The Hunger Games Lessons

The Hunger Games is headed for a box office victory this weekend. Women looking for more representations of strong women in pop culture can cheer for this powerful and popular story driven by a female heroine. True, The Hunger Games has a love story, but it's hardly the focus of the first book, or even the entire series. The romance takes a backseat to action and other themes, including commentary on our modern voyeuristic culture.

The heroine Katniss Everdeen is beautiful and attractive; however, the story focuses on her skill, relationship with close friends and family, and attempt to keep her humanity as she tries to fight to the death. Susan Collins's captivating story appeals to boys and girls, or men and women alike. Just because the protagonist is a young woman, the action, drama, or messages are not modified in the familiar ways. Katniss doesn't overtly pine for Gale or Peeta, and the makeover scene is downplayed in the movie. Katniss has more important things to worry about. And she's not the only female character with depth in The Hunger Games. Here are lessons (which have nothing to do with boys) that we can learn from three of the film's female characters. Spoilers ahead.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate