#61, Fin

Complete this journal entry after you have finished reading The Hunger Games!

The ending of the The Hunger Games was indeed puzzling.  The rules were changed when the competition had been whittled down to five tributes, allowing two winners for the first time in the history of the Games.  With Cato's passing, just Peeta and Katniss remained, supposed victors, until the rules were cruelly restored to their original state.  The purpose for the change was not explicitly stated, but there are some plausible scenarios.  Did President Snow wish to give Katniss hope that she and Peeta could win only to viciously take it away?  Was it punishment for paying homge to Rue's death?  Was it a message to Panem to show the Capitol's power?  Or was tradition of the Games simply too strong to ever be violated?

The following passage starts on page 342 (soft cover edition) of The Hunger Games.

A mockingjay gives the long, low whistle, and tears of relief fill my eyes as the hovercraft appears and takes Cato's body away.  Now they will take us.  Now we can go home.

But again there's no response.

"What are they waiting for?" says Peeta weakly.  Between the loss of the tourniquet and the effort it took to get to the lake, his wound has opened up again.

"I don't know," I say.  Whatever the holdup is, I can't watch him lose any more blood.  I get up to find a stick but almost immediately come across the arrow that bounced off Cato's body armor.  It will do as well as the other arrow.  As I stoop to pick it up, Claudius Templesmith's voice booms into the arena.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games...

Re-write the ending of The Hunger Games starting from this point.

Optional: What was your favorite quote from The Hunger Games?

-Brenden Lee Teacher

hello 911? there's an old man beating a child on my tv