The Characters
This is a character analysis of some of the characters of The Hunger Games. I picked out the ones who I find to be the most important for the story; Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Effie and "the careers" (don't worry, Rue and Gale have also been mentioned). Enjoy!
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss Everdeen is the main character in "The Hunger Games". She is 16 years old and lives with her mother and younger sister in District 12 (a fictional district in a future America named Panem). Her dad died when she was only 11 years old. Her mom could not move on, she was incapacitated by depression, leaving Katniss to take care of her and Prim (Primrose, the younger sister of Katniss).
Katniss took charge and became the head of the household, determined to keep her remaining family alive. She developed a great skill for hunting with the bows her dad left for her, and made sure to put some food on the table for her family. In the book the process was described by Katniss as follows: "It was slow-going at first, but I was determined to feed us. I stole eggs from nests, caught fish in nets, sometimes managed to shoot a squirrel or rabbit for stew, and gathered the various plants that sprung up beneath my feet. Plants are tricky. Many are edible, but one false mouthful and you're dead. I checked and double-checked the plants I harvested with my father's pictures. I kept us alive." This pretty much defines Katniss's identity as a provider. She had to be strong minded and stubborn to take control after her dad died, it would have been easy to simply give up.
At the age of 16 Katniss volunteers as a tribute for "The 74th annual Hunger Games" to save her sister who was originally chosen. She’s then taken to the Capitol along with the other tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark. Cinna (the District 12s tributes stylist) does brilliant work with their outfits, and Katniss and Peeta are early noticed for their flaming costumes. Katniss is therefore often referred to as "the girl on fire" by the crowd.
Katniss is one step ahead of many of the other contestants in the "Hunger Games" arena, since she has experience as a strong provider. She forms an alliance with Rue, and even though there's not much food, Katniss shares everything with Rue. She does this because Rue reminds her of Prim. Rue and Katniss trust each other and develop a strong bond during the short time they stay together. After Rue is killed by another tribute, Katniss acts like a provider and protector for the other tribute from district 12, Peeta Mellark. She even risks her life to get the medicine he needs to survive.
Katniss is someone who others can put their faith in. If she did not provide for Rue and Peeta in the arena, there's a good possibility she could have won the games (and thereby saved here own life). At one point during the games she gives this some thought: "For the first time, I allow myself to truly think about the possibility that I might make it home. To fame. To wealth. To my own house in the Victor's Village. My mother and Prim would live there with me. No more fear of hunger. A new kind of freedom. But then…what? What would my life be like on a daily basis? Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food. Take that away and I'm not really sure who I am, what my identity is. The idea scares me some." In the end, however, when Katniss and Peeta are the last ones standing in the arena, she chooses to save Peeta. Her identity as a provider and protector proved to be very strong.
Katniss' closest friend back home in district 12 used to be a boy named Gale. They hunted together, and Katniss felt like she could be herself around him. They both had strong opinions about the Capitol, and had rebellious personalities. Joking about the games and making fun of the Capitol was their way to cope with their terrifying situation. Other than Gale she didn’t have any real friends before the games.
Katniss is very brave and strong. She is also very modest, and never brags about anything. Her main concern is simply to survive, and to make sure the people she loves are well. By having to take care of her family almost single handily, she grew a very strong and independent personality. But this also may have broken her in a way. She does not let people in, and hates to talk about her feelings. Whether she is really in a constant struggle with feelings of the past or just socially awkward is a good question.
In the "Hunger Games" book Katniss is described in detail, and the reader will understand her better than a person who has only seen the movie. The reader gets to know a lot about her feelings and thoughts, and will learn details of what she does to survive. In the movie she can at times seem cold; all the details are not brought into the movie (which would be an impossible task anyway). One huge disadvantage in the movie is that Katniss (and some of the other people) don't look like they have been at the brink of starvation most of their life. This does not fit at all with the image we get from the book, where Katniss struggles daily with getting enough food for herself and her family.
Katniss Everdeen is the main character in "The Hunger Games". She is 16 years old and lives with her mother and younger sister in District 12 (a fictional district in a future America named Panem). Her dad died when she was only 11 years old. Her mom could not move on, she was incapacitated by depression, leaving Katniss to take care of her and Prim (Primrose, the younger sister of Katniss).
Katniss took charge and became the head of the household, determined to keep her remaining family alive. She developed a great skill for hunting with the bows her dad left for her, and made sure to put some food on the table for her family. In the book the process was described by Katniss as follows: "It was slow-going at first, but I was determined to feed us. I stole eggs from nests, caught fish in nets, sometimes managed to shoot a squirrel or rabbit for stew, and gathered the various plants that sprung up beneath my feet. Plants are tricky. Many are edible, but one false mouthful and you're dead. I checked and double-checked the plants I harvested with my father's pictures. I kept us alive." This pretty much defines Katniss's identity as a provider. She had to be strong minded and stubborn to take control after her dad died, it would have been easy to simply give up.
At the age of 16 Katniss volunteers as a tribute for "The 74th annual Hunger Games" to save her sister who was originally chosen. She’s then taken to the Capitol along with the other tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark. Cinna (the District 12s tributes stylist) does brilliant work with their outfits, and Katniss and Peeta are early noticed for their flaming costumes. Katniss is therefore often referred to as "the girl on fire" by the crowd.
Katniss is one step ahead of many of the other contestants in the "Hunger Games" arena, since she has experience as a strong provider. She forms an alliance with Rue, and even though there's not much food, Katniss shares everything with Rue. She does this because Rue reminds her of Prim. Rue and Katniss trust each other and develop a strong bond during the short time they stay together. After Rue is killed by another tribute, Katniss acts like a provider and protector for the other tribute from district 12, Peeta Mellark. She even risks her life to get the medicine he needs to survive.
Katniss is someone who others can put their faith in. If she did not provide for Rue and Peeta in the arena, there's a good possibility she could have won the games (and thereby saved here own life). At one point during the games she gives this some thought: "For the first time, I allow myself to truly think about the possibility that I might make it home. To fame. To wealth. To my own house in the Victor's Village. My mother and Prim would live there with me. No more fear of hunger. A new kind of freedom. But then…what? What would my life be like on a daily basis? Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food. Take that away and I'm not really sure who I am, what my identity is. The idea scares me some." In the end, however, when Katniss and Peeta are the last ones standing in the arena, she chooses to save Peeta. Her identity as a provider and protector proved to be very strong.
Katniss' closest friend back home in district 12 used to be a boy named Gale. They hunted together, and Katniss felt like she could be herself around him. They both had strong opinions about the Capitol, and had rebellious personalities. Joking about the games and making fun of the Capitol was their way to cope with their terrifying situation. Other than Gale she didn’t have any real friends before the games.
Katniss is very brave and strong. She is also very modest, and never brags about anything. Her main concern is simply to survive, and to make sure the people she loves are well. By having to take care of her family almost single handily, she grew a very strong and independent personality. But this also may have broken her in a way. She does not let people in, and hates to talk about her feelings. Whether she is really in a constant struggle with feelings of the past or just socially awkward is a good question.
In the "Hunger Games" book Katniss is described in detail, and the reader will understand her better than a person who has only seen the movie. The reader gets to know a lot about her feelings and thoughts, and will learn details of what she does to survive. In the movie she can at times seem cold; all the details are not brought into the movie (which would be an impossible task anyway). One huge disadvantage in the movie is that Katniss (and some of the other people) don't look like they have been at the brink of starvation most of their life. This does not fit at all with the image we get from the book, where Katniss struggles daily with getting enough food for herself and her family.
Peeta Mellark
Peeta is 16 years old and also lives in District 12. He is a baker’s son, and lives a slightly better life than Katniss. He works at the bakery with his mother and father. Peeta attended school in the same class as Katniss, and has had a crush on her ever since. Shortly after Katniss' father died, Peeta saved her from starvation by giving her some bread.
District 12 is a coal mining district, but Peetas parents are bakers. Therefore Peeta is higher on the class ladder than Katniss. In hard times Peeta and his family might end up eating dry bread, but they never go hungry. Yet they are still very far away from being as privileged as the people in the Capitol. Peeta seems to view the whole world based on his class perspective. He does not criticize the Capitol’s ways as much as Katniss and Gale. Maybe this is because the Capitol doesn't make his life a constant struggle for survival.
Peeta is impressivly physically strong; he can lift a big sack of flour over his head. He is also kind and unselfish - he saved Katniss's life once by tossing her some bread.
At the public reaping Peeta is elected to be the male tribute from District 12. He realizes very soon that this means he might have to go head to head with his crush. However, he believes he doesn't stand a chance in the games, and wishes Katniss to win.
In many ways Peeta is a contrast to Katniss. Katniss hides her feelings, and serves as a protector and provider. Peeta on the other hand, is pretty emotional, not good at gathering food (his attempt on gathering food in the arena actually killed someone, as it turned out the berries he picked were poisonous) nor at hunting. Unlike Katniss, he never had to develop these skills in order to survive.
Peeta has a big crush on Katniss. He first confessed this on camera in front of the whole Capitol, this way he made the spectators root for a romance. The romance was a great way for Peeta and Katniss to capture the audiences heart, and got them some sponsors. Peeta played his part in the romance very well, because he was really in love with Katniss. Katniss was not really that into it, she played along to survive.
Peeta is in many ways the perfect guy for Katniss. He would be a safe choice, and he would always love and cherish her. Katniss seems to like him, but maybe just not enough, or perhaps she’s busy trying to survive, while he's caught up in his love affair.
Peeta is 16 years old and also lives in District 12. He is a baker’s son, and lives a slightly better life than Katniss. He works at the bakery with his mother and father. Peeta attended school in the same class as Katniss, and has had a crush on her ever since. Shortly after Katniss' father died, Peeta saved her from starvation by giving her some bread.
District 12 is a coal mining district, but Peetas parents are bakers. Therefore Peeta is higher on the class ladder than Katniss. In hard times Peeta and his family might end up eating dry bread, but they never go hungry. Yet they are still very far away from being as privileged as the people in the Capitol. Peeta seems to view the whole world based on his class perspective. He does not criticize the Capitol’s ways as much as Katniss and Gale. Maybe this is because the Capitol doesn't make his life a constant struggle for survival.
Peeta is impressivly physically strong; he can lift a big sack of flour over his head. He is also kind and unselfish - he saved Katniss's life once by tossing her some bread.
At the public reaping Peeta is elected to be the male tribute from District 12. He realizes very soon that this means he might have to go head to head with his crush. However, he believes he doesn't stand a chance in the games, and wishes Katniss to win.
In many ways Peeta is a contrast to Katniss. Katniss hides her feelings, and serves as a protector and provider. Peeta on the other hand, is pretty emotional, not good at gathering food (his attempt on gathering food in the arena actually killed someone, as it turned out the berries he picked were poisonous) nor at hunting. Unlike Katniss, he never had to develop these skills in order to survive.
Peeta has a big crush on Katniss. He first confessed this on camera in front of the whole Capitol, this way he made the spectators root for a romance. The romance was a great way for Peeta and Katniss to capture the audiences heart, and got them some sponsors. Peeta played his part in the romance very well, because he was really in love with Katniss. Katniss was not really that into it, she played along to survive.
Peeta is in many ways the perfect guy for Katniss. He would be a safe choice, and he would always love and cherish her. Katniss seems to like him, but maybe just not enough, or perhaps she’s busy trying to survive, while he's caught up in his love affair.
Haymitch Abernathy
Haymitch is the mentor for District 12's tributes, as he won the games for District 12 a long time ago. He is now middle aged, and almost always drunk. Yet he does his job as a mentor well (after sobering up). He teaches Peeta and Katniss important things about the games. He knows the rules of the games very well and understands the celebrity culture surrounding the games. He makes Katniss play along with the "star crossed lovers from District 12" idea, which turns out successfully.
Haymitch’s drinking problem is probably a result of having to watch his tributes die almost every year, as tributes from District 12 rarely win.
Haymitch is the mentor for District 12's tributes, as he won the games for District 12 a long time ago. He is now middle aged, and almost always drunk. Yet he does his job as a mentor well (after sobering up). He teaches Peeta and Katniss important things about the games. He knows the rules of the games very well and understands the celebrity culture surrounding the games. He makes Katniss play along with the "star crossed lovers from District 12" idea, which turns out successfully.
Haymitch’s drinking problem is probably a result of having to watch his tributes die almost every year, as tributes from District 12 rarely win.
Effie Trinket
Effie is the escort for the tributes from District 12. She views the games as just a competition, and a source of career advancement. She is not very pleased to be working with the District 12 tributes, and hopes that if her tributes do well she will be hired to work with tributes from another district the next year. Therefore she is pleased to get some promising tributes this year.
Effie represents the Capitols wealth and power. However, her silliness and great empathy for etiquette in fact makes her a comic character, rather than a threatening one.
Effie is the escort for the tributes from District 12. She views the games as just a competition, and a source of career advancement. She is not very pleased to be working with the District 12 tributes, and hopes that if her tributes do well she will be hired to work with tributes from another district the next year. Therefore she is pleased to get some promising tributes this year.
Effie represents the Capitols wealth and power. However, her silliness and great empathy for etiquette in fact makes her a comic character, rather than a threatening one.
The "careers"
The "careers" tend to be the tributes from the Districts 1, 2 and 4. Their Districts are wealthier and more privileged than the others. They have special academies where they take in children at a young age, to train them merely to win the "Hunger Games" for honour and glory for their districts - therefore their tributes are referred to as "the careers" by people from the other districts. The best ones volunteer as tributes at the age of 18, and are fierce and deadly competitors.
In the 74th annual Hunger Games the career tributes are Cato, Glimmer, Clove and Marvel. Early in the games they form a strong alliance and take out many of the other competitors. They are arrogant and merciless. Of the four Cato is the last one standing in the determining fight between himself and Katniss and Peeta in the end of the games. Together Katniss and Peeta manage to defeat him, finishing their last competitor.
The "careers" tend to be the tributes from the Districts 1, 2 and 4. Their Districts are wealthier and more privileged than the others. They have special academies where they take in children at a young age, to train them merely to win the "Hunger Games" for honour and glory for their districts - therefore their tributes are referred to as "the careers" by people from the other districts. The best ones volunteer as tributes at the age of 18, and are fierce and deadly competitors.
In the 74th annual Hunger Games the career tributes are Cato, Glimmer, Clove and Marvel. Early in the games they form a strong alliance and take out many of the other competitors. They are arrogant and merciless. Of the four Cato is the last one standing in the determining fight between himself and Katniss and Peeta in the end of the games. Together Katniss and Peeta manage to defeat him, finishing their last competitor.