89 pages 2 hours read

Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety.” 


(Chapter 1, Page 5)

This line from Katniss’s internal dialogue serves several purposes. First, it establishes the setting. Second, it acknowledges the stakes. Third, it provides insight into Katniss’s wry sense of humor. Fourth, it offers the book’s first notable instance of irony, which recurs throughout the story.

Quotation Mark Icon

“But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make things fair. It doesn’t fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the game.”


(Chapter 2, Page 14)

In addition to providing further exposition regarding the injustice of the Capitol and the risk of death by hunger, Katniss’s circumspection on Gale’s habit offers insight into both characters. Gale is established as a more overtly rebellious individual with a penchant for verbally venting his frustrations. On the other hand, Katniss takes a more pragmatic approach to things—which likely contributes to her survival.

Quotation Mark Icon

“One slip. One in thousands. The odds had been entirely in her favor. But it hadn’t mattered.” 


(Chapter 2, Page 21)

Prim’s odds of being reaped were so low that Katniss did not consciously worry about it. Her own selection was much more likely. Katniss’s reflections on Prim’s reaping demonstrate her impotence against the powers of chance and the Capitol. Ultimately, it is Prim’s reaping that serves as the story’s call to adventure.