Journal Essay – The Hunger Games Character Analysis
In the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the main character and protagonist is 16 year old Katniss Everdeen, a strong and selfless young woman who is far more mature than her age suggests. As the main provider for her family after her father died, Katniss had to become responsible and resourceful at a young age, which forced her to participate in rebellious behavior in order to keep her family alive. She is an unselfish and protective character, putting herself in danger in order to keep the ones she loves safe, especially for her little sister Primrose. Even after the pain and hardships she has had to go through not only in the games, but in her life, Katniss maintains her
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Throughout the novel you can see her other acts of care, such as when she takes 12 year old Rue under her wing in the middle of the games, and also how she refuses to leave Peeta when he is injured. “I can almost hear Haymitch groaning as I team up with this wispy child. But I want her. Because she’s a survivor, and I trust her, and why not admit it? She reminds me of Prim” (pg 201). In this quote the author Suzanne Collins is showing that Katniss is teaming up with Rue, rather than killing her, which is what would get her farther in the Games but she doesn’t because she reminds her of Prim, and wants to protect her. During the weeks over which the Games occur, Katniss’ character does not essentially change. What changes are her circumstances, and most of the novel watches her dealing with the situations she encounters. She does not begin to seek attention once she becomes a celebrity and begins doing television interviews. Rather, she always tries to figure out how to get through the interviews so she can succeed in winning the games and go back to her life. The games do not turn her into an unsympathetic killer, and the only times she does kill, she does only because it was necessary. That her sense of compassion remains intact is clear through the way she treats Rue and kills Cato out of pity for his
At the last time they meet before the Games, Katniss cries out, “don’t let them starve! ... [Gale] won’t! You know [Gale] won’t…” (Collins 40). The reassurance is really important for Katniss because she is so concerned about her family, especially about her younger sister Prim. With Gale’s strong guarantee, Katniss can give herself completely to the Games. Gale has influenced Katniss positively by teaching her hunting skills and providing a reassuring guarantee.
Katniss and How She Changed During the Games How much did Katniss change in the novel, The Hunger Games? Throughout the novel, we see her character change and develop a lot due to the circumstances she finds herself in. Katniss is the novel's protagonist, and she volunteers for her sister to take her place in the Hunger Games. Her sister was not supposed to be a tribute, nor was it expected because it was her first year in the drawing. Despite this, she was drawn to help develop one of the novel's themes, “the games are rigged.”
In the novel “The Hunger Games” Suzanne Collins conveys the qualities of a hero through the main character Katniss Everdeen. The novel is based around a dystopian nation, in which is placed in Panem. Through which a boy and a girl from each district must take part in ‘The Hunger Games’ where they have to fight to the death, until there is one survivor. Katniss subsequently evolves as a significant hero portraying the heroic qualities such as selflessness, identity change and intelligence. Selflessness is shown as she puts others before herself, her identity changes as she has to put up a brave face, and intelligence is displayed as her strategies progress in the games.
Katniss has reached the point where she is off to the Capitol. She meets Haymitch and Effie who are her mentors. Haymitch and Effie are her supernatural aid. They are there to help her prepare for the games and to teach her how to win. Haymitch is a previous victor who informs Katniss of what the games are going to be like. Haymitch says that the best advice he has for Katniss is “Stay Alive”. Katniss is trying to get as much information out of Haymitch because she wants to know how to win. Haymitch tries to explain to Katniss that if she wants to win, she needs to get people to like her because that is what will bring her sponsors. Effie is there for moral support and she tries to see the positive in what the games bring. Effie always says “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”. Effie is there to make sure that Katniss is visually appealing and that she is who everyone wants to be. She wants Katniss to enjoy the time she has left because she may never get to experience anything like it again.
“We had to save you because you're the Mockingjay, Katniss, says Plutarch. While you live, the revolution lives” (Collins). Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games is a complex character who epitomizes the archetype of a hero, however, she also shatters the mold by rebelling against the capital and endangering her whole family. She starts out as a hero to her family, especially her sister, and then becomes the symbol of strength to everyone. Katniss sacrifices herself by volunteering to join the Hunger Games in place of her sister, it is a game of survival where a boy and a girl from each district are forced to fight the other members of other districts to the death. By going out of her ordinary world and preparing to join a game where her life could be taken, she fits right into the archetype of a hero. Her bow and arrow, the weapon that only she can wield, will be the only things to help her survive. Despite these heroic qualities, Katniss makes an erroneous decision and blunder mistakes that shows the reader the flip side of Katniss.
One of the largest reasons for Katniss’s survival would be her caring personality and how it is able to affect those around her. At this point in the book, District 12 had just started
Katniss Everdeen, the main character is seen in an incessant state of anguish, worrying about her beloved younger sister Prim, without the slightest concern for her own welfare, an idiosyncrasy that robustly contradicts with the typical perfect and flawless main character portrayed in almost all action/adventure films. The controversial scene then ends with the fearless Katniss Everdeen taking her sister’s place and volunteering for her in the Hunger Games after she had been conscripted. There are even ceaseless ties made between District 12 and World War II concentration camps ranging from the rag like clothing to the groups of hopeless children with guns aimed at their face, further deliberating Katniss’s initial mother like and selfish instincts when preferring to worry about her sister in an environment that can be related to a significant historical atrocity. As a set-up for the rest of the film, this sequence plays an important role in constructing the underlying theme of the film as a whole. The fact that Katniss finds her own empathy, sense of caring and compassion and her journey of going from a un-trusting and instinctive girl to a strong moraled, selfless woman that would rather die than take an innocent human life. An
What Katniss does is a death sentence, but also an act of true love. “I protect Prim in every way I can, but i’m powerless against the reaping,” (pg.15). There are some hardness situation that we need to experienced and learn whatever they teach us. Life gave us many opportunities to meet new people and began a new relationship, but sometimes that love never becomes true. True love is the love that two sisters have that no matter what the situation is the oldest one takes the control of the situation and began acting us a mother, and with the only reason that she wants the best for her sister, and that is true love.
During the game Katniss have to pretend that she loves Peeta, but inside she knows that her real love was Gale and that he was waiting for her. It was hard for all of them because Gale was outside seeing how Peeta kiss his girlfriend, and for Peeta because he knows that Katniss was in love with another boy and not of him, and to Katniss because maybe she was with Gale, but passing time with Peeta and look how he tries to saved her life make her get confused about her feelings so she focused in what is good for her, and not of what she real want.
In the Book The hunger games Katniss Everdeen faces overwhelming adversity when she finds herself found in the clutches of the capital stuck in the hunger games. Katniss is able to overcome this adversity by having strong characteristics like her intelligence, resourcefulness and being courageous, these characteristics will be discussed throughout the essay outlining exactly why these characteristics help katniss in the games.
Like in any typical hero movie, there is a call that the protagonist has to answer. In The Hunger Games, Katniss hears her calling when her sister, Prim is drawn to participate in the Hunger games. Knowing that Prim is definitely not a violent person, Katniss 's instincts kick in and she volunteers for her sister without
To survive, Katniss practices stoicism where she manipulates her emotions to create the identity she needs. She has become accustom to this way of living, camouflaging her actions and concealing her true emotions to protect not only herself but also the ones she loves (Prim in this instance). She is
When one loves a person or thing dearly, then they have the tendency to do almost anything they can to protect and save them from whatever harm they come across. Katniss volunteered for the games knowing she was saving her sister from a terrible fate. She made a promise that she would try her best to win the Hunger Games, but her confidence in her own ability to kill another person was minimal. She did not want to get any blood on her hands but knew that in order to win she would be forced to. The author of Genocidal Killer, Crispin Sartwell recognized situations like these when he said, “your goodness, like mine, has little to do with who you are and everything to do with the social conditions you find yourself in” (Sartwell). The circumstance Katniss found herself in was full of violence, pain, and ruthlessness which further contributed to the tainting of her
Katniss is the protagonist of the novel. She is a tough, self-sufficient, extremely loyal girl whose childhood was cut short by responsibility. After her father died, her mother sank into a deep depression, so it was up to Katniss to feed the family. One evening, she was going through others' trash in desperation when Peeta Mellark purposefully burned bread from his family's bakery and gave it to her. She feels like she owes him for that action, because after that she realizes the forest will be how to feed her family. She and her friend Gale regularly hunt wild game and gather food, selling some and keeping some for their families. Katniss dearly loves her younger sister Prim, so much so that she volunteers to go to the Hunger Games in Prim's place. Though Katniss could very easily feel bitter towards her more sheltered sister, instead she is fiercely protective of her. During the Games, this protectiveness transfers to another young tribute named Rue who Katniss grows very close too and mentors as she were an older sister to Rue.
While competing in the Hunger Games, Katniss is unsure if Peeta is on her side or not because he betrays her and joins the Careers; plotting to team up and kill the weak. This make Katniss extremely confused, causing her to be uncertain of whether or not she will be able to kill Peeta since he is her supposed star-crossed lover. She also debates with herself because she cannot decide if she is in love with Gale or Peeta. During the Hunger Games, Katniss becomes friends with Rue through the mocking jay pin. Rue is killed, but Katniss remembers her by using the wisdom that she learned from Rue.