Foreshadowing in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

             The novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling tells the story of a famous wizard Harry Potter as he experiences his first year of schooling at Hogwarts school of wizardry. Within the novel, there are several instances of foreshadowing that function to build suspense and curiosity in the reader. A majority of the instances of foreshadowing present in the novel create the background for the critical points of the plot, including the return of Voldemort. 

 

            The first major use of foreshadowing begins in the first chapter of the novel, “The Boy Who Lived,” in which Rowling presents the backstory of Harry Potter and the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. The discussion of the deaths of Harry Potter’s parents introduces the reasoning behind Harry’s living situation in the muggle world. The introduction of Voldemort as “You-Know-Who” foreshadows the dangers that are to come later in the novel (Rowling 5). The mystery of Harry’s survival foreshadows the eventual return of Voldemort and the interaction between the two in the final scenes. 

 

            In addition to the first chapter, there are other instances in the novel that foreshadow the return of Voldemort. As Harry is preparing for his life in the wizard world at Hogwarts, Hagrid takes Harry to Ollivander’s wand shop in Diagon Alley. The relationship between a wizard and his or her wand is carefully set up so that a wizard will know when he or she has found the correct wand. Whenever Ollivander presents the magic wand that has a combination of holly and phoenix feathers, Harry feels a warmth in his hand before a stream of sparks shoots out from the tip of the wand. The phoenix feathers in Harry’s wand demonstrate an important feature of foreshadowing. Ollivander tells Harry that there is only one other wand made from the tail feather of that same phoenix. Ollivander points out “[it is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar” (Rowling 85). The relationship between the wands of Voldemort and Harry Porter creates interest in the reader due to these wands originating from the tail feathers of the same phoenix. 

 

            Although Rowling implements a significant amount of foreshadowing in the novel that relates to other things, such as Harry’s inherent skill for Quidditch and Professor Quirrell’s interest in Harry Potter, the most important instances demonstrate the relationship between Harry Potter and Voldemort. In the first novel, Rowling introduces the main plot of all seven books in the series through the foreshadowing of Harry Potter’s importance in the future of the wizard world. 

Effect of Harry's Childhood

 In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter’s upbringing plays a significant role in his decision making. After his parents death, Harry’s aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, raise him. However, they are neglectful and abusive guardians. His entire childhood, the Dursley’s ensure Harry feels like an outcast and worthless. His feelings are apparent when Hagrid tells Harry he is a wizard. Harry’s initial reaction is that he “felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake” (Rowling 57). Instead of feeling joy, Harry just feels disbelief and self-doubt because Harry thinks he will always be invisible. This self doubt that stems from his early childhood, continues throughout the book. Whenever Harry faces a situation in which he has no control he quickly resorts to the feeling of worthlessness. 

Harry’s upbringing does not just have a negative effect on him though. Harry grows up not experiencing any love. This allows him to create deep friendships, especially with Ron and Hermione. In return for his first experience of love, Harry gives his unwavering loyalty. An example of this is shown early on when Harry is getting sorted into his house. He witnesses Draco bullying Ron and so when Harry puts on the hat he thinks, “Not Slytherin, not Slytherin” (121). Harry’s thoughts convince the hat to put him in Gryffindor, a house that values bravery and loyalty more than anything. This is a small instance of Harry’s loyalty. As the novel progresses and he experiences more love, his loyalty becomes stronger. 

Both Harry’s self doubt and loyalty are a direct result of his abusive and neglectful upbringing with the Dursleys. While Harry’s self doubt is a negative attribute, his loyalty to his friends makes him such a lovable character. Additionally, Harry’s self-doubt sets him up for a character arc, not just over the course of the book, but over the course of the entire series. The novel would also not progress if Harry did not care deeply about his friends. So, while Harry suffers much abuse, it was essential in setting up his character development. These traits also set up the themes of identity, self-discovery, and the ripple effect of one's past.

Agency in Harry Potter

    In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling, the theme of agency has a major impact on the development and perception of the characters. Rather than relying on the outward appearance, personality, or intelligence of the characters to determine their respective virtue or evil, Rowling instead reveals the inner nature of the characters through the decisions they make when faced with difficult choices. Rowling conveys to the largely young audience that where you come from or what you look like doesn't predestine you to be a certain kind of person, rather its the decisions you make that determine the quality of your character.

     The first and most consequential example of this is Harry's rejection of Malfoy's friendship in favor of Ron. Malfoy is popular, handsome, rich, and intelligent; he possesses the superficial qualities that might fool one into believing that he is better candidate for a best friend than Ron, who is poor and average. Despite this disparity in appearances, Harry surprisingly turns down Malfoy in favor of Ron: "'[y]ou don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.' He held out his hand to shake Harry’s, but Harry didn’t take it" (Ch. 6). This decision to remain with Ron despite his superficial inferiority to Malfoy reveals Harry's character better than any amount of dialogue or description. Harry's decision is so important because of the fact that he had a decision in the first place: if Malfoy never offered friendship and was a villain from the beginning, then Harry's virtue would never have been put to the test and his character would be weakened accordingly. But because he was faced with a choice and made the right decision, the audience has a much better understanding of who Harry is deep down. 

    The second example of agency is Harry and Ron risking their lives to save Hermione from the troll in the bathroom. At this point, Harry and Ron don't like Hermione all that much, but still willingly brave immense danger to help her: "'[i]t's the girls' bathroom!' Harry gasped. 'Hermione!' they said together. It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have?" (140). The line 'but what choice did they have' is the most important part of this section. Despite them clearly having the option to return back to safety, it didn't seem like a choice to them to risk their lives to save an acquaintance. Harry and Ron believe that their responsibility to help Hermione supersedes even a thought of self-preservation, which clearly displays their virtuous character to the audience. If they had been forced to help Hermione for whatever reason instead of choosing to help her, that would have greatly diminished the importance of their action and revealed nothing about their inner characters. But since Rowling provided them the agency in this moment to make a choice, the audience understands that only someone with an honorable character can make such hard decisions.

Harry Potter's Upbringing

Most will agree that Harry Potter’s upbringing was not one of happiness and love. J.K. Rowling depicts Harry’s home life with his aunt and uncle in an extremely negative light. For starters, Harry was forced to live in a small cupboard underneath the stairs. This decision was not made due to lack of space within the house or any sort of financial troubles but plainly because of an unreasonable dislike of their 11 year old nephew. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon actually dedicated an entire room to the toys of their son, Dudley. The text states, “The Dursleys’ house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors…one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all his toys and things that wouldn’t fit into his first bedroom” (Rowling 37). Such a blatant form of favoritism would undoubtedly give Harry behavioral problems, depression, low self-esteem or any other trauma induced issues, yet this isn’t the case. 

At times, food was even withheld from Harry as punishment, “Go—cupboard—stay—no meals” (29). Not only was Harry neglected by the closest parental figures he had, but he recalls multiple instances of being physically abused by their son, Dudley. Dudley also keeps Harry from being able to make any new friends. “At school Harry had no one. Everyone knew that Dudley’s gang hated that odd Harry Potter… and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley’s gang (30). 

Considering just a few examples of the mental and physical trauma Harry endured in some of the most important years of growth in his life, he shows little to no evidence of growing up in such a home. J.K. Rowling vividly paints the picture of “the underdog saving the day” or “the chosen one” but never accounts for the long term effects that an abused child would display. At Hogwarts Harry acts as a normal child who has grown up in a normal household. Sure, he values meals more and doesn’t receive any presents from the Dursley’s on Christmas, but he still possesses characteristics not normally found in abused children. He demonstrates kindness, patience, selflessness, and courage that have never been exemplified to him before. Rowling may have purposefully portrayed Harry Potter as a good person formed amongst bad people to emphasize Voldemort’s unnecessary evil nature, or it simply may have been an overlooked detail in her writing.

Visible Foreshadowing in Harry Potter

As we learned in class last week, J.K Rowling planned out the entire series before her even beginning the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The author had boxes of notes detailing the setting and the story building for the series, and she mentioned in an interview that she had always planned for the novel to be a 7 part series. With this detailed plan, it makes sense that there are several instances of foreshadowing present in the first novel that many readers do not catch until they finish the series. 

One of the main instances of foreshadowing within the novel can be seen when Professor Quirrell turns out to be the main villain in the first book. In chapter 17, Harry finds out that Professor Quirrell had been the one cursing during the Quidditch match, and in fact, Professor Snape was the one trying to save him. With the short-term vision of the characters, Professor Snape is painted as the villain as he seems to hate Harry Potter throughout the novel, but that could not be any further from the truth. It is Professor Quirrell who reveals that “He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn’t you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead”(290). Professor Snape though he is portrayed as an evil character throughout the novel and the series due to some of his shady actions is one of the good characters that is trying to keep Harry safe. This is discovered later on in the series, primarily beginning in the Half-Blood Prince. 

Another instance of foreshadowing I noticed while reading and that I found interesting was when Dumbledore subtly hints at his death in the future. I can say that I never even considered that my first time reading it. Dumbledore talks to Harry about the impending death of his friends when he mentions “After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure”(297). Rowling imparts knowledge about the series with the implication that Dumbledore knows he will die soon in the future and he is no longer worried about trying to become immortal.

The Humility of Harry Potter

Many heroes are defined by their courage or their strength. However, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the titular character is defined by his kindness and his humility. Rowling uses selfish characters such as Dudley, Draco, and Professor Quirrell to highlight the necessity of humility in heroic characters. 

Rowling begins the novel with our protagonist in a loveless household. His cousin Dudley is selfish, growing angry when he receives thirty-seven presents, less than he had the previous year (21). Harry, on the other hand, is shown to be the exact opposite. He describes his morning at the zoo as “the best morning he’d had in a long time” (26), despite being yelled at and only given Dudley’s leftovers. Unlike Dudley, Harry is grateful for whatever he’s given, no matter how little. This opening allows readers to quickly gather Harry’s most identifiable and sympathetic traits by providing such a severe foil with Dudley. Where his cousin is selfish and rude, Harry is kind and meek. However, Harry is rewarded for his behavior, and Dudley is punished for his, by the arrival of Hagrid. While Harry receives his letter to Hogwarts and gifts from Hagrid, Hagrid gives Dudley “a curly pig’s tail” (59), with Hagrid joking that he “[meant] ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn’t much left ter do” (59), referring to Dudley’s gluttony and selfishness as ‘piglike’. While this is the first point in the novel where Harry is rewarded for being humble, a similar turn of events occurs in the climax. 

Harry, unlike Quirrell, is able to retrieve the Sorcerer’s Stone from the Mirror of Erised. Dumbledore explains that this is because “only one who wanted to find the stone – find it, but not use it – would be able to get it” (300). Quirrell cannot retrieve the stone because he has a selfish motive, wanting the stone solely for his own gain. Harry’s selfless motive for wanting the stone is rewarded by victory. This is the scene that truly emphasizes why Harry is the hero of the story. He may not be as smart as Hermoine, or know the wizarding world as well as Ron, but those aren’t the traits that win the day in Rowling’s world- it's Harry’s humility that sets him apart as the protagonist. 

Harry’s humility is not just an endearing trait. Characters such as Dudley, Draco, and Quirrell serve as narrative foils to highlight the ways in which Harry is a better person and deserving of his place as our protagonist. In the beginning of the novel, his humble nature places him in contrast with bullies and leads to him making close friends. By the end of the novel, however, his humility is the deciding value in fights against evil wizards. By having this trait help him succeed, Rowling reinforces the importance of being a kind and humble person in order to be a hero.  

Emotional Abuse and Damage to Harry

             Harry Potter’s overwhelming and chaotic journey to becoming a famous wizard begins with revealing the fact that his entire life thus far has been a lie. He experiences personal trauma as he grows up in the emotionally abusive home of the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia care more about their image than anything else in the world, besides their son Dudley, so they reject the truth about Harry’s magical life and deceive him about it as well. They sweep the truth under the rug, just as they shove him away in a cabinet under the stairs. When Harry does have a question about anything, whether it is about him or the strange things he experiences, Aunt Petunia simply responds with “don’t ask questions” (Rowling 20). So, Harry is left in the dark to try and make sense of the odd things that happen to him but which he does not have control over. Then, on top of that, the Dursleys punish him for making these things happen, which psychologically manipulates and abuses him. 

            When Harry is accepted into Hogwarts and Hagrid comes to find him, Hagrid is sincerely outraged at the Dursleys for not telling Harry anything about his past, especially because everyone in the wizarding world knows his story. He yells at the Dursleys, absolutely astonished that Harry has not been told anything about magic, firmly expressing, “this boy – this boy! – knows nothin’ abou’ – about ANYTHING?” (Rowling 49). Then, as Aunt Petunia complains about all the strange and odd things that wizards are capable of, she reveals the truth about how Harry’s parents died. Harry is in shock, and Hagrid cannot hold in his anger as he lashes out at them. He emphasizes, “Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!” (Rowling 53). Hagrid’s genuine concern highlights how little Harry knows about his own life, of which everyone else in the wizarding society is aware of, all at the hands of his emotionally abusive family. Hagrid’s outrage demonstrates the absolute injustice that the Dursleys commit in lying to Harry. 

            Also, Harry enters an entirely new society of which he must adapt to. While Muggle-born students also have this experience, Harry has the added pressure of being a celebrity. Everyone gawks, stares, and talks about him, and Mrs. Weasley realizes that this is simply rude. She scolds her own kids, expressing, “the poor boy isn’t something you goggle at in a zoo … as though he needs to be reminded of [Voldemort] on his first day at school” (Rowling 97). After all the emotional damage that the Dursleys inflict on Harry, he finds a support system within Hogwarts and the wizarding world, which will guide him onward as he becomes a great wizard. 

The Presence of Desire in Harry Potter

    J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone presents a fictional world full of witchcraft and wizardry. The novel follows Harry, an orphan boy/newly discovered wizard, who is learning how to navigate the wizarding world after finding out he is the "chosen one". Before this discovery, Harry lives with his abusive Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon in the shadow of his cousin, Dudley. The neglect he receives from his family makes Harry wish for a life with his parents who loved him dearly, and desire that familial love again. In contrast to Harry's simple desires, there are other characters who have excessive desires and are condemned throughout the novel. Through characterization, Rowling highlights the fine line between natural and excessive desire.

    Harry has lived in the shadow of his cousin Dudley since he can remember. While Harry sleeps under the stairs, he watches Dudley receive thirty-seven birthday presents and be upset that it is fewer than previous years(Rowling 24). The spoiled Dudley's outrageous demands for more gifts appear both foolish and obnoxious. Much more mature themes of excessive desire become present later in the novel. Voldemort, the power-hungry evil antagonist, has a similar greed to Dudley. Voldemort desires the Sorcerer's Stone, which "[has] the ability to turn any mental into pure gold, [and] make someone [immortal]" (Rowling 251). Although Voldemort and Dudley are very different characters, they share the same uncontrollable desire that turns away readers and makes an enemy of Harry.

    Rowling shows that desire is not necessarily a wrong or bad feeling when Dumbledore, the wise wizard, explains to Harry his desire to see his parents is both touching and noble. Harry understands this is his greatest desire after looking into the Mirror of Erised, which shows the "user his or her heart's deepest desire" (Rowling 230). Dumbledore further explains, overblown desire is dangerous and can make people lose their perspective on life. Because of this belief, Dumbledore urges Harry to not looking into the Mirror of Erised again.

    Through positive and negative characterization, Rowling is able to show readers the harmful impacts of excessive desire. By portraying well liked, moral characters with a healthy amount of desire and unlikable evil characters with excessive desire readers are shown unfavorable qualities  that come with an unhealthy amount of desire.

Foreshadowing in Harry Potter

        Rereading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time reveals Rowling’s subtle use of foreshadowing and symbolism that builds on both the plot of the first novel and the series as a whole. Foreshadowing is also used to spark readers curiosity and create tension that drives the plot and expands on the wizarding world. The first chapter establishes Harry’s backstory and introduces the themes of family and love, which are key throughout the series. Harry’s scar is a powerful symbol of his personal connection with Lord Voldemort and hints at future themes of prophecies and destiny. The theme of friendship is also introduced early on with Albus Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall’s relationship and Hagrid who helps Harry to become more acclimated to being a wizard and famous. The power of friendship mirrors the power of love, and it is best explored with Harry Ron and Hermione. Each member of the trio builds off each other’s strengths and supports each other’s weaknesses. Harry’s new friends help him with his feelings of isolation, Harry and Ron save Hermione from a troll, and Ron is helped to get the attention he desires by being awarded fifty house cup points. The trio’s power together is also displayed in their ability to bypass the protections placed around the Sorcerer’s Stone in the climax of the novel.

        Dumbledore uses the Mirror of Erised as the true safeguard for the Sorcerer’s Stone to ensure that only those of pure intentions could retrieve the stone. Erised spelled backwards is desire and Dumbledore warns Harry that looking into the mirror for two long can drive people mad with obsession. The mirror demonstrates the theme of temptation in the series, which is first seen with the Sorcerer’s Stone which could make any wizard or witch live forever and be immensely rich. The theme of temptation is seen throughout the series and closely relates to Voldemort’s desire for power which leads him to sacrifice his soul. Voldemort’s torn soul and his return to power is hinted at by the centaurs and by Hagrid who claims, “dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time” (57). The connection between Voldemort and Harry is integral to not only the novel as a standalone story but the whole series. Foreshadowing and symbolism reveal the novel’s plot and introduce themes that reveal characters’ strengths and motivations.

How Modesty Plays a Role in Harry Potter

The characters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone have unique backgrounds and personalities – that’s part of what makes the plot line so interesting to follow. Harry Potter himself comes from a horrific childhood, when both of his parents were murdered by Voldemort in an effort to protect young Harry. Many turbulent life events shaped Harry into a perseverant, selfless, and modest boy. When Harry moves to Hogwarts, he is surrounded by many new people and unimaginable change. In the introductory chapters of the book, Mr. Ollivander states that “the wand chooses the wizard, remember…I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter” (Rowling, 85). Wands are used symbolically in the novel to showcase individual personalities, hence the connection between the wand and the wizard. Wands are also the starting point for a wizard to become their true self. Harry’s actions did not shift as a result of Mr. Ollivander’s vote of confidence, which shows the early development of modesty as a character trait for the protagonist. 

As Harry settles into Hogwarts castle, he begins building connections with his peers. When sharing a meal with Ron, his trait of modesty is presented. “‘Go on, have a pasty,’ said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling” (102). Harry does not come from a luxurious upbringing by any means, which should make him more inclined not to share the resources he now has. However, quite the contrary takes place in the story: Harry shares his food, and it gives him satisfaction. This display of modesty shows how engrained the trait is in him and how it can present itself even in relatively simple situations. 

Harry is an upstanding character, which can be seen in many ways such as his respect for his friends and his everlasting love for his late parents. In a conversation with Hermione, she shares that “‘Harry – you’re a great wizard, you know.’ ‘I’m not as good as you,’ said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him” (287). This scene is towards the end of the book, where the characters are reflecting on their journey thus far. Although Harry is an outstanding wizard by this point, he still admires Hermione and downplays his achievements. Because he remains a modest character despite traumas of the past, he is able to endure significant growth and curate relationships to last a lifetime. Without modesty, Harry Potter would not be the respected and beloved character he is today. 

Katniss' strengths and weaknesses in the games

     Katniss Everdeen is a complex person with many strengths and weaknesses, making her an intriguing and compelling character. One of Katniss' most notable and beneficial strengths is her survival skills. In the beginning of the novel, the reader gets a glimpse into her life before the games. Growing up in District 12, Katniss learns how to hunt and forage to provide for her family. Once her father passes away, the burden to provide is placed on her shoulders, making her the main source of food for her family. As a hunter, Katniss is a skilled tracker and archer, giving her an advantage over the other tributes in the Games. She is able to quickly adapt to new environments and situations in order to stay alive. Katniss has had to be hungry and fight for her life in District 12, so all of these skills translate well into the arena. These strengths are recognized by the public, including Peeta's mother. Before sending Peeta off into the games she states, "She's a survivor, that one" (Collins, 90). Her skills are admired by those in her district, providing them with hope after Katniss volunteers as tribute. 

    A second strength of Katniss' is her loyalty. She is fiercely protective of her loved ones, particularly Prim, and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Therefore, this bond with her sister constantly acts as a motivating factor for her to win the Games. Katniss fights harder, making her a selfless and courageous character. She finds Prim in her eventual ally, Rue. Rue reminds Katniss so much of Prim that she says, "[b]ut if this is Prim's, I mean Rue's last request, I have to at least try" (234). This relationship with Rue aids Katniss in harming the Careers with tracker jackers and proves to the rest of Panem that she has a heart, earning her some bread in the end. Though some people may think that it was not smart of Katniss to pair up with Rue, I think it was a good choice. Rue is a skilled survivalist just like Katniss, as she knows how to silently travel among the trees and identify edible plants. Rue also provides Katniss with shared experiences of an underprivileged district and the reminder of her family. Their relationship highlights the power of empathy and human connection, even in the most difficult situations.

    As for weaknesses, Katniss struggles in many social situations. She has grown up independent, paranoid, and disadvantaged. Therefore, when she is thrown into the Capital and the Hunger Games, she is unsure how to interact with others in a sociable way. Despite being a skilled hunter, Katniss often struggles to control her emotions, resulting in reckless decisions. Her temper can often get the best of her, demonstrated often while they are preparing for the Games. For example, after Peeta declares that he has a crush on Katniss in his interview, her temper gets the best of her: "Peeta has only just stepped from his car when I slam my palms into his chest. He loses his balance and...lands in the shards, and blood immediately flows from his hands" (134). Aside from her temper, Katniss has immense trust issues. Growing up with nobody to rely on aside from herself provides solid reasoning for this lack of trust. Before and during the Games, Katniss consistently doubts Peeta's motives. When he is declaring his feelings, waving to the crowd, pairing with the Careers, and telling her to run from Cato, she feels that he would never do that with positive intentions. Despite these weaknesses, Katniss' strengths prevail. Her hunting and survival skills paired with her determination to win the Games for her loved ones allows her to outsmart and outlast her opponents. 

The Hunger Games' Similarities to Today's Modern Society

The Hunger Games is a cruel set of games where children fight to the death for fame and wealth, which is a very dystopian idea seemingly. Although the book and idea of The Hunger Games seems to be dystopian and unrealistic in today’s world, there are many modern ties and similarities in modern society. The Hunger Games in the book are broadcasted for the entire world to watch and enjoy, while literal children fight for survival and wealth. In a sense, this ties to many modern reality shows that are common in today’s society. Reality shows such as Survivor, Naked and Afraid, and even Love Island all have similar ties to The Hunger Games in the sense that their entire experience is broadcasted for the population and watchers enjoyment. Not only the broadcasting, but some of these shows put the individuals competing through stressors that most common people would never imagine to do, but love to watch and enjoy to watch other people do in competition.One important factor to note about The Hunger Games is the wide gap of wealth between the top districts and the bottom districts, this shows the poverty and privilege in today’s society as well. Alliances are formed throughout the game in a similar way that alliances are formed in these reality tv shows, sponsors are involved to help competitors through the games, and the drama seems to be the most important factor of the games rather than the violence and cruel acts. These all have ties to modern society and reality television shows, so why does The Hunger Games seem so dystopian and unrealistic to many readers? While there are clear differences in the dystopian world of The Hunger Games in the way that the competitors do not have the choice to compete in the games unless they volunteer, and the key difference that these are children fighting to the death, while modern reality shows are adults fighting till they are voting off or lose and go home. The Hunger Games novel is so dramatized and violent, that it creates a sense or surrealism to the readers, when in actuality the similarities to today’s violent world are shown throughout many aspects of the novel.

Susanne Collins’ hope to draw attention to the desensitization of violence is clear in her writing when compared to the reality television shows and modern versions of The Hunger Games in today’s society. The role of The Hunger Games in the novel is to show the violence that the world has developed into normalizing in today’s society and recognizing these similarities and differences are important for the readers to understand the messages the book is trying to convey.

The Hunger Games: To Fight Like a Girl

One key feature of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins that differentiates the book from other popular young adult novels is the female main character: Katniss. Unlike series such as Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, this novel highlights the female experience. While The Hunger Games is a novel for people of all genders, Collins creates a unique and inspiring experience for young girls by centering the story on such a powerful female character.

Collins reverses gender roles in her novel through Peeta and Katniss, offering an uncommon depiction of femininity. She creates Katniss to be the opposite of fragile. “At eleven years old, with Prim just seven, [Katniss takes] over as head of the family” (27). She hunts and provides for her family, risking her life to bring home necessities while her mother is mentally absent. She wields a bow and arrow like no other. She doesn’t trust anyone, not even Peeta. The idea that he does things out of his own good will and not to deceive her “pulls [her] up short” (49). Katniss plays the role in her family that a man would usually play, filling in for her father. Peeta, on the other hand, is very gentle and caring. He takes on what would usually be stereotypically female traits. He bakes bread, decorates cakes, and loves gently. Collins also reverses the gendered stereotypes of these characters by having the boy be smitten with the girl instead of the other way around. By switching up the gendered traits of these characters, Collins gives young female readers a different interpretation of femininity. To be feminine is to be powerful and dominating. One does not need to be a man to wield a weapon skillfully. This reversal of gender roles is particularly significant to girls as it has been common throughout history to limit women and discourage them from having a fighting spirit. Thus in reading the novel, girls are able to see themselves in Katniss and feel strong in their femininity.

Collins draws this idea of strong femininity out further by highlighting the motherly characteristics of Katniss. Katniss views Primrose and Rue almost like her own children. She provides for them and cares for them lovingly, but when they are in danger, she defends them like a bear does her cubs. Katniss admits that Primrose might be the only person she can truly say she loves. “The anguish [Katniss] always [feels] when [Primrose is] in pain wells up in [her] chest and threatens to register on [her] face” (15) even despite Katniss’s ability to hide her emotions. When Primrose is selected as tribute, Katniss volunteers herself without hesitation as soon as she recovers from the shock. This differs from when Peeta, the youngest out of his siblings, is selected, and none of his brothers volunteer. Katniss is willing to give up her life to save Primrose. Additionally, when Katniss finds Rue caught by the boy from District 1, he “dies before he can pull out the spear” (233). Katniss shoots him in the neck and immediately looks around for others to fight. The boy is her first human kill, but it isn’t until later that she realizes. She has no hesitation to kill another when it comes to defending Rue. Collins highlights Katniss’s motherlike tendencies when it comes to protecting those she cares for, emphasizing that there is nothing more fierce than a mother’s love.

Katniss embodies all that is strong about femininity. She’s clever, relentless, caring, and passionate. Through the novel, Collins gives girls an uplifting experience by putting forth a message of female empowerment, showing that girls can not only put up a fight, but win.