Comparing Katniss In The Odyssey And The Hunger Games

The Odyssey and The Hunger Games are two very different stories, yet they both have many traits that apply to an epic. For example, in each story the main character is a hero who possesses supernatural qualities. In The Odyssey, the main character is Odysseus. He is a strong and intelligent man, unlike many other Greek heroes. His intelligence is shown when he defeated many monsters, who are much stronger than him, yet Odysseus outsmarts them. The main character in The Hunger Games is Katniss, and she also shows characteristics of a hero. Katniss is not only intelligent and brave, but she is very good with a bow and arrow, and has good survival skills. Katniss shows her bravery when she volunteers to replace her sister as a tribute for the

Hunger Games. Another characteristic that both of these stories share, is that the hero is charged with a quest. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is initially charged with the quest of going to Troy to fight in the war. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus must return home, which takes him 20 years in total. Odysseus encounters many different enemies, such as Scylla and Charybdis, that he must overcome in order to achieve his quest of returning home. The quest that Katniss is presented with is fighting in the Hunger Games. Throughout Katniss’ journey in the Hunger Games, she faces challenges while defeating other tributes. Some of the most important traits in an epic is the hero who possesses supernatural qualities, and the quest that the hero is charged with.
In an epic story, before the hero can complete his quest, they must be tested to prove their worthiness.

Odysseus is tested through each island and monster that he encounters throughout his journey. His intelligence is first tested when he defeats Polyphemus. Although Odysseus is not nearly as strong as Polyphemus, he manages to stab him in the eye and escape without getting caught. In The Hunger Games Katniss is tested through her training examination right before she enters the games. Katniss must show her best skills to the trainers, in order to try and earn the highest rating. In the examination, Katniss shows her skill with a bow by shooting at an apple up near the trainers room. Katniss got a much higher rating than she expected, which proved her worthiness to compete in The Hunger Games. Another trait that is present in epic stories is the presence of mythical beings. The majority of the characters in The Odyssey are mythical. There are some gods and goddesses that are helpful to Odysseus such as Athena. There are some mythical beings that are not helpful, such as Circe, Calypso, Poseidon, and Polyphemus. There are also many harmful mythical beings in The Hunger Games. The capital creates different mutations that are made to attack the tributes in the arena. The first mutation that Katniss encounters are the tracker jackers, which are bees with poisonous venom. Katniss also encounters dog mutations at the very end of the games, which kill Cato. In addition to mythical

beings, there are also helpful companions in both The Odyssey and The Hunger Games. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is helped by all of his crew mates as he tries to return home. In The Hunger Games, Katniss is helped by other tributes while she's in the arena. The main tribute that she is helped by is Rue, but she also had an alliance with Peeta. Both The Odyssey and The Hunger Games include events that let the hero prove their worthiness, mythical beings, and helpful companions, which helps to categorize the stories as epics.
In an epic story, the hero always reaches a low point, when they are on the verge of giving up. In The Odyssey, Odysseus reaches his low point when all of his crew members are finally killed by Zeus. Odysseus is then left alone in the ocean, until he eventually reaches Calypso’s island. He is stranded on Calypso’s island for seven years, and he has almost given up hope, but he is finally allowed to leave after many years. In The Hunger Games, Katniss also reaches a low point while in the games. Katniss and Peeta both gather some poisonous berries, and when they are told that they can’t win the games together, they threaten to eat the berries. Katniss reaches her lowest point when she is about to eat the berries and commit suicide, but she is quickly stopped by the gamemakers. Another characteristic in an epic is a restitution, when the hero regains their place on the throne. Odysseus finally regains his rightful place on the throne after he defeats the suitors. Once Odysseus kills all of the suitors, he can reunite with Penelope and Telemachus, and can rule again in Ithaca. Katniss has also gained a place on the throne at the end of The Hunger Games. Once Katniss wins she is treated like royalty. Overall, there are many different traits that define an epic, and both The Odyssey and The Hunger Games have many of these traits.