Feminist Lens On 'The Great Gatsby'

Spandan Timilsina

Period 3

Feminist Lens on The Great Gatsby

The Hunger Games is a unique novel that explores a fascinating concept, what happens when you throw twenty-four people to battle to the death? What’s truly remarkable about the novel is its ability to be read from a feminist point of view. Collins takes on the role of a feminist author by placing Katniss Everdeen, a female underdog, as the winner of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are about strength and endurance, and females were not favored to win under any circumstances. By making Katniss the winner, Collins defies the gender stereotype that women are weak and unable to defeat men in competitions that favor physicality and strength.

Looking through the feminist lens in this

book was very interesting. Katniss is not as girly as women are thought to be. Her role in her family was taking over her father’s place. When she was eleven, she became head of the house. That is a very big responsibility for a young girl. With hunting, trading, and keeping the house in order, Katniss has a very strong role for a young child to hold. However, Katniss takes on that role as well as the big sister role she already carries. However, Primrose Everdeen, Katniss’s little sister, is quite the opposite. She is a young girly girl that acts as a nurse with her mom. When Katniss spoke of taking Prim with her while hunting, she stated that Prim was terrified of the woods and would often cry after Katniss shot something. Prim was more of a caregiver and had motherly instincts. Katniss, on the other hand, was more of a dominant character, holding very little femininity. The difference between these sisters is very prominent. Their connection was more of a sister/mother-daughter bond as Katniss took on the role of the parent.
Another female character that held much femininity was Effie Trinket from the Capitol. She tended to do crazy things with her makeup and hair, but just the fact that she wears makeup and dresses feminine shows her femininity. Although her facial features are a little rough and her makeup was exaggerated, her emotions, speech, etiquette, and personality all show the feminist-like side of her. In the book, she makes a statement about how the Capitol deserved what Katniss did to them in the training center, but soon after she states her opinion, apologizes, leading to the sense of females not being able to state their own opinion without possible disagreement.
The Hunger Games is a unique and enthralling novel that explores a fascinating concept—what happens when you throw twenty-four kids together to battle to the death? The concept in itself is enough to keep the reader glued to their seat. But what’s truly remarkable about the novel is its ability to be read from a feminist point of view. Collins takes on the role of a feminist author by placing Katniss Everdeen, a female underdog, as the winner of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are about strength and endurance, so females are not exactly favored to win under any circumstances. By making Katniss the winner, Collins defies the gender stereotype that women are weak and unable to defeat men in competitions that favor physicality and strength.
Ultimately, Katniss is a feminist character not because she can put an arrow through an enemy’s throat as quickly and cleanly as any man, but because she learns to maintain her strength while opening herself up to the power of mutual support. It’s that, perhaps more than anything else, that makes Katniss an ideal role model for girls and an icon for feminist readers.