Succor: Action, Description, and Emotion in Suzanne Collins' THE HUNGER GAMES

Many writers live in awe of Suzanne Collins' ability to balance action, description, and emotion. Plus, when not “showing,” she uses her “telling” skills to evoke imagery and emotion. Realizing you may differ with my conclusions, here's what I see when I examine the first two paragraphs of THE HUNGER GAMES, but first I will display each paragraph before the critique:

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.

Action: (When) I wake up,
Description/Emotion: the other side of the bed is cold.
Action: My fingers stretch out,
Action/Emotion: seeking Prim's warmth
Action/Description/Emotion: but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.
Emotion: [I think] She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course she did [I realize]. This is the day of the reaping [I know].

While the above example displays a balance of action, emotion, and description, the next example of the first paragraph examines telling and showing:

Showing: (When) I wake up,
Telling image, evokes emotion: the other side of the bed is cold.
Showing: My fingers stretch out,
Telling image, evokes emotion: seeking Prim's warmth
Showing, evokes emotion: but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.
Telling evoking emotion: [I think] She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course she did [I realize]. This is the day of the reaping [I know].

A re-written version of the first sentence using all action verbs might look like this:

I wake up and cold from the other side of the bed seeps over me.

While this sentence is active, its focus is on the seeping cold due to the connection between the subject “cold” and its verb “seeks”. What's important is that the sample sentence removes the image of the empty side of the bed which evokes so much emotion (someone is missing). Therefore, telling is productive when it provides an image packed with emotion.

Collins' second paragraph is just as impressive:

I prop myself up on one elbow. There's enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten down. Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Here's the examination:

Action--showing: I prop myself up on one elbow.
Description--telling: There's enough light in the bedroom to see them.
Description—showing, evokes emotion: My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's body, their cheeks pressed together.
Description—telling image: In sleep, [I think] my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten- down.
Description—imagery showing: Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named.
Emotion—telling, evokes emotion: My mother was very beautiful once. Or so they tell me.

I may not have pegged these the way someone else might have, but Collins' balance of action, description, and emotion is definitely inspirational. That combined with her keen sense to pack emotion into “telling” images could account for part of the reason her works are so esteemed.