How should the Hunger Games end? Write your ideal version of Mockingjay.
Mockingjay, the highly-anticipated final novel in Suzanne Collins’s post-apocalyptic dystopian Young Adult science-fiction trilogy The Hunger Games, is now available at National Bookstores at a special introductory price of P530 (one-third off the regular price).
Be among the first to read Mockingjay, for free!
If you have read the first two novels in the series, Hunger Games and Catching Fire, tell us how the trilogy should end. What would you like to happen in Mockingjay? What would be the most satisfying conclusion? Who should live, who should go? Does Katniss live happily ever after? With whom?
Write your ideal Mockingjay plot in 500 words or less and post it in Comments by Friday, 3 September 2010. Your version of Mockingjay need not resemble Suzanne Collins’s Mockingjay, it just has to be compelling. While sticking to the basic narrative and characters of the Hunger Games books, of course.
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August 30th, 2010 at 11:27
I haven’t read the first two books, and I have no idea how the story should end, but you did say that you will be drawing up the guest list for the NonEvent based on entries to LitWit challenges for the next four weeks, so consider this a terribly poor entry from someone who wants to attend the NonEvent!
August 30th, 2010 at 14:20
Just finished Catching Fire and these are my predictions/conclusions:
Katniss and Gale will end up together.
Peeta will die.
Plutarch Heavensbee will become the president of the new Panem.
Haymitch and Effie will end up together.
Finnick, Johanna and Gale will have seats in the new government.
August 30th, 2010 at 21:06
Here’s my idea:
On Catching Fire, we are left with Katniss and Gale talking about there’s no more District 12 and that Peeta and Johanna were captured by the Capitol and that District 13 exist and are ready for an uprising.
On MockingJay, Katniss and Gale plans on rescuing Peeta and Johanna from the Capitol alongside the plans of the resistance to overtake the Capitol and destroy the regime of President Snow. The rebellion backfires -they’ve miscalculated. The Capitol had already known about the existence of District 13. They were just waiting for them to come out from their hiding place. Little did they know that the Capitol had perfected the production of nuclear weapons. President Snow wanted to test this on the traitors of Panem. While on their rescue mission, Katniss and Gale had found out the plans of President Snow to bombard the secret location of the resistance. How did they knew about this?
From a Mockingjay.
A Mockingjay that Peeta and Johanna was able to acquire from Cinna during their captivity on the Capitol.
They’ve sent a message to Katniss saying that they should destroy the nerve center of the Capitol to prevent the nuclear missiles being launched.
Now Katniss is troubled on what to do. She only has limited time before President Snow knew of her plans. She has to pick the rescue mission or the future of Panem.
Without the destruction of the nerve center, the resistance would not be able to commence with their plans.
Katniss and Gale chose the nerve center mission.
All the while, Finnick Odair was on his way to rescue Peeta and Johanna. He was later helped by the Avox girl.
Katniss was successful with the nerve center mission but she lost Gale.
The resistance was able to overtake the Capitol. While doing so, President Snow does not want to be taken as a detainee by the resistance. On his last stand before them, he took out a small device. A remote control device that would blow up the building where Peeta and Johanna were being held. President Snow demanded a cruiser for him to escape or the death of Peeta and the other prisoners (turns out, there are other prisoners from different districts).
They gave in, they’ve sent out a cruiser in exchange of the prisoners safety.
While boarding the cruiser, President Snow pushed the trigger on the device.
The building 2000 meters away exploded!
Turns out, there was another button on that device.
A trigger that would release “Fusion Jackers”, a mutation of the Tracker Jackers that rendered them radioactive and highly explosive.
President Snow pushed that triggered and in an instant Fusion Jackers were released all over the Capitol.
The resistance needs to worry now on those Fusion Jackers.
Unaware that Katniss was hiding beneath the ledge, President Snow took time in laughing at the resistance instead of closing the door of the cruiser.
Having the urge to avenge the death of Gale and the other prisoners (including PEETA), Katniss took out her bow and aimed it at President Snow.
With a flick on the bow’s string, she let out an arrow towards President Snow’s forehead.
In the end, Katniss thought that Peeta died.
Not until a cruise ship appeared in front of her and she saw Finnick walking towards her, behind Finnick was Peeta.
August 31st, 2010 at 15:46
Since Peeta, Johanna and Enobaria were captured at the end of Catching Fire, they will be punished—except for Enobaria because she’s from District 2. But even though Peeta was tortured extremely, he devised a plan to escape the Capitol, he must convince President Snow that he can turn Katniss over to the Capitol by agreeing to the latter’s plans. It is to help him destroy District 13 (I believe that the Capitol already know about it because when they killed Cinna, I assume, he probably threatened them by the very fact), and to personally kill Katniss Everdeen.
Not entirely convince about Peeta’s proposal, President Snow killed Johanna to show that he must not be fooled. Peeta agrees and they’re off to planning the attack on District 13 and kill the Mockingjay.
Back at District 13, while everyone seems pre-occupied of the impending doom and prepares for that one defining moment for Panem—Gale proves his love to Katniss in every possible way, which, actually compelled Katniss consider her life with him but she get easily distracted by the thought of Peeta and the possibility that he must be dead by now though she is still hoping for the best—that he is still there, fighting to live, for her.
The war began but to the shock of everyone, Peeta leads the troops that is made destroy to District 13. Katniss don’t know how to make of it but ends up hating him when Peeta accidentally kills Rory, Gale’s younger brother and also, left Haymitch wounded beyond repair.
Plutarch is from 13, born to the family that defies President Snow but to no avail. Together with Finnick, Beete, Gale and a team from District 13—they embark on a secret mission to kill President Snow and to finally end the war by bringing the Capitol down.
Katniss, overhear this and plans to join them without them actually knowing. When they finally arrive at the Capitol, Katniss intuitively looks for President Snow to kill him herself. Katniss plans were made known to Gale all along, as much as she knows that Gale will be killing Peeta.
The team fights with the Capitol people but President Snow is nowhere to be found. Finnick reunites with Annie.
Gale looks for Peeta to avenge his brother’s death. At the moment when Gale aims the arrow directly at Peeta’s heart, Katniss block his way and begs Gale to kill her and spare Peeta. Gale cannot do it. He walks out and forgives Katniss and Peeta in the end.
Finally, President Snow made an appearance. He was held captive by Peeta and saves him for Katniss. This is the time, Peeta says. Katniss could not kill anymore. Plutarch, with a gun in his hands and the grudge that crept forever in his mind, kills Snow coldly.
Though we know that Peeta and Gale can hardly be friends because of what happens, Katniss arranges a meeting fueled by the thought—we must forgive to start anew.
There is now democracy in Panem.
September 1st, 2010 at 16:05
“Katniss, there is no District 12”, Gale said.
Katniss went wild upon hearing this. Add that to Peeta being a prisoner of the Capitol, she lost her self they had to restrain and sedate her. Katniss thought 13 was selfish for leaving the other Districts to rot under the Capitol for 75 years. She continued being the Mockingjay and giving the rebels what they want in exchange of saving Peeta. She travels to different Districts to encourage the people against the Capitol.
Peeta, as well as Johanna was saved but he was never the same. He was blind and he refuses any form of treatment. He cannot bake, he cannot paint, just indulges in self-pity. The only replacement he wants is President Snow’s snake-like eyes.
Katniss promised to avenge him and so, he and Gale together with Finnick, Johanna and 6 others forced the people from 13 to send them on a mission to infiltrate the President’s mansion and ultimately, to kill him. After a day of being chased around, everyone died except Katniss and Gale. While they were hiding in one of the Capitol residential houses (after killing the inhabitants of the place), with all the emotional instability, they had sex.
The next day, they donned Capitol fashion and when they were very close to the mansion, all hell broke loose. The rebels attacked the capitol (which is not part of the plan). Katniss got angry and fired her arrow in an approaching rebel hovercraft and it burned to the ground. Gale, surprised by her act, attacked Katniss from behind.
She woke up in a hospital bed, restrained, without analgesic. Peeta was sleeping beside her bed. When he opened his eyes, horror struck her, it was Gale’s eyes! He said Gale committed suicide after it was Peeta’s name that she was calling while she was asleep and his last will was to donate his cornea to Peeta since President Snow’s body are burned beyond repair (the rebels bombed the mansion).
Katniss found out that the hovercraft she shot was full of Medics, including her mother. Prim does not know, and she decides to keep it that way. The people of Panem voted for Katniss as the next president and they decided to conduct one last Hunger Games with the people of Capitol as tributes, to give them a dose of their own medicine.
Peeta and Katniss end up together with Gale’s baby, but they also had a child of their own.
September 1st, 2010 at 16:10
*President Snow’s body is burned beyond repair.
September 3rd, 2010 at 15:46
After hearing what happened to District 12, Katniss gets along with all the plans for undertaking the Capitol. She became the mockingjay and convinces all district to go against the Snow’s government, including the ones from Capitol itself. She did this with the help of the rebels from District 13. With this, all those tributes Snow got from the 75th Hunger Games were liberated. Snow was put to trial and was sentenced to death by being fed to the mutts. These mutts were made in the likes of his cronies and allies that were sentenced to being transformed to mutts. Coin was elected president of the Republic of Panem. She appointed Effie Trinket as the head of Department of Education, while Beetee became the head of the Defense Department. Coin’s 1st term as president has been a rough but good enough transition from having an authoritarian regime under Snow. But people thought she got greedy in her 2nd term as president and was ousted. Plutarch Heavensbee replaced Coin but died because of assassination from one of the former cronies of Snow who was found not guilty in the trials.
During the reign of Coin and Heavensbee, Katniss went to school and took up political science and law, Peeta went to cooking school, and Gale found a copy of the red book and became a leftist. Prim on the other hand went to medical school and became a very successful doctor. She even discovered how the nightlock could be a cure for tracker jacker bites. On the other hand, Mrs. Everdeen became Mrs. Abernathy, after Haymitch sobered up. Finnick and Anna got married and had their reality TV show. Octavia, Venia, and Flavius also got their own style channel. Peeta also became a celebrity chef and had several shows on food network. Katniss married Peeta for his popularity, for she had plans of being a president. After the death of Plutarch, Katniss ran for the snap election and won. All through out Katniss’ term, Gale launched several coup d’etats. Gale said Katniss’ government was ran by corrupt officials and parties that uses her. Gale’s real intention for the uprising was that he wants revenge being rejected by Katniss.
When everything was chaotic under Katniss’ regime, a big meteor struck earth and eradicated Panem. Everybody died buwahahaha!
September 3rd, 2010 at 15:55
Suzanne Collins’ strengths lie in her creativity in conjuring up the imaginary post-apocalyptic world. Since both Catching Fire and Hunger Games had the most exciting scenes played out in the arena, it would have been exciting to have another Hunger Games this time with the powerful people as players. President Snow, Paylor, Haymitch, Coin, and all the major players should have played to the death to see who would rule the Capitol and all the districts, something like Hunger Games Extreme, with a setting akin to worlds in Crystal Maze or the like. Perhaps introducing new characters or legendary victors fighting to lead in the capitol would have spiced up the story.
And because I am a girly girl, I definitely enjoyed all the prep for pomp and pageantry by Cinna (who I really wished did not die). Regarding the tiresome theme of the love triangle among Katniss, Peeta and Gale (aka Jacob and Edward) I think Mockingjay’s ending was a cop out, as if Collins suddenly got lazy towards the end of the book. Someone should have died! And of course a baby should materialize either Peeta’s or Gale’s.
I can already see the huge potential of the book’s imagery and interactions to be played out on the big screen. I am looking forward to reading another novel from this addicting series. ?
September 3rd, 2010 at 16:20
It was all a dream. The two are in fact stars of a reality series similar to The Hills. They’ll realize that they’ve been living a shallow existence. Then they become activists championing the cause of the environment a la Leo (of course this inception was his brainchild).
September 3rd, 2010 at 21:53
All characters will discover that District 13 is a GAY district. Peeta and Gale will fall in love with each other. They will live a rainbow-full lives in District 13.
Katniss and President Snow will fall in love with each other and both will rule a peaceful Panem.