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Kaila Clover
Ms. Hoogewerf
Writing for College Success
27 October 2015
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a thrilling sequel to the original Hunger Games.
Written by Suzanne Collins, and later directed by Francis Lawrence, this novel-turned-liveaction-film is a continuation of the struggles of Katniss Everdeen, a teenage-girl providing for
her family, and Peeta Melark, the son of a local baker. The story continues for the two whom
were co-victors in the Hunger Games of the prior year. The wave of radical action that Katniss
helped to kindle is now threatening to blaze up and destroy the Capitol, leaving the country of
Panem to abide in the charred remains. Even though the Hunger Games: Catching Fire is based
off the book of the same name, the differences between the setting, characters, and these two
versions that make them unique and interesting.
Differences in setting throughout The Hunger Games: Catching Fire add drama and keep
the audience entertained. Throughout the book, the setting changes from hostile to benign, and
from slow and interpersonal to fast paced and dramatic. The setting in the beginning of the book
is in the Victors Circle, a sector of housing reserved specifically for the winners of the Hunger
Games. This is set within District 12, then in the main square where the citizens learn of the
requirements for the third Quarter Quell. Katniss, her mother, her sister, and Peeta have gotten
used to living in the luxurious housing within the Victors Circle, a private residence reserved
only for the winners of the Hunger Games. A whole year has passed since the last Games, and to

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mark the end of the third twenty-five year period, a quarter-quell is held. Each quarter-quell has a
distinct theme, and the theme of the third requires that all previous and most recent victors return
to the arena to face one another in a battle of survival.
The setting later on in the book is within the Quarter-Quell arena, and then in the District
13 hovercraft at the end of the book. The Victors must face each other in the Quarter-Quell arena,
which is shaped like a clock. After shooting an arrow through a weak spot in the energy field
surrounding the arena, Katniss is rescued by a hovercraft from District 13.
The setting in the beginning of the movie is quite tense to reflect Katnisss post-traumatic
stress resulting from her involvement in the Games from the previous year, though it mellows
down some before it becomes as tense and quick paced as before. In the beginning of the movie,
the audience is shown some of the nightmares that Katniss has been plagued by ever since she
won the games alongside Peeta. The audience is shown a nightmare-flashback to the first movie,
when Katniss was stung by genetically-modified wasps called tracker jackers and suffered
horrifying hallucinations. Peeta hears her distress and comes to wake her up out of her dream. He
reassures her and volunteers to watch and wake her if she starts having nightmares again.
Katniss believes that things are going to get better, until she and Peeta are told that they
must return to the arena to participate in the upcoming seventy-fifth Hunger Games. As required
by law, a special Hunger Games is to be held every twenty-five years, known as a Quarter Quell,
to serve as a reminder of the Capitols victory over the Districts. The seventy-fifth games, or the
third Quarter Quell, requires that the most recent victors return to the games to fight against one
another. The theme of the Quell is to remind the Districts that no one can overcome the power of
the Capitol.

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The personalities and characteristics of the characters in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire vary
from the movie to the book. New characters are introduced, while older characters, such as those
introduced in the first book, change their personality. Peeta is a prime example of how a
character who was considered more of an anti-hero and side-protagonist becomes a more
prominent protagonist as he forms a stronger bond with Katniss. Peeta is now the center of
attention for both Katniss and Haymitch, who want to insure his survival, and for President
Snow, who is beginning to realize how great of a speaker he is. Katniss screams when Peeta
accidently walks right into the arenas force-field, which stops his heart and almost kills him.
The intentions of Katniss and her coach, Haymitch, are also more thoroughly questioned.
The Mockingjay, like the one on Katnisss gold pin, becomes a secret symbol of ones alliance
with the Rebellion. Haymitch urges both Katniss and Peeta to make friends with other victors,
telling them that they will survive longer if they work together. He especially wants them to get
to know Beetee, who is revealed to be a member of the Rebellion at the end of the book.
Katniss is a bit more emotional in the movie than she is in the book. She cares more
about others and is more vocal about her feelings. Katniss becomes grief-stricken after she is
powerless to stop her stylist from being beaten and killed by Peacekeepers right before her eyes.
The President of Panem, President Snow, is blackmailing Katniss into following the rules in an
attempt to stop the Districts government rebellion that she helped to begin during the first
movie. But even if all of us meet terrible, ends, something happened on that stage tonight that
cant be undone. We victors, staged our own uprising, and maybe, just maybe, the Capitol wont
be able to contain this one. (Katniss Everdeen, p. 258-259). President Snow threatens to hurt
everyone Katniss loves until she backs down from her new role as a symbol of rebellion, and

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does so by having her stylist killed before her. This is her punishment for wearing the Mocking
Jay dress designed by her stylist as a homage to the pin she wore in the previous Hunger Games,
which became a symbol of the Rebellion.
The characters are older in the movie than they are described as in the book. The actors
who play Katniss and Peeta are in their late teens and twenties, even though the basis of the
Hunger Games is that all tributes be children and teenagers. The horror that is invoked by
children being forced to kill other children is lessened when they appear older, such as teenagers
or young adults instead of young kids.
The individual events leading up to the finale in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire differ
in significance from the book to the movie. The book has its differences from its respective
movie, which make reading and watching both a more fulfilling experience. The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire has settings, characters, and events that differ from the story told in the book to the
action in the movie. The settings in both the movie and the book are relatively consistent with
one another, though there are some parts added and others removed within the movie. While
there are consistencies in plot, theme, and character relationships, the books representation of
these topics are more open to personal reflection and representation. The movie does have its
strongpoints as well; visual effects and actor portrayals of characters, with credit to the director
and screenwriters, add another dimension to the story told throughout the Hunger Games trilogy.
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Works Cited:
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2013. Print.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Dir. Francis Lawrence. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh
Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland. Lionsgate, 2014. DVD.