The Hunger Games (Katniss Destroys Arena) | Database of Machine Vision in Art, Games and Narratives

Brief description

In the second book/movie, lightning strikes a tree at a regular time each day. Katniss shoots an arrow connected to a wire connected to the tree directly at the "sky" of the arena just as lightning strikes, and the electrical current shorts the entire system. She has already discovered that there are force fields surrounding the edges of the arena, and has learnt to recognize the tell-tale cracks. As she aims at the sky, we see the clouds swirl and it loses its verisimilitude, as a beehive pattern shows us the many sections of the huge forcefield. After the explosions, Katniss collapses, but is flown out of the arena by rebels and taken to safety.

In the book, we stay with Katniss's first person perspective, but in the movie version of this situation, we cut from the explosion to see President Snow muttering, "It's not possible" in disbelief. The television screens he is looking at flicker out. He walks to the game masters who are seated around the holographic model of the arena and we see it shut down. Somebody says, "We've lost power."

Pull Quotes

So, do all force fields have a spot like that?” “Chink,” says Wiress vaguely. “In the armor, as it were,” finishes Beetee.

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 2) (p. 229). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I squint hard up the hill and realize we’re only a few paces from the force field. There’s the telltale square, high up and to my right, just as it was this morning. What did Beetee do? Did he actually try to drive the knife into the force field the way Peeta did by accident? And what’s the deal with the wire? Was this his backup plan? If electrifying the water failed, did he mean to send the lightning bolt’s energy into the force field? What would that do, anyway? Nothing? A great deal? Fry us all? The force field must mostly be energy, too, I guess. The one in the Training Center was invisible. This one seems to somehow mirror the jungle. But I’ve seen it falter when Peeta’s knife struck it and when my arrows hit. The real world lies right behind it.

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 2) (p. 376). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I finally see Beetee’s knife with clear eyes. My shaking hands slide the wire from the hilt, wind it around the arrow just above the feathers, and secure it with a knot picked up in training. I rise, turning to the force field, fully revealing myself but no longer caring. Only caring about where I should direct my tip, where Beetee would have driven the knife if he’d been able to choose. My bow tilts up at the wavering square, the flaw, the…what did he call it that day? The chink in the armor. I let the arrow fly, see it hit its mark and vanish, pulling the thread of gold behind it. My hair stands on end and the lightning strikes the tree. A flash of white runs up the wire, and for just a moment, the dome bursts into a dazzling blue light. I’m thrown backward to the ground, body useless, paralyzed, eyes frozen wide, as feathery bits of matter rain down on me.

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 2) (pp. 378-379). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.