Today on Facebook some guy tried to tell me that

It’s a ridiculous work of fiction that some girls deem “good” because they’re biased and it has a female main character, even though it’s just a written remake of “Running Man,” “Condemned,” or “Battle Royale.” And this girl is definitely no substitute for Arnold Shwarzeneggar.

Which was slightly insulting.

I resent the implication that my reading habits are somehow less valid or less reasonable just because of my gender, and I disagree with the idea that my ovaries make me less capable of distinguishing between a multifaceted character who makes realistic (and not always accurate) decisions, and a character designed as a blank slate. I don’t understand how Katniss’ gender makes her any less of a legitimate protagonist, especially as she often acts as the antithesis to what people like Facebook Twit imagine female characters are (or should) be. She’s a fantastic literary embodiment of the human spirit, and to negate her complexity because of outdated gender roles is to both trivialise what the author was intending to do, and shows a lack of understanding about the key themes of the story.

He then went on to say that

I’ve been told I should read it too. Maybe I’ll give it a shot…

Which explained a lot.

It really irritates me when people who haven’t read the books argue that it’s some steamy love triangle, with a vapid Bella-esque protagonist who spends the trilogy trying to choose between nice-guy baker Peeta and childhood hunting partner Gale (rather than, say, leading a revolution to bring down a corrupt government). Our interactions with other people go a long way towards defining us. They challenge us and they change us and they make us who we are. So rather than portraying the fledgeling relationships as something to aspire to or strive for (in a teen-drama context), The Hunger Games illustrates how easily the political and the private can be combined in a dystopian world where most people lack genuine autonomy in any facet of their lives.

The Hunger Games is a story about tyranny, revolution, courage, love, growing up, identity, poverty, hunger, class conflict and sacrifice.

Having a female protagonist doesn’t negate this in any way.