Parents In Mrs. Everdeen's Literature

Mrs.Everdeen’s distant nature classifies her as the checked out parent, who is a common figure seen across YA literature. This parent is physically present within the text, but emotionally and psychologically unable to relate to the world around her (Just). Labels such as widow(er), single parent, or divorcé(e) usually define the checked out parent across the YA spectrum (Mallis). Since it is a struggle to get out of bed most days, the distracted parent rarely bothers the main character, and lets them do whatever they want because they are too busy to notice anything (Mallis). Literary agent Julie Just asserts, “The not-in-charge, curiously diminished parent is just sort of there, part of the scenery. You can even spot the type in three best-selling fantasy series: ‘Twilight,’ ‘Shiver,’ and ‘The Hunger Games’” (Just). Since …show more content…
fiction are slightly ridiculous. They put in an appearance at the stove and behind the wheel of the car, but you can see right through them” (Just). This claim is completely ridiculous because although Collins does place Katniss’ mother “in an appearance at the stove,” after she finally gets medication for her condition and can leave her bed, she most certainly serves an important purpose within the novel, which is not making soup. Her actions sculpt Katniss into the fighter she becomes, and without her fulfilling the role of the checked out parent, Katniss would not have developed the spirit of a fighter at such a young age, since her mother would have taken over as the head of the house. If Mrs. Everdeen took on her husband’s role after he passed away, Katniss would have been able to enjoy growing up like a normal teenage girl, but instead she is denied this luxury because she has to spend her teenage years hunting in the woods and taking care of Prim and her mother. Even though Katniss’ mother is a minor character within the novel, she still plays an important role in Katniss’