Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is ripe
with conflict, most predominantly Man vs. Man and Man vs.
Self.
Man vs.
Man
The heart of the conflict in
Mockingjay is the open rebellion of the districts against the
Capitol. President Coins' forces from District 13 lead the other districts in an
uprising. The battles escalate in violence, from the fire-bombing of District 12 to the
decimation of the hospital in District 8.
President Snow
also takes the war to a personal level with Katniss when he leaves her the white rose in
her Victor house, "a promise of revenge" that "whispers, 'I can find you. I can reach
you. Perhaps I am watching you now'" (99). Katniss answers back in her propo video when
she says:
"President Snow says he's sending us a
message? Well, I have one for him. You can torture us and bomb us and burn our
districts to the ground...Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"
(99-100)
Man
vs. Self
Katniss and Peeta both face
internal struggles in Mockingjay as well. Katniss debates her role
in the rebellion, questioning whether she is being manipulated and used by Coin similar
to the misuse by the Capitol. Katniss also struggles discerning her true feelings for
Gale and Peeta.
Peeta has tremendous internal conflict
after the Capitol "highjacks" him, using a type of "fear conditioning" with tracker
jacker venom (180). "Arguing with himself like he was two people," most of his struggle
in the novel happens internally as he tries to figure out what is real
(244).
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