Hello, my name is Dana, and I am an avid reader of English. English for me is not merely a language but a medium with which I gain fresh perspectives in viewing things. It connects ideas from individuals all around the globe and shows me possibilities that had never occurred to me. English also introduced me to Ray Bradbury, who once said that life is trying things to see if they work, so I’m trying out something I had never done before: a book report contest. It’s the enthusiasm for English in me that has made it possible.

In The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins investigated human nature as the book revolves around the irony of humanity. Katniss’s understanding of right or wrong was continuously tested as she faced different obstacles. The power of the Capitol, the fear of killing from the Hunger Games, and the struggle with morality and survival all led Katniss to discover different faces of humanity, both warm and cold. As the game went on, Katniss could only rely on her instincts to survive in an arena with no morals. After exposing the most chaotic side of humanity, the author drew the key characteristic in human behaviors for the readers to discover, demonstrating that there is no absolute good or bad, but rather something else in between. The novel provides situations parallel to those in real life, triggering readers to reflect on the underlying reasons for our actions.

The games were not a game; they were a punishment. The Capitol abhorred the tragic losses they experienced during the rebellion, forcing districts to sacrifice their innocent children to destroy one another in a bloody battle of death. As the children started to kill one another, they let go of their beliefs, becoming monsters. However, is humanity truly evil? The truth is, people are indifferent unless it is about the ones they care about.

It is difficult to determine whether a person is good or evil because their actions encompass both. As the hunger game proceeds, the Capitol citizens were entertained by the fact that those tributes are going to demolish each other’s lives. Nevertheless, they still showed sympathy for the star-crossed lovers, Katniss and Peeta. In the arena, Katniss cut a tracker jakernest with the intent to kill, but she is concerned about the health of her fellow tribute, Peeta. After the games, Katniss learned that her prep team only focused on themselves and not the people in agony on screen throughout the game, even though they prayed for her safety. The truth is, there is no absolute viciousness nor is there outright nobleness. Humanity has its moments of selflessness and selfishness.

Selflessness was granted to people in a diversity of settings. For example, Katniss tried her best to protect Rue in spite of the fact that they are supposed to kill each other. Even though Peeta knew the consequence of getting beaten, he still intentionally burned bread in order to give it to Katniss, who almost starved to death. Although Cinna is one of the Capitol citizens, he tries his very best to comfort Katniss and gives her the advantage of attention from the people to earn sponsorship. Humanity has its warmth.

Selfishness is manifested in different people with different backgrounds. Katniss volunteered for her own self-interest: her sister’s safety. She secretly played as the love-sick naïve girl in order to get a better chance of survival before and after the games. The peacekeepers live in the districts and know the poverty and suffering people are facing. Nonetheless, in order to get promoted, they lash, scourge, and whip the already malnourished and indigent people. The Capitol exploits the districts by seizing their products for their own satisfaction. The same could be said for our everyday lives. By creating various scenarios, Collins intends to have readers realize that humanity is both selfless and selfish. In the end, it’s people’s motives that matter.

There is no absolute answer to what humanity is. While it is a source of salvation for some, it becomes poison for others. In the Hunger Games, people’s obliviousness to one another’s suffering is a sharp contrast to their care for and attachment to the ones in their hearts. Between black and white, there are shades of gray that spark humanity’s benevolence, humanity’s ignorance, and humanity’s irony. After all, it’s still possible to find good in someone as evil as Coriolanus Snow as it is to find some wrong in someone as pure as Katniss Everdeen. The Hunger Games not only leaves readers a blank to discover themselves but also gives them a chance to fill in their own interpretation of the humanity around them, and then fabricate it into the world Katniss lives in.