Katniss Everdeen as the Heroine in The Hunger Games
1. Examine a film with a female protagonist that conforms to the heroine’s journey by reflecting on how either Maureen Murdock’s or Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s versions of that narrative archetype encourages us to understand the narrative. You can see Murdock’s and Schmidt’s versions here and here respectively. (Remember to use the Wikipedia entry for help understanding the steps in the heroine’s journey.) The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen’s journey in The Hunger Games can be read as a Heroine’s Journey (Schmidtt), and with such interpretation, gives new insights into the underlying thematic structure. Starting in District 12, the poorest district, Katniss enjoys a relatively pleasant life hunting with Gabe, selling at the black market, and going through her lifestyle dynamic to provide for her mother and sister. By the standards of the dystopian District 12, this is a relatively “Perfect World,” whose Illusion is shortly shattered by the selection of Katniss’s sister for the Hunger ...