On November 22, the motion picture adaptation of the second book in “The Hunger Games” trilogy, “Catching Fire,” was released in the United States.

    I am also an avid fan of the trilogy and went to see “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” the day it was released in the United States. The cinemas were nearly bursting at the seam with adults and children alike. Tickets were virtually all sold out, and the seats in the theaters were all filled save for the first few rows directly in front of the big screen.

    The two-and-a-half-hour motion picture did not leave me disappointed in any way; it was a truly stunning and emotion-instilling work, leaving me laughing in some parts, and teary-eyed in others. In fact, the movie was so well-produced that I watched it a second time with my brother the next week!

    After watching the movie, I considered this question: What is it about young adult dystopian fiction that makes it so appealing to readers today? Personally, I feel that the distance and relevance of the fictional plot are captivating. The characters’ personalities are relatable to the readers; the unreality of the situations, combined with the knowledge that the situation could potentially become a reality, is thrilling. For example, Katniss is a brave, kindhearted, and clever teenage girl; she sometimes disagrees with her mother, and she loves her little sister very much.

    Countless readers just like her can surely relate to her situation. The people living in the Capitol city are unbelievably rich, and relatively shallow-minded, but those living in District Twelve are starving and desolate. In some areas, incredible technology such as invisible force fields and high-speed trains are developed, and in others, water is still obtained from a well pump. The stark contrasts are nearly parallel with those in many countries today. However, every year Katniss’ name is entered into a reaping to fight to the death in the nationally televised games. Civilians are publicly whipped and shot, and the President is a heartless man.

    These almost unimaginable situations are completely different from those in our society today. The distinct ability for readers to relate with some components and be distanced with others combines to make dystopian fiction truly enthralling. The point? If you haven’t yet seen “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” I very strongly recommend that you do so!

    Merry Gu (辜子蕊)

    is a Grade 9 student at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova, Pennsylvania. She lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a suburb near Philadelphia in the United States.