The Hunger Games Theme of Competition

OK, quick: think of a game.

Got one? Good. What'd you come up with? Baseball? Tennis? Monopoly? World of Warcraft?

Well, the Hunger Games are a totally different kind of competition – one of life and death. And a game that people are forced into. What, then, does it take to win a competition like this? And can you ever really win a game like the Hunger Games? Are the Games ever really over?

1. It is better to win the Hunger Games or lose them? Why? What do you gain from winning the Games and what do you loose?
2. Why won't Katniss allow herself to develop feelings for Peeta during the Games?
3. Why is it easy for Katniss to see some tributes as enemies or competitors? For example, what makes Katniss immediately label Cato and Foxface as competitors and Rue as an ally? How does Katniss see Peeta? What about Thresh?
4. Sure they're televised, but are the Hunger Games really a game? What's the definition of a game, anyway?
5. Why don't the Hunger Games end for Katniss? Do they end for Peeta?