Figurative Language In The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

In all novels the author plans for readers to see a character in a certain way. The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins follows Katniss Everdeen as she is thrown into a televised game show, where you kill or be killed, along the way Katniss builds a friendship with a young girl named Rue. In the text figurative language is used to build the idea of fear, connotation is used to give the aura of innocence and characterisation is used to create a softhearted sense, thus builds the idea that Rue is a young, pure, kind soul. Suzanne Collins uses narrative conventions such as; metaphors, connotation and characterisation to position the reader to see Rue as a scared, softhearted, innocent child.

In the text metaphors are used to construct the notion that Rue is scared. Rue is described early on in the text, "... stands tilted up on her toes with her arms slightly extended to her sides, as if to take wing at the slightest sound." The author has positioned the peruser to see Rue as a fragile, flighty creature by describing her using bird-like qualities, by saying she was ready to run at any second suggests that Rue won't be the biggest threat in the games, thus positioning the reader to view Rue as afraid and intimidated. By using this metaphor the reader has been shaped to regard Rue as an afraid character in the novel.

During The Hunger Games Collins has used connotative language to describe Rue's scream, this is used to build the concept of innocence.

"It's a child's scream, a young girl's scream..." By using the words; child, young and girl, the reader is positioned to see Rue as a small, pretty, innocent girl, as many people associate such words with the idea of being small and needing protection from the world. From the author using connotative language Rue is portrayed as an innocent

child.

Throughout the duration of the novel characterisation is continuously used to illustrate Rue as a softhearted character. Collins describes Rue with; "She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that she's very like Prim in size and demeanour." The words evoke a very appeasing visual image, to most brown eyes create the illusion of the person being like an overgrown teddybear, by comparing her to Prim the author has shown that just like Prim, Rue is too young and small to be competing in such gruesome games. By characterising Rue to have brown eyes and a small frame, Collins has created the idea that Rue is softhearted like a teddy.

In The Hunger Games the author has positioned the reader to view Rue in a certain way, she has done this by using metaphors, connotative language and characterisation, all of which are narrative conventions. The metaphor describes Rue's flighty stance suggesting she is afraid, the connotative writing is used to create and air of innocence to Rue and characterisation is used to portray her as a softhearted tribute. By using narrative conventions the author allows the reader to be manipulated into seeing a character in a certain light.