Your Favorite Literary Characters Celebrate the Fourth

Ever wondered what would happen if you invited famous and popular fictional characters to a 4th of July barbecue? As you plan your own barbecue and guest list (or maybe you’re just planning on what to bring to someone else’s barbecue, or planning how your going to crash your neighbor’s rooftop celebration), take a moment to decide whether or not you’d want these well-known men and women to wish America a happy Independence Day with you.
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games trilogy) is the one sitting in a corner, shoveling barbecued goods down her throat while simultaneously keeping an eye on everyone at the party. Though you’ve reassured her multiple times that this is a really safe rooftop party, you know what they say – you can take the girl out of The Hunger Games, but you can’t take the Hunger Games out of the girl.
Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye) is in the opposite corner, longing to be in the crowd but also annoyed because he thinks everyone is trying too hard. He has his iPod headphones in his ears and is listening to his playlist of every anti-American song that he could find, just to make it clear to everyone around him that he thinks national holidays are pointless.
Romeo Montague & Juliet Capulet (Romeo & Juliet) You invited Romeo thinking he might hit it off with Juliet, but you had no idea just how well they’d get along. They lock eyes over the watermelon and are inseparable for the rest of the night, culminating in a Facebook-official relationship by the time the fireworks end.
Edward Cullen (Twilight) doesn’t even eat cooked food but shows up to the barbecue because he saw that Bella Swan was listed under “Attending” on the Facebook event. He’ll be sulking in the shade until she arrives, because he doesn’t want to upstage the fireworks by glittering in the sunlight.
Odysseus (The Odyssey) got lost on the way. According to Google Maps, he won’t make it to your barbecue for at least another ten years.
Though your cookout may not actually have Romeo & Juliet or Holden Caulfield attending, you know all literary characters have real life counterparts, so be on the lookout. Happy 4th of July!!

