Tributes and American Snipers: How The Hunger Games Helps Us Understand Chris Kyle and Imagine Peace

Of the contenders for the Best Picture Oscar, American Sniper is the most controversial. Regardless of the argument Eastwood meant to make, audience response has been polarized and vitriolic, with fans of the film calling for the death of critics, and with critics of the film suggesting that snipers are cowards or hate-filled killers. By using The Hunger Games as a lens for understanding American Sniper, critics of Chris Kyle will meet him, anew, through the characters of Gale Hawthorne and Johanna Mason (Katniss Everdeen’s friends, both of whom are more than the wartime decisions they make). Fans of Kyle will be able to weigh him against Peeta Mellark, who promotes nonviolent resistance as an alternative means for social change, and, through that consideration, imagine peace. In short, the series gives us both a means to understand Kyle and a language for discussing his life in a responsible, persuasive way.