The new movie, “The Hunger Games,” was released recently, and the media is all over the movie and its stars. But even though there is controversy about violence and ratings, the part of “The Hunger Games” that stood out most to me was the strong female character portrayed by Suzanne Collins in her book and well-translated to the movie.

From the beginning, Katniss is shown to be well-rounded and interested in the Hunger Games to win, not for glory, but for her sister, Prim, whom she volunteers to replace in the Hunger Games. Throughout the movie, Katniss is strong mentally and physically, but also has the emotional side to her that makes her such a great character.

This feminine strength is uncommon in other movies like “Twilight,” where a similar love triangle like Katniss’ occurs, but the main female character is constantly defended by men (and vampires).

The fact that Katniss won the Hunger Games for her family, and did so with minimal violence, empowers every girl and woman and sets the bar for other books and movies to give women just as much credit.

Loa Jones
Washington Middle School
Seattle