Catching Fire: Archetypes

     I am currently nearing the end of Catching Fire, by Suzanna Collins, and a lot has changed. Catching Fire takes place in the future where there is a land called Panem and it is split up into the Capital and 12 districts. The Capital controls all of the districts and they are very unfair. Years ago, the districts rebelled against the Capital and they were attacked and bombed by the Capital. After Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games, districts started rebelling because Katniss played a trick on the Capital when both Peeta and her survived. The thing that is even worse is that for the 75th Hunger Games they are doing a "special" twist, the winners are playing again. Things have changed, because before Katniss didn't want to take part in the rebellion, but now, she is trying to fight back.   During the training display to the Gamemakers the pair show their defiance of the Capitol and returning to the Games, Peeta painting Rue's death and Katniss hanging a dummy and labeling it "Seneca Crane" in reference to the executed previous Gamemaker. This is when they start to rebel against the Capital and fight back. When they get in the arena, the Games takes place on a beach and jungle terrain, with a dome shaped force field enclosing the tributes and the Cornucopia located on a small island in the middle of a miniature sea. The arena is set up to resemble an analog clock with one lethal event occurring every hour on a twelve hour cycle. They are many different characters and forces in this book, and in this blog  I will talk about all the archetypes. 

   

     The hero in this book is definitely Katniss. Throughout both books, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, she displayed courage, self-sacrifice, and is not perfect. First of all, in the first book, The Hunger Games, she displayed courage and self-sacrifice when she volunteered to be the tribute in the Hunger Games in place of her sister, Prim. Another way she has displayed courage and self-sacrifice in the first book is when she volunteers to go in the "death-trap" to get Peeta his medicine for his wound. She was so close to dying, but the other tribute from Rue's district saved her. In the second book, she displayed courage and self-sacrifice when she made a hanging dummy and labeled it "Seneca Crane". She took an act of rebellion towards the Capital. Another way she displayed courage was on the victory tour. She didn't care what the Capital and her mentors told her to do. She said what she thought was right. That takes courage because the Capital can give revenge. She isn't perfect because her plans when she is in the arena aren't all right. She also doesn't make the best choices. One bad choice was hanging the dummy. That gave her a rate of 0 to the audience. The other bad choice was when she helped the people trying to escape to District 13. She was caught on camera, so they now electrocute the fence, and she really injured herself trying to get over the fence. 

 

     The mentor in this book is Haymitch. Even though Haymitch is an alcoholic, his intentions are good. He does assist and guide Katniss, he does symbolize wisdom, knowledge, and experience. He has been in the Hunger Games before, so he helps him both times that they were both in the arena. He may seem like a bad guy because he is an alcoholic, but he actually gives Katniss good advice that saves a lot of lives. Like every time Katniss does an act of rebellion against the Capital, he tells her what to do, and he just wants to please the Capital, which is very important. He assists her through her hard times before the games, and at her house. He is always there for her. He symbolizes experience because he knows all of the tricks of the Capital and has been in the Hunger Games before. He symbolizes wisdom and knowledge because he gives good advice for what Katniss should do. 

   

     The shadow in this story is definitely the Capital. I say that because the Capital is just so gruesome and so mean. They destroy all of the people in the other districts' lives. They act like life is all good, and they try to cover up all the bad things that they have done by being fancy and having nice food. They show that you can't cover garbage with gold. They resemble everything that is fake and that has no heart. They try to gain the most power, and even the best from the districts can't overpower the Capital because they compete again, like Peeta and Katniss had to do. 

     The shapeshifter in this story is probably Peeta. He is always uncertain towards his true feelings for Katniss and the world around him. He also always changes his mind on how to act towards the Capital. At first on the Victory Tour he is saying trash about the Capital and helping stir up the rebellion. At another time he thinks Katniss is crazy for what she says in front of the Capital. He also is uncertain if he really wants to marry Katniss or not even though he loves her. He represents uncertainty.   

     In conclusion, these are the archetypes in this story, Catching Fire. Each of the archetypes plays their own role in the war against the Capital, and in the whole plot of the story. Peeta is the shapeshifter, the shadow is the Capital, the mentor is Haymitch, and the hero is definitely Katniss. I am so close to finishing this book, so I can't wait to what happens at the end. I wonder is any of these archetypes will do something that their type doesn't usually do.