Katniss Everdeen

Before I even dreamed of the film adaptation, the Katniss I had in my head was completely different from Jennifer Lawrence, so forget about her image for a moment.

eyes-on-fire by V G

Initially, I loved her character because she was strong. Not completely dependent like other typical female protagonists. Her relationship was Gale appeared pretty obvious at first; how they were just like friends, and then one of them begins to love the other and the scandal breaks out.

However, she wasn't chosen for the Hunger Games. She volunteered. That was the bit that struck a spark in me when I read the book. Unlike the typical "fate" storyline of two born lovers, she chose he so-called destiny as a tribute for the sake of her sister, showing bravery and sacrifice.

Nonetheless, she only appeared fierce until she demonstrated her amazing archery skills in the arena. The bit when Peeta described Katniss' skills stuck to my memory:
                    "My father buys her squirrels. He always comments on how the arrows never pierce the body. She hits every one in the eye. It's the same with the rabbits she sells the butcher. She can even bring a deer down." --Peeta, page 109, book 1
                    There, the fact that she could aim and kill before the book had started really drew me in for her character. Unlike the strongest of other female protagonists, she wasn't taught to fight after danger swept her up, but she was ready for anything, which also contributes well to her fierce personality.

Despite that, she wasn't one of those dead-pan, tomboy-ish girls, she also had a weak point. Though that weak point wasn't at killing or the love of her life, it was for family. However, she doesn't procrastinate and risk everybody else's life at the expense of protecting her family, but she sacrifices herself. Like Prim, she would die to care for her and only leave her at someone else's hands (Gale) when there was no burden of immediate danger. Also, with Rue, she was in the front lines to protect her. Although she failed to do so, she was never close to the word 'coward' or 'weakling', it was just the turn of events that resulted in that death.

Moving onto the lovey dovey side of things. She was infuriatingly too rough with Peeta, who appeared too gentle to be shouted at. However, she was the same to everyone and all the way through. She did not appear only angry at him, but to the world for the world she lived in was not a pleasant one. Hatred and compassion for her loved ones drove her. Eventually, Peeta - who treated her with love - was returned with love and gratitude as she finally understood the situations behind her.

Furthermore, in the last book, I think she weakened from her fierce fire girl image to a love sick widow. She no longer cared for the bigger picture as she had in the first two books, as she had to return for her family. Her loved one, Peeta was in danger and she only wept and went crazy over it while the others fought for their freedom.

However, with all that she had gone through, it was easy to understand her actions, though difficult to comprehend amongst all the possibilities she could achieve. So, instead of a glorious end to her climatic story, she settled slowly into the new life she had found.

Personally, I love dramatic endings for the characters, but her ending was not as dramatic as it could have been and slightly rushed.

BUT, she was still an amazing character. Well built up and smashed down.

Cinna

When Cinna was first introduced, he was described as the most normal person, compared to the initial three stylists provided for Katniss who had bleached coloured skin and abnormal fashion senses compared to the poor peasants in her district, District 12.

Throughout the first book, second book and the final book, Cinna played a big part of Katniss' success in both Hunger Games and the final battle in the Capitol, starting off with his beautiful design of setting both Katniss and Peeta on fire to represent their district of mining for coal to burn. In addition to this, the main reason for the success was when he told them to hold hands, showing team work for the first time before the Hunger Games actually began, whereas the other districts' tributes did not show any sign of staying together, which contributed to the story of their forbidden love.

After that, the costumes for the victory tour were described as magnificent and fabulous. Then, Katniss and Peeta were forced to continue their fake love after they attempted - and succeeded - in cheating the Hunger Games, so they prepared for a wedding. However, they announced the Quarter Quell as a game of all the victors, causing their wedding to be cancelled, but President Snow still insisted for Katniss to wear her wedding dress in her interview with Caesar, the much loved reporter throughout all the games. When she was ordered to spin in her newly altered wedding dress by Cinna, she transformed into a Mockingjay, posing a rebellion symbol to all those watching her.

Due to this, just before she was released into her last Hunger Game, she was forced to witness Cinna's cruel beating and being dragged away, in order to attempt to affect her negatively in the game, in hope that she would not make the victor again.

And that was the last time Cinna was ever saw, even though his sketch pad of amazing designs popped up again after Katniss agreed to become the Mockingjay, a special request from him. This convinced Katniss that it was the right choice to become the rebel's Mockingjay, as Cinna was always right about his thoughts and he was right, in a way, but the wrong side that could be seen was not mentioned in the book, clearly to leave a good image for Cinna, which succeeded as I believe everyone who read the Hunger Games loves Cinna as much as I do~

Dedicated website for the HG: here

Beginning the story...

...Katniss caught everybody's attention when she volunteered for the Hunger Games in place of her beloved little sister, Prim. Then, it appears that Peeta had loved Katniss already, so when he was picked, I wonder what he thought...? He probably thought that they would never be able to be a couple, although he most likely only ever wished to watch her from the shadows as it seems like he loved her from when they first met with the bread story.

Supposedly Italian bread from another fellow blog

Just imagining his love for Katniss and how he must have felt at that moment breaks my heart... He must have thought of the idea of a forbidden love already, but I guess he never could have thought that he would end up with Katniss.


Once he was picked for the Hunger Games, he had thought of his life as over, so all he had been doing ever since was protecting Katniss to the best of his ability but never wishing for more.


Aww... his loyalty to Katniss is just too sweet~~~

Introduction

This is a blog about the trilogy 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins. A wonderful book with a gripping and ever so clever storyline portrayed brilliantly with Collins' much favoured writing style.

I am a very big fan of the HG and after I finished reading it, there were so many things I said and wanted to carry on discussing with my friends that it was never ending, so I decided to make a blog, babbling about the awesomeness of the book as well as analysing certain characters and certain situations and how the book could never really have a perfect ending.


My blog will contain spoilers for those who have not read it all, so read it all and return! Nonetheless, I hope my waffling and biased opinion on certain characters will not dishearten you to read more.


Comments and additional information are appreciated.


- JQ