Discussion Topic

Key Events in The Hunger Games

Summary:

The Hunger Games features key events leading to its climax, where Katniss and Peeta threaten suicide to force the Gamemakers to declare them joint victors. The rising action includes Katniss volunteering for her sister, discovering Peeta's feelings, forming alliances, and surviving the deadly arena. The story's middle includes the brutal competition, Rue's death, and strategic romance between Katniss and Peeta to gain support. These events highlight the dystopian control of the Capitol and the moral dilemmas faced by the characters.

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What is the climax of The Hunger Games?

The climax of The Hunger Games is during the would-be double suicide of Katniss and Peeta. Previously, the Gamekeepers had announced that there could be two victors if they were from the same district. Since Katniss and Peeta are both from District 12, they believe they both can live if they are the last two tributes left standing. In reality, the Gamekeepers announced this rule change to get the two to pair off during the competition, leading to a better show for the viewers.

This rule change was a lie. It is later announced that there can only be one victor. Katniss has a stroke of genius at this point: if she and Peeta, two star-crossed lovers, were to commit suicide, the Gamekeepers would be in quite a predicament, as they would have no victor.

She says,

Without a victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers' faces. They'd have failed the Capitol. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country.

If Peeta and I were both to die, or they thought we were . . .

This leads to the climax—when Katniss acts as if she is eating the berries, telling Peeta to trust her. The readers are left on tenterhooks, not knowing whether the tributes from District 12 will live or die. At the last minute, the Gamekeepers decide to go back to the rule that allowed two winners, and Katniss and Peeta become the victors, winning the Hunger Games.

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What are the key events in the rising action and climax of The Hunger Games?

The first event of the rising action is called the "inciting incident." It is the event that shows that things are going to be different for the protagonist than they have been so far. In Hunger Games, the inciting incident is Katniss being chosen as the female District 12 tribute.

Other rising actions events include:

  • Katniss saying goodbye to her family and Gale.
  • The Opening Ceremony, where Katniss and Peeta's fire costumes get spectators excited about them and District 12.
  • In training, Katniss shows off her archery skills and her rebellious side by shooting the apple out of the pig's mouth at the judges table when they aren't paying attention to her.
  • Peeta announces on Cesar Flickerman's show that he has feelings for Katniss and their "love story" becomes a strategy for the games.
  • When the games begin, Katniss fails to get a weapon, only a small survival backpack, and forges out into the woods on her own.
  • Katniss discovers that Peeta has teamed up with the Career tributes, which she sees as a betrayal to the districts who, like 12, are less cozy with The Capital.
  • Katniss is chased by the Careers, but drops a tracker jacket nest on them to get away. She also suffers stings and the accompanying hallucinations, but she does get a bow and arrows.
  • Katniss teams up with Rue to take out the Career's food supply and succeeds; unfortunately, Rue is killed.
  • The rules of the game have changed: two victors can win, if from the same District. Katniss teams up with Peeta, who was hurt badly in the tracker jacket incident.
  • Katniss nurses Peeta back to health and plays up the romance for the viewers in order to get money from sponsors and medicine and food from that money. 

Now we're at the climax of the story, when Katniss and Peeta confront Cato to win the games and go home.

  • Capital-engineered "muttations" chase Katniss and Peeta as they hunt Cato. These are wild dogs genetically made to look like each of the fallen tributes.
  • From the safety of the Cornucopia, Cato grabs Peeta in a headlock, bringing him and Katniss to a draw. Peeta motions for Katniss to shoot Cato's hand, which she does, and Peeta pushes him to his death.
  • Cato takes a long time to die at the mutts tear him apart. Katniss knows this is for the benefit of the viewers, who will enjoy such a grisly end.
  • When Katniss finally shoot Cato, they think it's all over, but there is another rule change. Now there can be only one victor.
  • Unwilling to kill each other (and with Katniss unwilling to allow Peeta to kill himself), Katniss pulls out the poisonous berries and begins a double suicide with Peeta to force the Capital's hand. The announcers stop them just in time and declare a double victory.
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What are the main events of The Hunger Games?

I have included the link below which will take you to the enotes summary and study section of this novel. I would think that the best way of answering this question is to tell you to read the novel! It is a gripping read, and I don't think you will find it boring. However, given that time is of the essence, I would suggest you focus on the three central ideas below.

Firstly, bear in mind that this novel is set in a future dystopian world where the Capitol has control over the twelve districts. So total is there power that they are able to live in luxury whilst the districts have to struggle to survive, as is shown by the daily struggle of Katniss to provide for her family. Note too that it is the Capitol that demands that each district send two children to fight to the death in the Hunger Games each year. The tensions between Katniss and the Capitol run throughout the novel, especially in the way that she forces them to concede both her and Peta an joint winners.

Secondly, it is hard to escape the grim, brutal violence of children killing children in this novel. This is a disturbing element that cannot be ignored. Even Rue, the sweet twelve year old that reminds Katniss of her sister, is brutally slaughtered. Katniss herself kills other teenagers, forcing us to question morals and ethical standards and reinforcing the savagery of the Capitol and the regime in power.

Lastly, and linked to the second point, all of this violence is viewed as entertainment in a kind of future reality show. However, Katniss is able to exploit this for her own ends, faking a love for Peta that she is not sure that she feels to ensure that they both survive. Thus an irony is introduced between what is seen and transmitted on the outside and the internal Katniss and what she really thinks and feels.

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What are the main events of The Hunger Games?

1.  When her sister Prim is chosen by lottery to become the female contestant for District 12 in the Hunger Games, Katniss takes her place.  Her hunting partner Gale promises to care for her family.

2.  Peeta, the baker's son, is selected as the male contestant from District 12.

3.  Katniss and Peeta become an "item" for the cameras when Peeta professes his love for Katniss.  She initially believes it is part of "act" created to ensure gifts from viewers but later is not so sure.

4.  When Katniss and Peeta are placed in the Games, Katniss runs into the forest where she almost dies of thirst.  She later hears Peeta with a group of tributes that has been trained to be in the games and thinks he has sided against her, but he later tells Katniss to run when they are approaching.

5.  When the Game Creators in the Capitol decide that the storyline of two star-crossed lovers will increase rating, they decide that two tributes from the same district may survive, Katniss finds Peeta injured and helps heal him.

6. The Game Creators later reverse their decision in the hope of increasing their ratings for the Hunger Games, but Peeta and Katniss are facing death but threaten to commit suicide by eating poisonous berries.  This forces the Game Creators to choose between two winners or no winners.  They choose to name both Peeta and Katniss the winners.

7.  The pair is sent back to District 12, but Katniss now is in danger as the Capitol has been challenged.

8.  Peeta is in love with Katniss, and he is saddened when she tells him that star-crossed lover idea was for show, however Katniss is confused about her feelings for both Peeta and Gale.  This leads into the sequel Catching Fire.

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What events occur in the middle of The Hunger Games?

The question is a little bit vague because it doesn't define what chapters would be the "middle" of the story. It's also unclear as to whether or not the question is asking about a single event or a set of events that happen in the middle third (or so) of the book.

In a very broad stroke, the middle of the story narrates events that happen during the actual Hunger Games competition. The beginning of the book would be Katniss volunteering to go to the games and being coached by Cinna and Haymitch. The middle of the book has Peeta and Katniss fighting for their lives, Rue's friendship with Katniss followed by Rue's death, Katniss shooting Cato, and Katniss running from the sadistic traps set by the game makers. Additionally, the middle parts of the book have Katniss realizing that she has to play up the romance with Peeta in order to secure gifts from sponsors.

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