something she would have done because she pretty only cares about Prim, and now Prim is dead.
Her decision to shoot President Coin is a good decision though. It prevents Coin from setting up a system identical to the previous one, the only difference being Coin vs. Snow. Katniss makes the choice and refuses to be a piece in anyone’s game.
As for Gale vs. Peeta. I definitely think that her choice was the right one. She said that she would never be able to look at Gale and not wonder if it was his bomb that killed her sister. That’s not exactly good for a relationship. Gale did a number of things that Katniss really didn’t like. Namely the stunt he pulled with District 2.
Perhaps you personally liked Gale best. That is fine. I am merely pointing out specific points in the text where it becomes clear that Katniss will never be with Gale.
while Bella reacted like a normal teen to the events around her
What Edward does to Bella is actually textbook abusive boyfriend actions. He doesn’t want her to go see Jacob, so he disables her car. Also Bella has no friends other than the Cullens. Also, Edward watches her sleep without Bella’s permission. And breaks into her house. Bella just goes with this. She also has no problems becoming immortal, which I really don’t think is normal. Also Stephenie Meyer stated that she purposefully wrote Bella as vague as possible so girls would more easily slip into her shoes.
I think you missed the point if you assume that people like the Hunger Games better than Twilight just because Katniss is a warrior and Bella isn’t. I liked protagonists that do things. Most people do. That’s how books works. Main character does stuff. Things happen. Boom. Only that’s not really the case with Bella. She’s extremely passive. Things happen to her. She doesn’t have much agency or really personality. She has no flaws and no good points. Clumsiness is not actually a character flaw fyi. She’s bland and just sort of there.
Katniss is dynamic. She does things. Fuck, she’s not even called at the reaping. Prim is called and Katniss makes the decision to volunteer. Then she goes into the Hunger Games and gets shit done.
Bella gets no points for being “average.” See that’s not how books work. Otherwise, no one would like reading books about things like Narnia, Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. Fantastical things can happen in those books, however the reason people like them is because despite all that is because you can relate to the characters. It’d be really boring to read about this wizard kid who was good at everything ever did. Instead Harry Potter goes through a lot of things that real people experience. He fights with friends. He worries about not being good enough at school. He feels left out and alone in his childhood. He’s made fun of for being different.
So maybe something happens with Edward that makes Bella willing to leave behind everything she’s ever known and watch all the people she knows slowly die. It’s not discussed though. As an author you can’t just say something, you have to convince the audience, seduce them into believing what you are telling them.
I don’t relate to Katniss Everdeen because she has killed people (obviously). I love her fire and spirit. I love how she’s independent. I really like how she’s ruthless and calculating, but also has to work out how far she’s willing to go for this cause. Because if you go too far, like Gale does with his bombs and traps for humans, then you’re becoming the Capital. Then, while the revolution is successful in that you won that battles, you’ve also lost in that you’ve become the monster you’re fighting.
I dunno. I just liked the Hunger Games better because it’s really interesting to see Katniss’ reactions to things and her emotions. Bella is actually the only protagonist that didn’t resonate with me at all. There was just nothing that I really found I had in common with her at all.
For further reading on the subject, I’d recommend Reasoning With Vampires.
TL:DR Bella lacks agency. Katniss has a lot of agency, likes having that agency, and plots to kill anyone who tries to remove that agency from her.
*Spoilers* If you’re claiming to have never seen a 17 year old girl break down because her boyfriend abandoned her then you’re either lying or were oblivious to people around you in high school. And Katniss never ever initiates anything until she kills Coin. Things happen and Katniss reacts to them. Is she crafty? yes. Is she easily manipulated? hell yes. Katniss was a doll used in an attempt by people above her to serve their purposes (albeit not generally successfully) be it in The Hunger Games where she was supposed to remind the districts of their places to the Capitol as a tribute, in Catching fire to quell the districts that were uprising, or in Mockingjay when she was the face of the rebellion. Her reactions just happen to go her way. She rarely has a plan and she almost never saves anyone she cares about. And the wrong choice I was referring to was thinking she needed a man at all. Gale or Peeta. Peeta assaulted her because the man he was during books 1 & 2 was dead. No matter whether or not Gale was the right choice, Peeta definitely wasn’t. And as you pointed out about Bella she was written vague, but because Bella isn’t really the main character. Edward is. Bella is a framing device to let young girls have their fantasies about the supernatural and love. She created a character that made girls feel it was okay to not be afraid of intimacy (unlike Katniss may I add) because Bella makes the choices in her relationship. And to say that Katniss making wrong choices made her interesting while also claiming that Bella who wants to be immortal to spend eternity with the family she loves is boring is really hypocritical. The Twilight Saga was written as a romance that young girls could experience teaching them that love and intimacy aren’t bad things whereas the Hunger Games was written to make girls want to be strong and independent. Both are admirable to me in different ways. I’m not saying that Twilight Saga is some triumph of literature but honestly neither is The Hunger Games Trilogy. Strong female characters in literature isn’t so incredibly rare anymore whereas finding a book with a woman who is open to intimacy without feeling guilty or treated like the town slut is still really rare.
Um. There’s a middle ground in there somewhere with the high school shit. No one I knew was that wrapped up in silly high school love.
No. Katniss does things. First book, Katniss starts feeding her family. Yes, Peeta throws her the burnt bread. But that would have kept the Everdeens alive for another, what? week or so? Instead of just doing nothing or waiting for more food, Katniss starts providing for her family.
Reaping. Prim’s name is called. Reaction. Katniss panics. However, she takes action and fucking volunteers to take her sister’s place in a death match. That’s an action.
Katniss doesn’t need a man at all. She literally says that. When she overhears Gale and Peeta talking about how she’ll pick whoever she can’t survive without, she gets offended and literally thinks “well that’s going to be an easy choice, as I don’t need either one of them at all.” In fact, in the book, she goes back to District 12 without either one of them. It’s Peeta who comes to her.
Do you read with your eyes closed? Because there’s a fuckton of books out there about love and romance for young adults.
Bella is a framing device to let young girls have their fantasies about the supernatural and love.
IT’S A TERRIBLE FRAMING DEVICE. It’s really, really, really terrible. I cannot emphasize enough how terrible a framing device that is. It is ridiculously unhealthy. Just look at any list of abusive boyfriend behaviors.
As for Edward being the main character, I have to disagree with you. See, it’d make sense aside from the fact that he leaves and the narrative doesn’t follow him at all. It’s all about Bella. We don’t get any thing from his point of view.
Edward as the main character doesn’t work. There are novels where it’s in first person but the main character isn’t the narrator. However, this is not one of them.
She created a character that made girls feel it was okay to not be afraid of intimacy (unlike Katniss may I add) because Bella makes the choices in her relationship.
Really? So you think that books, aside from Twilight, don’t do enough to promote relationships. Really. Do you like not read? I’m not being mean, I just honestly need to know how many books you read. Because it’s really, really rare to come across a teen/YA book in which there are not relationships. In fact, you tend to feel weird if you don’t have a boyfriend in high school.
Did you not read Harry Potter?
You terrify me. You think that the Twilight Saga grooms girls for boyfriends like Edward. This is literally one of the most terrifying thoughts ever.
whereas finding a book with a woman who is open to intimacy without feeling guilty or treated like the town slut is still really rare
Right on some counts, not on the Twilight one. Remember, Edward insists that Bella wait until marriage for sex. Sex in the Twilight verse is something dangerous and potentially deadly. Also if you can’t have kids, you’re clearly worthless as a woman. See Leah, treatment of. How does sex end for Bella? Oh yeah, with her spine getting ripped out.
Everytime Bella wants to go further with Edward, he stops her, reminding her that he might lose control and kill her. That’s not a good way to treat sex or teenage hormones. That’s not really intimacy.
Twilight is a horrible model for young girls. A Dangerous model. Bella cooks for her dad, can’t do anything without a man. Literally cannot do anything without either Jacob or Edward around. She just sorta… mopes I guess. I mean, we don’t know because unless there’s a guy involved Stephenie Meyer doesn’t write about it.
And to say that Katniss making wrong choices made her interesting while also claiming that Bella who wants to be immortal to spend eternity with the family she loves is boring is really hypocritical.
Nope. Nuance here. Katniss’ bad decision, the New Hunger Games, comes after a rebellion, a revolution, seeing the sister she loves killed in front of her, nearly being burned to death, the fucking Hunger Games. She has a really good reason to make a bad decision. She’s definitely got PTSD. The Capital has caused all of this. Why not give ‘em a taste of what it’s like. It’s vengeance. She’s not the only one who chooses it either.
See Bella made the decision too easily. She’s an only child and she thinks “Oh my parents won’t miss me that much. Mom has Phil. She’ll get over my death easily.” Bella gets angry and sulks whenever Edward suggests that she should wait on this vampire thing, seeing as it is FOREVER. All she’s worried about is being old when Edward’s still forever young.
Also, it’s not really hypocritical. Bella just makes a choice “I want to be with Sparkle Boy 5ever!” Katniss is more like “My sister is dead. Fuck everything.” And there’s a lot of things backing that decision up. The fact that she only really cares about Prim. The fact that she only got into this because of saving Prim. The fact that that’s been her life. And she’s ruthless.
All Bella’s got to back up her decision is her inability to form human connections.
Moreover, the 17 year old breaking down due to boyfriend woes, sure yes that happens. However, it’s generally accepted that YOU NEED HELP if you stop living after your high school boyfriend of maybe a year leaves you.
And newsflash, it’s really, really, really rare to have a girl who says that she doesn’t need a man and back it up.
Jennifer Lawrence & Family → Favorite Interview Moments
Via I'm like a Chihuahua, I'm shaking, I'm peeing!
If Tim Burton directed The Hunger Games, he would cast Johnny Depp as Katniss.
(Source: jeniwithonen)
About me
I'm a massive Hunger Games fan, the series has truly changed my life, also the one thing i would recommend you to follow, watch and read!. MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOU FAVOUR!.
