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The Hunger Games

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF SUZANNE COLLINS

Suzanne Collins’s father was a U.S. Air Force officer, and herfamily moved frequently when she was a child, spending time inthe eastern United States as well as parts of Europe. Becauseof her father’s military experience, it was important to him thathis children understood war—not just where battles took place,but why and how they played out. Eventually, Collins attendedIndiana University and earned a degree in theater andtelecommunications. After a few years, Collins went back toschool to earn a playwriting degree from New York University,and shortly after graduation, she began writing for television.Collins wrote for several Nickelodeon shows, ScholasticEntertainment, and Kids’ WB, and she was eventually inspiredto try writing a children’s book series. The result was TheUnderland Chronicles. A few years later, Collins was watchingtelevision, switching between channels covering reality TV andthe wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—and that’s when she came upwith the idea for The Hunger Games. Collins followed TheHunger Games with additional best-sellers in theseries—Catching Fire and Mockingjay—both of which werebestsellers.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Suzanne Collins came up with the idea of The Hunger Gameswhile watching news coverage of the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan. The depictions of these wars, when combinedwith the popularity of reality TV, and the ways in whichcoverage of the wars seemed itself to be a kind of reality TV, ledCollins to imagine the dystopian setting of Panem, whereviolence becomes a major form of entertainment. Around thetime Collins was writing The Hunger Games, the world was alsoseeing the beginnings of the ongoing global recession,emphasizing the wealth gap and the conditions of poverty bothwithin the United States and abroad.

RELATED LITERARY WORKS

Suzanne Collins drew from the myth of Theseus and theMinotaur when coming up with the idea of tributes for theHunger Games. The Hunger Games has also been compared tothe popular Japanese novel-turned-film, Battle Royale, in whichjunior high school students are forced to fight to the death in aprogram led by an authoritarian Japanese government.

KEY FACTS

Full Title: The Hunger Games

When Written: mid-to-late 2000s

Where Written: Connecticut, United States

When Published: September 2008

Literary Period: Contemporary

Genre: Dystopian fiction; Young Adult fiction

Setting: Fictional dystopia known as Panem, created after thegovernments of North America collapsed

Climax: When Peeta and Katniss threaten to eat the poisonedberries rather than kill one another to win the Hunger Games

Antagonist: President Snow, the Peacekeepers, those whowatch the Hunger Games in the Capitol

Point of View: First person, Katniss’s perspective

EXTRA CREDIT

Breaking Records. Shortly after publication, The Hunger Gamesappeared on both The New York Times Best Seller list and USAToday’s best-sellers list, where it remained for over a hundredweeks. In 2012, Amazon also announced that Suzanne Collinshad become the best-selling Kindle author of all time.

Parental Guidance Suggested. The American LibraryAssociation listed The Hunger Games as the third mostchallenged book of 2010, citing excessive violence and sexualcontent unsuited to the age group.

When Katniss wakes up on Prim’s first reaping day, she headsto the woods to hunt with Gale, her best friend and huntingpartner. She brings home a feast that will serve as a celebratorydinner after the reaping.

At the reaping, the mayor reads a speech about the history ofthe Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are meant as apunishment for the districts that once rebelled against theCapitol. As punishment, one girl and one boy are taken fromeach of the twelve districts every year and forced to fight to thedeath until there is only one winner left.

To Katniss’s shock, Prim’s name is called despite the oddsagainst it as the female tribute for District 12. Before Prim canmount the stage, however, Katniss rushes out and volunteers inher place. Peeta Mellark is called as the male tribute, andKatniss is upset because she’s indebted to Peeta from yearsago. When Katniss’s father died in a mining accident, Peeta forsome reason snuck some bread to her, and this generosityprevented her family from starving.

When it’s time to say goodbye to her family, Katniss promisesPrim that she will try hard to win the Games and return. Peeta’sfather, the mayor’s daughter Madge, and Gale also come to say

INTRINTROO

PLPLOOT SUMMARYT SUMMARY

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goodbye. Madge gives Katniss a mockingjay pin to wear in thearena.

Katniss and Peeta take a train to the Capitol, amazed by theluxury of their compartments. They team up to get Haymitch,their drunken mentor, to stay sober enough to give themadvice.

When Katniss arrives at the Capitol, she’s surprised by hownormal-looking her stylist, Cinna, is, in comparison to the othervery “artificial” citizens of the Capitol. He designs a remarkablecostume made out of fake flames for Katniss to wear in theopening ceremony.

The day before they enter the arena, Peeta confesses his lovefor Katniss in a nationally televised interview, and Katnissangrily believes that it’s all part of his strategy to win theGames.

When they enter the arena the next day, Katniss is able tosurvive in the woods fairly easily, but soon the Gamemakersengineer a number of obstacles to bring the competitorstogether. First, a wall of fire drives everyone away from theedge of the arena, and then a series of fireballs target Katniss.One catches her on the calf, and she becomes badly burned.

When Katniss is cornered by the Career tributes (tributes fromwealthier districts who have trained their whole life to competein the Games) at the top of a tree, Rue helps her locate atracker jacker nest, and Katniss sets it loose upon the Careers.However, Katniss also gets stung and begins hallucinating, andshe vaguely remembers that Peeta—who had seemed to beallied with the Careers—put himself in danger and ends upsaving her life and telling her to run.

Rue and Katniss team up, but their alliance is short-lived, asRue is soon killed. Katniss weaves a wreath for Rue and sings toRue in her last moments, and Rue’s district—District 11—sendsKatniss a loaf of bread in thanks.

The Gamemakers who run the Game announce that the ruleshave been changed so that there can be two winners from thesame district, likely to ratchet up the tension of the Games forthe viewing audience by getting Katniss to go and try to helpPeeta, who was injured by Cato when he saved Katniss. AndKatniss does immediately set off to find Peeta. After she findshim, badly injured and not far from death, Katniss realizes thatHaymitch wants her to play up the romance for the audience,so she does so, while Peeta is happy just to be with her—hedoesn’t seem to be acting at all.

The Gamemakers announce that all remaining contestants canget something they badly need at the Cornucopia where thegames began. Katniss is nearly killed by the career tributeClover from District 2, but is saved by Thresh who then letsKatniss go to repay her for the kindness she showed to Rue (heis from Rue’s district). Thresh then runs off with his ownpackage and Cato’s. Katniss returns to Peeta with her package,

which turns out to be medicine that soon returns him back tohealth.

Ultimately, Katniss, Peeta, and Cato are the last remainingtributes, and Katniss and Peeta gather at the lake to wait forCato. However, all three are attacked by genetically alteredwolf-creatures (who are in fact the revivified and modifiedbodies of the other dead contestants), and there is a finalconfrontation on top of the golden horn of the Cornucopia inwhich Katniss shoots Cato in the hand and lets him fall off theCornucopia where he is mauled by the wolf-creatures. Katnissputs him out of his misery with another arrow shot.

The Gamemakers then announce that they’re revoking theirlast rule revision and that there can only be one winner. Indesperation, Katniss comes up with a plan, giving Peeta andherself each a handful of poison berries that Peeta hadaccidentally gathered. On the count of three, they start to placethe berries in their mouths, committing joint suicide, but theannouncer stops them in a panic, announcing that they haveboth won the Hunger Games.

A few days later, after she and Peeta have recovered from theirinjuries in the Games, Haymitch informs Katniss that she’s indanger because President Snow is not happy that sheoutsmarted and defied the Capitol. She must continue topretend to be madly in love with Peeta—it’s her only defensefor her actions. Peeta learns that she’s been pretending,however, and he grows distant, agreeing only to pretend for thecameras as they return to their lives back home.

Katniss EvKatniss Everdeenerdeen – Katniss is the sixteen-year-old protagonistof The Hunger Games, and the story is told from her perspective.She is fiercely protective of her family and practical, havinglearned to care for her mom and little sister, Prim, after theirfather died in a mining accident when Katniss was just eleven.She’s described as having dark hair, olive skin, and gray eyes,like most of the others who live in the Seam of District 12.Katniss is tough, independent, resourceful, fiery, and skilledwith a bow and arrow, and yet she also has a compassionateside and deep loyalty to those she loves. This combination oftraits turns out to be dangerous for the Capitol and PresidentSnow, as it inspires others and serves as a catalyst that createsbonds among people, including between districts, threateningthe government’s system of division and control.

PPeeta Mellarkeeta Mellark – Peeta is the male tribute from District 12. He’squietly loved Katniss for years, and is willing to sacrifice himselffor her. He grew up as the baker’s son and is built with broadshoulders, accustomed to lifting heavy sacks of flour. Peeta’slove for Katniss makes him willing to defy the rules of theHunger Games and threaten to commit a double suicide with

CHARACHARACTERSCTERS



Katniss, forcing the organizers of the Hunger Games to changethe rules. In other words, his love of Katniss allows him to show,with Katniss, that the ruling Capitol can be defied.

GaleGale – Gale is Katniss’s hunting companion at home. He alsolives in the Seam and is responsible for keeping his youngerbrothers from going hungry. Gale promises to look afterKatniss’s family while she’s participating in the Games, and he isprobably the person Katniss is most comfortable with whenshe’s in District 12. Gale is not exactly a love interest ofKatniss’s in The Hunger Games, but she is confused about herfeelings for him versus those she feels for Peeta.

Primrose EvPrimrose Everdeenerdeen – Prim is Katniss’s little sister. With blondehair and blue eyes—rare in their area of District 12—Prim isyoung, innocent, and not as strong or independent as Katniss.Katniss is fiercely protective of her. Against the odds, Prim’sname is picked at her first reaping when she’s twelve years old.Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Games.

Katniss’s motherKatniss’s mother – Katniss and Prim’s mother is from awealthier merchant class within District 12, but she moved tothe Seam to marry their father for love. When her husband diesin a mining accident, however, she falls into a daze, unable towork and take care of her children. As a result, Katniss is forcedto grow up quickly to support the family and can never bringherself to fully trust her mother again.

HaHaymitch Abernathymitch Abernathyy – Haymitch is the only surviving winnerof the Hunger Games from District 12, which makes him thementor for Peeta and Katniss. He’s constantly drunk, onlysobering up after Peeta and Katniss aggressively ask him to bea proper mentor. Nonetheless, Haymitch is also extremelysmart and sly, and he and Katniss seem to be able tounderstand each other’s stratagems.

Effie TEffie Trinkrinketet – Effie is the escort of the tributes from District12, meaning she steers the tributes through the rituals of theGames. She wears a pink wig and speaks with the affectedCapitol accent. Though she is very concerned with appearancesand her own career—and has no self-consciousness about theGames or the political system—she comes to care personallyfor Peeta and Katniss.

RueRue – Rue is the twelve-year-old female tribute from District11. Small, young, and innocent, she reminds Katniss of Prim.She and Katniss become allies before she is killed in the Games.In death, Katniss treats Rue with such respect that District 11comes to support Katniss.

ThreshThresh – Thresh is the male tribute from District 12. He showsmercy on Katniss at one point because he appreciates herkindness towards Rue.

CatoCato – Cato is the male tribute from District 2. He is a careertribute, meaning he’s trained for the Games his entire life.Strong and brutal, he’s the last one to survive other thanKatniss and Peeta.

CloClovvee – Clove is the female tribute from District 2. She is acareer tribute, meaning she’s trained for the Games her entirelife. She almost kills Katniss before Thresh interferes, killingher and saving Katniss.

GlimmerGlimmer – Glimmer is the female tribute from District 1. She isvery attractive, but dies from tracker jacker stings.

FFooxfacexface – Foxface is the female tribute from District 5. She isextremely sly and manages to survive until almost the very endby stealing food from the other tributes, but ultimately her ownsmarts trick her into eating poison berries Peeta had gatheredwithout knowing they were dangerous.

Madge UnderseeMadge Undersee – Madge is the daughter of the mayor ofDistrict 12. She gives Katniss the mockingjay pin.

Caesar FlickCaesar Flickermanerman – Caesar is a resident of the Capitol and theshowy television host who interviews the contestants.

President SnowPresident Snow – The president of Panem, who is none toopleased when the Capitol’s control and power is faced down byKatniss and Peeta when they defy the rules of the HungerGames and threaten to commit suicide rather than fight to thedeath.

CinnaCinna – Cinna is Katniss’s stylist for the games, earning her thenickname “girl on fire” with the costumes he designs. Cinnabecomes Katniss’s friend, instructing her to be herself for theinterviews. Unlike other residents of the Capitol, he seems torecognize the brutal and exploitative practices of the Capitoland to sympathize—or more—with the Districts.

PPortiaortia – A stylist, who works with Cinna to help createKatniss's style for the Hunger Games.

In LitCharts each theme gets its own color and number. Ourcolor-coded theme boxes make it easy to track where thethemes occur throughout the work. If you don't have a colorprinter, use the numbers instead.

1 DIVISION AND CONTROL

Panem is a dictatorship ruled by President Snow andpredicated on authoritarian control. President Snow maintainshis control by sowing division among Panem’s people—divvyingup the country into twelve districts—and ensuring theirdependence upon the government. Each of the districtsspecializes in producing particular goods—and only thosegoods—and therefore relies on centralized distribution in orderto survive, and this dependence is further enforced throughrules like the one against poaching, which prevents residentsfrom augmenting their meager food supply (though this is arule that Katniss routinely breaks with her hunting). Thedivision among the different districts is embodied by the

THEMESTHEMES



Hunger Games, a competition that pits residents of thedistricts against each other—and in doing so, makes thedistricts focus on their rivalries with each other whilereinforcing the fact that the Capitol completely controls them.

2 LOVE, LOYALTY, AND COMPASSION

In the harsh environment of the Hunger Games, it is normal fortributes to form temporary “alliances” for strategic purposes,only to eventually kill their allies when the time comes. Yetthough the Games turn tributes into brutal competitors whoknow only that they must kill or be killed, Katniss forms notalliances but relationships. First, she volunteers for the Gamesin place of her little sister, Prim. Because District 12 has ahistory of losing the Games, Katniss is essentially volunteeringfor a death sentence, showing that she cares more about herlittle sister’s life than her own—a revelation that immediatelydraws the attention of those in the Capitol, who aren’t used toseeing the inhabitants of the districts sacrifice for one another.Next, she breaks from common practice of tributes when sheteams up with Rue, the smallest of the tributes, and tries toprotect her despite the nature of the Games. This, in turn,prompts Thresh, a competitor from Rue’s district, to showmercy on Katniss.

Katniss certainly employs strategy in winning the games, but bytreating her sister and at least some of the other tributes aspeople worthy of love and care, Katniss, in a sense, breaks theGames. Once she has created these relationships of caring, thelogic shifts from how to kill each other to how to beat theGames themselves, which translates directly into beating theCapitol at its own game. This effort comes to a head in the lastmoment of the Hunger Games, when Katniss’s relationshipwith Peeta—a relationship founded on the love Katniss inspiresin Peeta; and on Katniss’s own willingness to kill herself ratherthan kill Peeta—finally breaks down the structure of theGames. By preparing to eat the poisoned berries, Katniss andPeeta demonstrate that they are willing to make the ultimatesacrifice for one another, and this tragically noble display showsthat there’s undeniably more to them than just bloodlust andsurvival instinct—their loyalty forces the Gamemakers tochange the rules. And because the government gathersstrength by dividing up its residents and pitting them againsteach other, the way that Katniss’s fierce and yet compassionatebehavior encourages people to form groups willing to sacrificethemselves (as opposed to killing each other) is directlythreatening to the Capitol’s control.

3 SOCIETAL INEQUALITY

In The Hunger Games, social inequality occurs at all levels:throughout the nation of Panem, among the twelve districts,and among the inhabitants of any given district. It is thisinequity that breeds strife and creates the main conflicts of the

book. In Panem, for example, wealth is heavily concentrated inthe hands of those living in the Capitol, and the result is thatthey can’t even comprehend the lives of the poor. The citizensof the Capitol don’t realize that the inhabitants of the districtsare just as intelligent as they are—and just as capable offeeling—because they lead such drastically different lives. It’sthis lack of understanding that allows the citizens of the Capitolto dismiss the suffering of the Hunger Games asentertainment: they don’t view the tributes as real people. Theysee them, via the “reality TV” of the Hunger Games, as a meansof entertainment.

Among the districts, District 12 is known for being one of thepoorest, and this affects Peeta’s and Katniss’s chances in thearena as well. Some of the other tributes have had theresources to train for the competition, and this advantageextends not only to combat, but also to winning sponsors whocan provide food, water, and healing kits during the Games.This setup suggests that the disadvantages of beingunderprivileged tend to follow the poor even after they’ve lefttheir initial circumstances behind.

Finally, the way that tributes are selected to be in the Games isperhaps the most obvious indicator of social inequality. Eventhough the lottery is random in theory, the tesserae systemmakes the poor more vulnerable. In exchange for extra rationsof food and oil—tesserae—children can enter their names intothe reaping additional times. Because the children of poorfamilies need tesserae in order to survive and support theirfamilies, they’re more likely to be picked than the children ofwealthier families.

4 APPEARANCES

The Hunger Games are set up as entertainment for the citizensof the Capitol and are essentially a very extreme realitytelevision show. As with American reality TV, appearancesmatter a lot in the Hunger Games, and they don’t always depictreality. The tributes need to learn how to appeal to theirviewers in the Capitol so that they can gather support fromsponsors. In Katniss’s case, she pretends to be in love withPeeta, and she allows this romance to capture the attention ofher audience.

Surface appearances also cover up the real brutality of theHunger Games and the citizens who watch them. In the daysleading up to the Games, for example, the tributes are housedin fancy rooms, dressed in designer clothes, and fed with lavishbuffets. They participate in interviews so that their audience inthe Capitol might get to know them before they fight to thedeath. The citizens of the Capitol are obsessed with changingtheir own appearances as well, and they delight in exotic haircolors, advancements in plastic surgery, and extreme makeup.They’re so steeped in the artificial world of appearance that itseems they no longer understand the division between what’s



real and what’s fake, and this confusion numbs them to thereality of the Hunger Games and their own complicity in thesystem that allows—and demands—that he Hunger Games takeplace.

5 HYPOCRISY

By celebrating and watching the Hunger Games, the citizens ofthe Capitol suggest that the tributes, drawn from the districtsof Panem, don’t deserve the same security and respect that thepeople of the Capitol do. They suggest that the tributes arebeneath them. However, during the course of the Games, manyof the competitors prove that they’re more capable of feelinggenuine emotion—and acting on it—than the citizens of theCapitol who watch the Games play out on their TV screens.Katniss, for example, pauses in the middle of the Games inorder to sing a soothing song for the dying Rue, and she drugsPeeta so that she can risk her own life to bring back medicinefor him. The people of the Capitol are prone to exaggerateddisplays of feeling—laughing and weeping during the interviewswith Caesar—but they do nothing based on these feelings. Ifanything, they enjoy sitting back to be entertained by thesuffering on their screens. This is hypocritical on another level:while they lack authentic suffering in their own lives, thecitizens of the Capitol demand real pain and death from theirentertainment.

The Games also encourage a certain amount of hypocrisyamong tributes. In order to maximize their chances for survival,many of the tributes form alliances with one another, eventhough they know that they will have to kill their allieseventually in order to win the Games. The tributes are alsoencouraged to put on a show. In Katniss’s case, she acts as ifshe’s infatuated with Peeta—when in reality, their setting in acutthroat arena hardly breeds romance. Still, in order tosurvive, the tributes have to embrace a certain level ofhypocrisy.

Symbols appear in red text throughout the Summary & Analysissections of this LitChart.

BREADSuzanne Collins named her fictional dystopia after the Latinphrase, “panem et circenses,” which translates to “bread andgames.” The phrase refers to a government’s ability to appeaseits people with trivial diversions rather than actual goodgovernance, and it applies to the Hunger Games because theGames distract Panem’s residents from the reality of theCapitol’s control. Instead, citizens focus on watching the

Games to see who will be killed next and who will become thewinner, earning food (bread) and rewards for their district.

MOCKINGJAYSBread is also a catalyst for change in The Hunger Games. First,there’s Katniss’s memory of the time Peeta saved her life bythrowing burnt bread loaves her way. His act of kindness gaveher hope and made her realize that there was a way she couldkeep her family alive—by foraging and hunting in the woods.And then, during the Games, Rue’s district sends Katniss a loafof bread to signal their appreciation for her treatment of Rue.In this unprecedented demonstration of solidarity betweendistricts, there’s a threat to the order of the Capitol, whichrelies on division of the districts in order to maintain control.

The color-coded boxes under each quote below make it easy totrack the themes related to each quote. Each color correspondsto one of the themes explained in the Themes section of thisLitChart.

CHAPTER 1“District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety,” Imutter. Then I glance quickly over my shoulder. Even here, evenin the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might overhearyou.

•Speak•Speakerer: Katniss Everdeen

•Related themes•Related themes: Appearances, Hypocrisy

••Theme TTheme Trrackacker codeer code:

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Leave? How could I leave Prim, who is the only person in theworld I’m certain I love? And Gale is devoted to his family. Wecan’t leave, so why bother talking about it?


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Gale, Primrose Everdeen

•Related themes•Related themes: Love, Loyalty, and Compassion


22

Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. On other days,deep in the woods, I’ve listened to him rant about how thetesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A

SYMBOLSSYMBOLS

QUOQUOTESTES



way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seamand those who can generally count on supper and therebyensure we will never trust one another.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Gale, Madge Undersee

•Related themes•Related themes: Division and Control, Societal Inequality


11 33

I protect Prim in every way I can, but I’m powerless against thereaping. The anguish I always feel when she’s in pain wells up inmy chest and threatens to register on my face. I notice herblouse has pulled out of her skirt in the back again and forcemyself to stay calm. “Tuck your tail in, little duck,” I say,smoothing the blouse back in place.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Primrose Everdeen



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The square’s surrounded by shops, and on public market days,especially if there’s good weather, it has a holiday feel to it. Buttoday, despite the bright banners hanging on the buildings,there’s an air of grimness. The camera crews, perched likebuzzards on rooftops, only add to the effect.


•Related themes•Related themes: Appearances


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The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteendistricts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens.Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts againstthe Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated.The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peaceand, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never berepeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.


•Related themes•Related themes: Division and Control


11

Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill oneanother while we watch—this is the Capitol’s way of remindingus how totally we are at their mercy.




11

CHAPTER 2But a shift has occurred since I stepped up to take Prim’s place,and now it seems I have become someone precious. At first one,then another, then almost every member of the crowd touchesthe three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holdsit out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district,occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it meansadmiration, it means goodbye to someone you love.





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Maybe if I had thanked him at some point, I’d be feeling lessconflicted now. I thought about it a couple of times, but theopportunity never seemed to present itself. And now it neverwill. Because we’re going to be thrown into an arena to fight tothe death. Exactly how am I supposed to work in a thank-you inthere? Somehow it just won’t seem sincere if I’m trying to slithis throat.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Peeta Mellark

•Related themes•Related themes: Hypocrisy


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CHAPTER 3Peeta Mellark, on the other hand, has obviously been cryingand interestingly enough does not seem to be trying to cover it



up. I immediately wonder if this will be his strategy in theGames. To appear weak and frightened, to reassure the othertributes that he is no competition at all, and then come outfighting.





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“At least, you two have decent manners,” says Effie as we’refinishing the main course. “The pair last year ate everythingwith their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upsetmy digestion.” The pair last year were two kids from the Seamwho’d never, not one day of their lives, had enough to eat. Andwhen they did have food, table manners were surely the lastthing on their minds.

•Speak•Speakerer: Katniss Everdeen, Effie Trinket


•Related themes•Related themes: Societal Inequality


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CHAPTER 4A kind Peeta Mellark is far more dangerous to me than anunkind one. Kind people have a way of working their way insideme and rooting there. And I can’t let Peeta do this. Not wherewe’re going. So I decide, from this moment on, to have as littleas possible to do with the baker’s son.





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The basket of rolls they set before me would keep my familygoing for a week.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Primrose Everdeen,Katniss’s mother



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I realize I detest Haymitch. No wonder the District 12 tributesnever stand a chance. It isn’t just that we’ve been underfed andlack training. Some of our tributes have still been strongenough to make a go of it. But we rarely get sponsors and he’s abig part of the reason why. The rich people who backtributes—either because they’re betting on them or simply forthe bragging rights of picking a winner—expect someoneclassier than Haymitch to deal with.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Haymitch Abernathy



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The mountains form a natural barrier between the Capitol andthe eastern districts. It is almost impossible to enter from theeast except through the tunnels.




11

The people begin to point at us eagerly as they recognize atribute train rolling into the city. I step away from the window,sickened by their excitement, knowing they can’t wait to watchus die. But Peeta holds his ground, actually waving and smilingat the gawking crowd. He only stops when the train pulls intothe station, blocking us from their view.



•Related themes•Related themes: Appearances, Hypocrisy


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CHAPTER 5Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even thenit would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version. What



must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appearsat the press of a button?




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Cinna has given me a great advantage. No one will forget me.Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Cinna



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CHAPTER 6“…but I’ve done my best with what I had to work with. HowKatniss sacrificed herself for her sister. How you’ve bothsuccessfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of yourdistrict.”Barbarism? That’s ironic coming from a woman helping toprepare us for slaughter.

•Speak•Speakerer: Katniss Everdeen, Effie Trinket


•Related themes•Related themes: Hypocrisy


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Rebellion? I have to think about that one a moment. But when Iremember the other couples, standing stiffly apart, nevertouching or acknowledging each other, as if their fellow tributedid not exist, as if the Games had already begun, I know whatHaymitch means. Presenting ourselves not as adversaries butas friends has distinguished us as much as the fiery costumes.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Peeta Mellark, HaymitchAbernathy

•Related themes•Related themes: Division and Control, Love, Loyalty, andCompassion, Appearances


11 22 44

The Capitol twinkles like a vast field of fireflies. Electricity inDistrict 12 comes and goes, usually we only have it a few hoursa day. Often the evenings are spent in candlelight. The only timeyou can count on it is w hen they’re airing the Games or someimportant government message on television that it’smandatory to watch. But here there would be no shortage.Ever.




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CHAPTER 7Almost all of the boys and at least half of the girls are biggerthan I am, even though many of the tributes have never beenfed properly…The exceptions are the kids from the wealthierdistricts, the volunteers, the ones who have been fed andtrained throughout their lives for this moment.




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CHAPTER 8I can’t help comparing what I have with Gale to what I’mpretending to have with Peeta. How I never question Gale’smotives while I do nothing but doubt the latter’s. It’s not a faircomparison really. Gale and I were thrown together by amutual need to survive. Peeta and I know the other’s survivalmeans our own death. How do you sidestep that?


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Peeta Mellark, Gale

•Related themes•Related themes: Division and Control, Love, Loyalty, andCompassion, Appearances


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CHAPTER 10“He made you look desirable! And let’s face it, you can use allthe help you can get in that department. You were about asromantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do.You’re all they’re talking about. The star-crossed lovers fromDistrict Twelve!” says Haymitch.



•Speak•Speakerer: Haymitch Abernathy

•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Katniss Everdeen, PeetaMellark



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“…Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show theCapitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece intheir Games,” says Peeta.

•Speak•Speakerer: Peeta Mellark



44

CHAPTER 15It’s interesting, hearing about her life. We have so littlecommunication with anyone outside our district. In fact, Iwonder if the Gamemakers are blocking out our conversation,because even though the information seems harmless, theydon’t want people in different districts to know about oneanother.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Rue



11

CHAPTER 18I can’t stop looking at Rue, smaller than ever, a baby animalcurled up in a nest of netting. I can’t bring myself to leave herlike this. Past harm, but seeming utterly defenseless. To hatethe boy from District 1, who also appears so vulnerable indeath, seems inadequate. It’s the Capitol I hate, for doing this toall of us.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Rue

•Related themes•Related themes: Division and Control, Love, Loyalty, andCompassion


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As usual, it’s the thought of Prim’s anxious face as she watchesme on the screens back home that breaks me from my lethargy.





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CHAPTER 19Peeta, who’s been wounded, is now my ally…it just makes senseto protect each other. And in my case—being one of the star-crossed lovers from District 12—it’s an absolute requirement ifI want any more help from sympathetic sponsors.





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CHAPTER 21I understand that if Thresh wins, he’ll have to go back and face adistrict that has already broken all the rules to thank me, and heis breaking the rules to thank me, too. And I understand that,for the moment, Thresh is not going to smash in my skull.


•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Thresh



22

CHAPTER 26“Listen up. You’re in trouble. Word is the Capitol’s furious aboutyou showing them up in the arena. The one thing they can’tstand is being laughed at, and they’re the joke of Panem,” saysHaymitch.

•Speak•Speakerer: Haymitch Abernathy

•Mentioned or related char•Mentioned or related charactersacters: Katniss Everdeen



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The color-coded boxes under "Analysis & Themes" below makeit easy to track the themes throughout the work. Each colorcorresponds to one of the themes explained in the Themessection of this LitChart.

CHAPTER 1Katniss wakes up on themorning of the reaping to findthat her little sister, Prim, hasmoved to their mother’s bed inthe middle of the night. Prim’sugly cat, Buttercup, standsguard over her while shesleeps. Katniss recalls how shetried to drown the kitten yearsago, when Prim first broughthim home, because she didn’twant another mouth to feed.But Prim begged, and Katnissgave in—now Katniss is gladshe kept Buttercup alive forthe comfort the cat offers toPrim.

Katniss’s feelings towardsButtercup demonstrate bothhow much she loves Prim andhow dire their family’s financialcircumstances are. Katnissclearly struggles enough tosupport the human members ofthe family without the additionof a pet. However, she’s finallywilling to include Buttercup forPrim’s sake.

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Katniss rises from bed andgets dressed. She grabs herforage bag and retrieves apiece of goat cheese that Primhas left for her under a bowl,and then Katniss steps outside.Katniss’s family lives in thepart of District 12 known asthe Seam. It’s usually swarmingwith people heading to work inthe morning—however, todayis reaping day, and the reapingitself doesn’t take place untiltwo, so the streets are empty.

It’s already clear that Katniss’sfamily struggles to have enoughto eat—so the fact that Primsaves a piece of goat cheese forKatniss shows how close theyare. Both sisters are considerateof the other and care about theother’s happiness.

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Katniss’s home is almost at theedge of the Seam, and sheheads towards the fence thatsurrounds District 12,separating the district fromthe woods outside. In theory,the fence is electrified 24/7 inorder to deter predators, butbecause District 12 is lucky tohave electricity even two tothree hours a day, the fence isusually safe to touch. Katnissstill listens for a telltale electrichum, however, before shecrawls beneath a gap in thefence.

The fence is the first hint of theCapitol’s effort to keep thedistricts divided. In theory, itprevents people (and animals)from coming in and out.However, the electricity almostnever works—another sign of theeconomic difficulties in District12—so Katniss is able to crawlunder.

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In the woods, Katniss retrievesa bow and a sheath of arrowsfrom their hiding spot in a log.The weapons serve asprotection from the predatorsin the woods, but they alsoallow those who know how tohunt to find food. Katniss’sfather taught her how to use abow before he died in a miningaccident five years ago, whenKatniss was eleven. She stillhas nightmares about herfather’s death, however, andwakes up screaming for him torun.

The woods appear dangerous atfirst—and they are—but to thosewho know how to take a secondlook, they also present anopportunity for food. Surfaceappearances don’t revealeverything. Similarly, Katnissusually acts tough and stoic, buther nightmares about her fatherreveal how emotionallyvulnerable she can be.

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Trespassing in the woods isillegal, and poaching ispunishable by death, but mostof the Peacekeepers turn ablind eye because they enjoythe fresh meat that comes outof hunting. More people wouldventure in the woods if theyhad proper weapons, but mosthave only a knife. Katniss’sfather crafted her bow andarrows.

The Peacekeepers in District 12are hypocritical—they’re willingto bend the rules if it benefitsthem.

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SUMMARY & ANALSUMMARY & ANALYSISYSIS



Katniss recalls that when shewas younger, she would blurtout criticisms of thegovernment, frightening hermother. As she grew older,however, Katniss learned thatthis would only cause moretrouble, so now she avoidsengaging in anything otherthan small talk. She evenavoids discussing her opinionsat home, where Prim mighthear her and start repeatingher words.

As Katniss grows older, shebegins to understand theimportance of keeping upappearances for the sake ofprotecting herself—a lesson thatwill come in handy during theHunger Games. Her concern alsostems from her care for Prim.Katniss might be more recklesswith her words if she didn’t havepeople she loved who could gethurt.

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The only person Katniss feelsthat she can truly be free withis her hunting partner, Gale.Gale refers to her as Catnipbecause when the two firstmet, Katniss whispered hername so quietly that Gale hadthought she said “Catnip.” Soonafterwards, a lynx had startedfollowing her, looking forhandouts, and the nicknamestuck.

As the chapter progresses, itbecomes clear thatKatniss—tough as she is—hasformed bonds with many peoplein District 12. Her relationshipwith Gale, especially, issomething of a slap in the face tothe Capitol, since they metoutside of legal bounds whilehunting—a criminal activity.

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Gale has brought a loaf of realbakery bread to share on themorning of reaping day, and heand Katniss make a meal out ofthe bread, goat cheese, andblackberries from surroundingbushes. They mimic EffieTrinket’s affected Capitolaccent and the catchphrase ofthe Hunger Games: “May theodds be ever in your favor!”They joke because thealternative is to be terrifiedabout the possibility of beingchosen for the Hunger Gameson reaping day.

By giving their outing theappearance of a celebration,Gale and Katniss are protectingthemselves from the reality thattwo people in District 12 will besent to their probable deathslater that day. Their joke aboutEffie’s accent also demonstrateshow separate the Capitol is fromthe districts. Even their mannerof speaking is so different that it’slaughable. And yet their laughteris also the only rebellion theyhave against a Capitol thatcontrols their fate.

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As Katniss watches Gale, shenotes that their features are sosimilar, they might be related.Almost everyone in the Seamhas straight black hair, oliveskin, and gray eyes. Katniss’smother and Prim, however,are exceptions, with light hairand blue eyes. This is becauseKatniss’s mother’s parentswere part of a small merchantclass that catered to officialsand Peacekeepers, sellinghealing herbs at an apothecaryshop.

Even within the district, differentsocial classes are divided, and itseems that the classes aredivided by ethnicity. Katniss’smother’s lighter features belongto the higher merchant class,while the coal miners all have thesame darker features. Thesedivisions keep District 12 weak,ensuring it will never rebelagainst the Capitol.

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Katniss’s father wouldsometimes bring herbs that hehad foraged in the woods tosell to the apothecary, andthat’s how Katniss’s parentsmet. Katniss tries toremember that her mothermust have really loved herfather to leave her home tomove to the Seam, but she stillfeels angry about the way hermother became unresponsiveafter the mining accident thatkilled Katniss’s father.

Katniss’s mother made afinancial sacrifice when shedecided to marry Katniss’sfather—another sign that theclasses are unequal even withinthe district. Katniss understandsthat her mother loved her father,and this love humanizes hermother somewhat—it’s the onlyway Katniss can view hermother’s absence after herfather's death as anything but abetrayal.

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Gale prepares the food they’vebrought, and they sit back toenjoy the morning and thefood, which would be a perfectcombination if it weren’t forthat fact that their holiday is aresult of reaping day. Galesuddenly suggests that theyrun away to live in the woods,but quickly dismisses the ideawhen he remembers all their“kids.” By kids he means theiryounger siblings and mothers,who rely on the food Gale andKatniss bring home from theiroutings.

Gale demonstrates warringdesires. He wants to run awayand save himself from thepossibility of being chosen onreaping day, but he can’t becausehe’s loyal to those who rely onhim in District 12. His decisionto stay and support his familyinstead of trying to save himselfis a less dramatic version ofKatniss’s later impulse tosacrifice herself for Prim.

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Katniss is confused by Gale’soutburst—there’s never beenanything romantic betweenthem. They met in the woodswhen Katniss was twelve andGale was fourteen, and it tooka long time before they trustedeach other enough to startworking as a team. Galesuggests that they fish at thelake and leave their poles whilethey gather greens andstrawberries in the woods. Thedinner after the reaping issupposed to be celebratory foreveryone except the families ofthose whose children havebeen selected for the reaping.

Families in the districts areforced to act as if reaping day is acause for celebration. TheCapitol asserts its power bycontrolling even the appearanceof a horrible ritual and making itseem commemorative.

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By the end of the morning,Gale and Katniss have a dozenfish, a bag of greens, and agallon of strawberries. On theway home, they swing by theHob, the black market thatoperates in an abandonedwarehouse in the Seam. Theytrade some of their fish forbread and salt, and then theybring some strawberries to themayor, who has a specialfondness for them and canafford the price. The mayor’sdaughter, Madge, opens thedoor, dressed in an expensivewhite dress. Gale commentson the dress, and Madgeresponds that she wants tolook her best in case she getspicked at the reaping, and Galereacts poorly, scoffing atMadge’s worries.

People wear their nicest clotheson reaping day because theyknow that they’ll be on camera ifthey’re picked. How strong andpoised they appear during thereaping can affect how manysponsors they get during theGames.

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The reaping system is unfair,biased against the poor.Technically, the lottery israndom, but after the age oftwelve, children can opt tohave their names entered intothe lottery multiple times inexchange for tesserae, whichcan be used to purchase moregrain and oil. As a result, thechildren of poor families tendto have more entries in thelottery than do the children ofwealthier families who cansurvive without tesserae.Katniss now has twentyentries in the reaping, andGale, who has been single-handedly feeding a family offive for seven years, has forty-two entries, which is why hescoffs at Madge’s fears—shelikely only has four or fiveentries.

The lottery system is a primeexample of social inequality. Eventhough it’s random, poor childrenare far more likely to get pickedbecause of the tesserae system.This inequality also breedsresentment between classes, asGale demonstrates—and thisresentment is just one more waythe Capitol keeps its peopledivided so that they won’t unitetogether and rebel.

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Gale and Katniss split up thefood they’ve gathered andhead to their respectivehomes. When Katniss arrivesat her house, she finds that hermother and Prim are alreadyready, with Prim wearingKatniss’s first reaping outfit, askirt and ruffled blouse.Katniss bathes and then putson what her mother has laidout for her, which turns out tobe one of her mother’s owndresses from her past—muchnicer than anything Katnissherself owns. Her mother alsobraids Katniss’s hair on top ofher head, and when she’sfinished, Katniss can barelyrecognize herself.

Katniss’s mother still has some ofher dresses from her days as partof the merchant class, andKatniss’s hesitation when puttingon the dress shows just how rareit is to see such fine material inthe Seam—another sign of socialinequality. Katniss doesn’trecognize herself after shedresses up because she doesn’tusually do so. It’s to heradvantage to appear tougherwhen she lives in the Seam.

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Katniss attempts to comfortPrim, who is attending her firstreaping. Even though the oddsare in Prim’s favor, she’s stillterrified, and Katniss feelspowerless to protect her asshe usually does. They decideto save everything Katniss hasbrought home for dinner, andfor lunch, the family eats roughbread made from tessera grainand drinks milk from Prim’sgoat.

Katniss again shows how muchshe cares about Prim. Katnissadjusts her own appearance toseem calmer for Prim’s sake.

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At one o’clock, everyone headsto the square—attendance ismandatory for the reaping.Twelve- through eighteen-year-olds are roped off, andfamily members stand off tothe sides. Everyone focuses onthe temporary stage in front ofthe Justice Building. It holdsthree chairs, a podium, andtwo large glass balls filled withnames, one for girls and onefor boys. Two of the threechairs are filled with Madge’sdad, Mayor Undersee, andEffie Trinket, District 12’sescort from the Capitol.

In the square, children are ropedoff from their families, anotherdivision that would make itharder for a district to rise upand rebel during a reaping. Thefact that the reaping takes placein front of the Justice Building ishypocritical, since the HungerGames are anything butjust—they favor wealthierdistricts and demonstrate howmuch control the Capitol hasover the districts.

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As the clock strikes two, themayor steps up to the podiumand begins to read about thehistory of Panem, the countrythat rose out of the ashes ofwhat once was North America.For a while, there was peaceand prosperity for Panem,which consisted of a shiningCapitol and thirteensurrounding districts.Afterwards, however, thedistricts rebelled against theCapitol, and twelve of thedistricts were defeated andone obliterated. The HungerGames serve as a yearlyreminder that the districtsmust never rebel again.

The Capitol maintains control bydivvying up the country intotwelve districts—and ensuringtheir dependence upon thegovernment. Each of the districtsspecializes in producing onlyparticular goods and aretherefore not self-sufficient andmust rely on centralizeddistribution in order to survive.

11

The rules of the HungerGames are that each of thetwelve districts must provideone girl and one boy, calledtributes, to participate. Thetwenty-four tributes will betrapped in a large outdoorarena that can hold anythingfrom desert to rainforest whilethey fight to the death over aperiod of several weeks. Thelast tribute standing wins. Thecompetition is the Capitol’smethod of reminding thedistricts that they arecompletely at the Capitol’smercy. The districts are alsoforced to treat the Games as afestivity. The winner receives alife of ease back home, andtheir district is showered withprizes, largely consisting offood.

The Hunger Games is one of thebest methods that the Capitolhas for ensuring that the districtsremain divided. Tributes fromdifferent districts are pittedagainst each other for survival.When one wins, the entiredistrict is showered with foodand luxuries like sugar, furtheremphasizing the inequalitiesbetween different districts anddifferent classes.

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In the past seventy-four years,District 12 has only had twovictors, only one of which isstill alive. As the mayor readshis name, HaymitchAbernathy drunkenlystumbles onto the stage andgives Effie an unwelcome hug.The mayor quickly wraps uphis speech and introducesEffie, whose pink wig is slightlyoff-center after her encounterwith Haymitch. Effie gives ashort speech before it’s time toread the names. She beginswith the girls’ names, andKatniss prays that she won’tbe called. As it turns out, hername isn’t the onecalled—instead, it’s her sister,Prim.

One of the reasons that District12 has only had two victors inthe history of the Hunger Gamesis that it’s one of the poorerdistricts. Tributes aren’t as wellfed and receive no training forthe Games, so they’re unlikely towin. The disadvantages of beingunderprivileged follow them intothe Hunger Games arena.

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CHAPTER 2Katniss remembers a timewhen she fell asleep whilewaiting in a tree for game towander by. She fell ten feet tothe ground and had the windknocked out of her, and shestruggled to breathe forseveral moments afterwards.She feels the same way now,shocked that Prim’s name hasbeen called for the reaping,even though she only had oneentry in the bowl. The crowdmurmurs unhappily as Primsteps up towards the stage,and the sight of her little sisterbrings Katniss back to hersenses.

When Prim’s name is called,Katniss is shocked—it’s literallyher worst nightmare come true.However, her love for Prim allowsher to summon the strength tocome back to her senses.

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Katniss runs to Prim just asshe is about to mount thesteps and shouts that she willvolunteer as tribute instead.There is a rule that once atribute’s name has been pulledfrom the ball, another eligiblechild of the same gender canvolunteer to take his or herplace. In some districts, wherewinning is common and a greathonor, volunteering iscommon, but in District 12,there hasn’t been a volunteerin decades. Being selected forthe Hunger Games is almostthe equivalent of receiving adeath sentence in Katniss’sdistrict.

Katniss’s love for Prim gives herthe strength to volunteer forwhat most would consider to bea death sentence. In a districtwhere more people are strugglingand looking out for their ownsurvival, this kind of sacrificemakes a huge impression, andsuddenly thrusting Katnissforward as an example of theway that people can be united byloyalty and love despite theCapitol's efforts to divide.

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Prim begins screaminghysterically, and Katnissgruffly tells her to letgo—Katniss doesn’t want toreveal any weaknesses beforethe camera. Gale lifts Primaway, and Katniss climbs thesteps. Effie announces Katnissand asks for a big round ofapplause, but not one personin the district claps. Theirsilence is the boldest form ofdissent they can manage, untila few people—and then theentire crowd—touch threefingers of their left hands totheir mouths and hold them upin a gesture that meansfarewell.

Katniss immediately adjusts herappearance to be stoic so thatshe doesn’t reveal any weaknessin front of the cameras. Sheunderstands how important itcan be to maintain a strong facein order to protect herself.Katniss also sees that her act oflove has elicited the compassionof everyone in her district, eventhose who are normally beyondcaring about the reaping.

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At this moment, Haymitchstaggers across the stage tocongratulate Katniss. He getsout only a few words before heloses his balance andplummets off the stage,knocking himself unconscious.As Haymitch is wheeled awayon a stretcher, Effie continueson to select the boy tribute.His name, Peeta Mellark, isfamiliar to Katniss.

Haymitch cultivates his ownappearance for thecameras—although it’s true thathe does have an alcohol problem,it seems that part of hisappearance is calculated toentertain. He and Katniss sharethe knowledge that appearancescan be important.

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Although Katniss has neverdirectly spoken to Peeta, he’shad a profound impact on herlife. Three months afterKatniss’s father was killed inthe mining accident, Katnisswas struggling to support hersister and mother. Her motherhad become unresponsive,sitting and staring into spaceinstead of getting a job thatcould support the family.Katniss kept their predicamenta secret because she didn’twant to be placed in acommunity home, but themoney had run out, and theywere slowly starving todeath—not an uncommon fatein District 12.

The fact that many people starveto death in District 12 highlightsthe social differences in Panem.Some people have more thanenough to eat, while others can’teven count on having enough tostay alive.

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On the day of Katniss’sencounter with Peeta Mellark,she had been searching in thetrash bins behind the shops,looking for scraps to bringhome to her family, who hadbeen surviving on mint tea forthe past three days.Unfortunately, the bins hadjust been emptied. WhenKatniss passed the baker’s andchecked the trash bin, thebaker’s wife came out andbegan screaming at her. As sheyelled, Katniss could see thebaker’s son, Peeta, watchingher—they knew each otherfrom school but had neverspoken.

Peeta’s mother has no sympathyfor beggars, showing that shedoesn’t understand the plight ofthose who have less than shedoes. She’s unwilling, even, torelinquish scraps to Katniss.

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Katniss walked away from theencounter and collapsed at theroots of a nearby apple tree,feeling too tired and sick andweak to go on. She heard aclatter in the bakery and thenthe sound of a blow, and soonthere were footsteps headingtowards her. Katniss looked upto see the boy—Peeta—with ared welt on his cheek andcarrying two loaves of burntbread. His mother yelled athim to feed the bread to thepigs, and he began to tear offchunks from the burned partsto toss into the trough. Whenhis mother disappeared to helpa customer, Peeta threw thebread loaves to Katniss.

Peeta receives a punishmentfrom his mother in order to tossbread loaves to Katniss. It’s anact of self-sacrifice andcompassion that Katniss willalways remember because it’s sorare throughout the district. Shealso comes to feel like she owes adebt to Peeta (a feeling that she,who prides herself on self-sufficiency, hates).

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Katniss quickly shoved theloaves under her shirt andreturned home, where Primand her mother were. Thethree of them devoured anentire loaf with mint tea. Thenext day, the warm weatherwas finally setting in, and asKatniss and Prim headed homein the afternoon, Katnissspotted the first dandelion ofthe year. She remembered thehours spent in the woods withher father, and that’s when sherealized how she was going tosupport her family.

Katniss perseveres even throughthe hardest times because sheknows that she has to take careof her mother and Prim—sheperseveres because of love andloyalty. Peeta’s act of kindnessgave Katniss enough energy andhope to find a means ofsupporting her family on herown.

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To this day, Katniss associatesPeeta with the dandelion thatgave her hope. She alwaysmeant to thank him, but now itwon’t seem very sincere, sincehe will be one of hercompetitors in the arena. Shedecides that the odds are thatsomeone else will kill himfirst—though the odds haven’tbeen very reliable lately.

Katniss still remembers that sheowes her life to Peeta, but sheknows that it will seemhypocritical to thank him now.They’ve been set against eachother thanks to the setup of theHunger Games, in which alltributes must be in it forthemselves.

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CHAPTER 3After the ceremony ends,Peeta and Katniss aremarched through the frontdoor of the Justice Buildingand conducted into separaterooms where they wait fortheir loved ones to visit andsay goodbye. Katniss’s motherand Prim arrive first and wrapKatniss up in a hug. After a fewmoments, Katniss begins totell them all the things theymust remember to do nowthat Katniss won’t be there todo them for them. Katniss yellsat her mother, making herpromise not to go away againlike she did after Katniss’sfather died. Prim makesKatniss promise that she’ll tryreally hard to win, and thentime is up, and Peacekeepersare escorting Prim and hermother out the door as they allrepeat, “I love you.”

Even as Katniss is being rippedaway from her family she doeswhat she can to try to keep ittogether. She has sacrificedherself for their sake, and wantsto make sure that they survivewithout her. At the same time,she draws strength from herfamily. Other tributes will try towin for themselves, to survive.Katniss promises that she'll try towin for Prim. Love motivates her.

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Next, Katniss is surprised tosee Peeta Mellark’s father, thebaker, enter the room. Hedoesn’t speak much, but hehands her a package ofcookies, a luxury that Katniss’sfamily can usually never afford.As he leaves, he tells Katnissthat he’ll keep an eye on Primand make sure she’s eating.

Katniss is touched because thebaker promises to keep an eye onPrim. He also hands her cookies,and the fact that they’re a luxuryshe could never afford beforeshowcases how different the livesof the merchant class and therest of the population can be.

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After Peeta’s father, Madgesteps into the room. She urgesKatniss to accept a circulargold pin with a bird on it as hertoken to wear in the arena.Madge makes Katniss promiseto wear it, and Katniss agrees.Madge gives her a quick kisson the cheek before sheleaves.

Katniss continues to discoverthat she’s made moreconnections in District 12 thanshe realized. Madge, for example,seems to think of Katniss as herfriend, despite their classdifferences.

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Finally, Gale arrives. He wrapsKatniss in his arms andinstructs her on what to doonce she’s in the arena. Hetells her she has to get a bowand arrows, or else she has tomake her own. Gale says thatbeing in the Games is just likehunting, and Katniss is the besthunter he knows. Katnissstarts to protest, but sherealizes that it wouldn’t bedifferent at all if she could justforget that she’s huntingpeople.

Although Gale and Katniss havenever acknowledged how closethey are before, the fact that theynow have limited time togetherpushes them to drop some oftheir pretenses—which is whyKatniss doesn’t hesitate toembrace Gale when he entersthe room.

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As Gale is dragged out by thePeacekeepers, he promisesthat he won’t let Katniss’sfamily starve. Katniss is takento the train station, wherereporters are swarming withtheir cameras. Katniss noticesthat Peeta’s face bears visibletraces of tears, and shewonders if appearing weak ispart of his strategy. After a fewminutes, Peeta and Katniss areallowed to board the train, andthe train takes off at once.

Katniss is already beginning toadjust to the mindset of theGames, so she doesn’tunderstand why Peeta wouldallow himself to appear weak. It’spossible that Peeta doesn’tunderstand how importantappearances are, since he’s liveda generally cushier life and hasn’thad to worry so much aboutprotecting himself.

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The speed of the train takesKatniss’s breath away—it cantravel at 250 miles an hour.The train is also incrediblyfancy, and Katniss and Peetaboth get their own chambersthat include a bedroom, adressing area, and a privatebathroom with hot and coldrunning water. Katniss takesher first shower—like summerrain, only warmer—and getsdressed in the clothesprovided in their drawers. Sheremembers Madge’s pin andtakes a good look at it for thefirst time, realizing that thebird depicted on it is amockingjay.

The luxurious facilities in thetrain underline how big thewealth gap must be in Panem.Katniss has never had enoughrunning water to take a shower,and if she had wanted hot waterin District 12, she would havehad to boil it herself.

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Mockingjays are something ofa slap in the face to the Capitol.During the rebellion, theCapitol bred a series ofgenetically altered animals asweapons, called muttations.Among them was a bird calleda jabberjay that couldmemorize and repeatconversations, and these wereused to spy on the rebelsbefore they realized how theconversations were beingtransmitted. Afterwards, thedistricts used the birds to feedthe Capitol a bunch of lies, andthe birds were abandoned todie off in the wild. Instead ofdying off, however, they matedwith mockingbirds, and theresulting species couldreplicate both bird whistlesand human melodies. Theseare known as mockingjays.

Mockingjays are one example ofhow the Capitol tried to monitorand control the districts duringthe rebellion. They alsodemonstrate how advancedtechnology must be in theCapitol, since they cangenetically alter animals. Thedifferences in technology andsupplies likely put the districts ata disadvantage during therebellion. At the same time, themockingjays symbolize thatwhile the Capitol seeks to exerttotal control, sometimes thatexertion can backfire insurprising ways.

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Effie comes to collect Katnissfor supper, and they walk into adining room where Peeta sitswaiting. Effie seems relievedby Haymitch’s absence. Themeal arrives in courses, andKatniss stuffs herself becauseit’s the first time she’s had somuch good food before her.Effie comments that at leastPeeta and Katniss have decenttable manners, unlike the pairof tributes that came beforethem. Katniss takes offence atthis comment, since sheknows—as Effie can’t—thatthose tributes probably neverhad enough to eat in their lives.Katniss decides to eat with herhands after that, pointedlywiping her fingers on thetablecloth.

Effie can’t comprehend thereasons behind bad tablemanners. She lacks theexperience and the informationnecessary to have empathy forthose who have grown up hungry,so she can't understand that forsome just easting is moreimportant than showing goodmanners, and so she comes off asextremely callous.

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After the meal, Peeta andKatniss go to anothercompartment to watch a recapof the reapings across Panem.A few stand out to Katniss.There’s a boy who volunteersin District 2, a fox-faced girlfrom District 5, and mostupsettingly, a twelve-year-oldgirl from District 11 whoreminds Katniss of Prim. Noone volunteers for this girl,however. Then the recap of thereaping in District 12 arrives,and Effie comments that theirmentor could learn a lot abouttelevised behavior, a commentwhich strikes Peeta andKatniss as funny.

For Effie, as for others in theCapitol, appearances are veryimportant. She’s embarrassed bythe way Haymitch presentshimself on TV because she feelsthat his actions reflect badly onher as well. Peeta and Katnissfind this kind of focus onpresentation funny because it’sso trivial to them—they don’tcome from a place where it’s thatimportant to present yourselfwith poise. They worry moreabout getting enough to eat.

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They remind Effie thatHaymitch was drunk, as healways is—his behavior doesn’tjust amount to rough manners.Effie snaps that their mentor istheir lifeline to the worldduring the Games and thatthey should be the last oneslaughing at his drunkenbehavior. As if on cue,Haymitch staggers into thecompartment and vomits allover the carpet before fallinginto the mess. Effie flees theroom.

Effie reminds Peeta and Katnissthat appearances can beimportant for what theysignify—in this case, Haymitch’scarelessness and alcoholism,which should be cause for Peetaand Katniss to worry.

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CHAPTER 4Peeta and Katniss realize thatEffie is right about Haymitchas their mentor. They decide tohelp him to his feet and get himcleaned up. Once they getHaymitch back to hiscompartment, Peeta offers todo the rest of the cleanup, andKatniss accepts his offer.Afterwards, however, Katnisswonders about Peeta’smotivations for being so nice,and she decides that it’sbecause he’s being kind—athought that worries herbecause kind people have away of working themselvesinside her. She vows not tohave any more to do withPeeta and tosses his father’scookies out of the traincompartment.

Katniss recognizes the danger ofkind people. She knows thatPeeta’s power lies in his ability towin others over, but there’s noroom for compassion in theHunger Games arena, so shechooses to distance herself fromPeeta rather than risk becomingsentimental. At the same time,the fact that Katniss is bothdetermined and self-sufficientand can be affected by thosewho are kind turns out to be hergreat strength, as her fierce loveand loyalty creates bondsbetween others.

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Unfortunately, the cookiesland and explode in a patch ofdandelions, which remindsKatniss again of the time thatPeeta helped save her familyfrom starvation. On that day,Katniss brought Prim with herinto the Meadow where theypicked a bucket full ofdandelion greens, stems, andflowers. That night, they had adinner of dandelion salad andthe rest of the bakery bread.Prim and Katniss began poringthrough a book from theirmother’s apothecary shop,looking for edible plants andflowers. Finally, Katnissworked up the courage towander into the woods, whereshe had never been withouther father. She retrieved herbow and arrows and stayed bythe edge of the woods, whereshe had the good luck to kill arabbit.

However, Katniss is unable toforget the fact that Peeta hasalready saved her once before.The reason that she’s had enoughto eat and that she’s so skilledwith a bow and arrow is thatPeeta tossed her some breadyears ago—it’s a debt she’ll neverbe able to repay.

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Eventually, Katniss wandereddeeper and deeper into thewoods, finding food to keepher family alive. Soon, on hertwelfth birthday, Katniss wasalso eligible to sign up fortesserae, and she broughthome batches of grain and oilwith it. One day, late thatsummer, Katniss was washingup in a pond when she noticedthe plants growing around her.She dug out their roots,recognizing them as the plantsthat she had been named for.That night, Katniss’s familyfeasted on fish and katnissroots until everyone was fullfor the first time in months.Katniss’s mother eventuallyrecovered as well, but Katnisswas never able to fully trusther again.

Katniss is able to hunt, whichmeans that her family isprobably better off than most.However, she’s still forced to signup for tesserae in order to feedher family of three—showing howdire the food situation must befor families that don’t haveanother means of getting food.

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Katniss feels homesick as shethinks of her family, wonderingwhat they might’ve had fordinner. As Katniss gets intobed, it occurs to her that nowwould be the best time tocry—no cameras surround herfor the moment—but she feelstoo numb to cry and insteaddrifts off to sleep.

Katniss is constantly aware thatshe cannot let down her guard.Even in the rare moments whenshe believes she isn’t beingwatched, it’s hard for her to relax,since she’s holding back heremotions the rest of the time.

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Effie’s voice wakes Katniss inthe morning, and she dresses,deciding to keep her hair in thebraids her mother did. WhenKatniss arrives in the diningcar, Effie is leaving in an angryhuff, and Haymitch gesturesfor Katniss to sit down. Sheeats her fill of breakfast foodand hot chocolate beforesettling back to observeHaymitch, who is thinning hisred juice with alcohol.

Each time they have a meal,Katniss and Peeta stuffthemselves because they aren’tused to having so much goodfood before them. Katnissworries about eating her fillbefore she turns her attention toother issues—like Haymitch.

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Katniss realizes she detestsHaymitch, believing that he’spart of the reason District 12tributes never stand a chance.Haymitch is unlikely to drawsponsors on their behalf, sincethe rich people who sponsortributes expect to havesomeone classier thanHaymitch to deal with.

Katniss is coming to realize howimportant appearances are torich people. She realizes that oneof the reasons District 12 is at adisadvantage is that Haymitchisn’t classy enough to networkeffectively with rich sponsors.

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Katniss asks Haymitch foradvice, and his response is,“Stay alive.” Then he laughs.Peeta responds aggressively,knocking the glass out ofHaymitch’s hand, andHaymitch responds bypunching Peeta in the jaw.When Haymitch reaches againfor his alcohol, Katniss drivesher knife into the tablebetween Haymitch’s hand andthe bottle, barely missing hisfingers.

Katniss and Peeta are enraged byHaymitch’s advice because he’ssupposed to be their mentor andlifeline through the Games, yethe approaches the situation likeit’s a big joke.

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The action seems to finally getHaymitch’s attention. Headvises Peeta to let his bruisedjaw show to make him seemtougher and asks Katnisswhether she can hit anythingelse with her knife. As ademonstration, Katniss throwsher knife into the wall acrossthe room, where it lodges intoa seam between two panels,making her look a lot betterwith a knife than she really is.

Haymitch and Katniss bothdemonstrate, again, that theyunderstand the value of creatingan appearance. Haymitch tellsPeeta that he’ll appear tougherwith a bruise, and Katniss knowsthat her knife demonstration isher chance to make animpression on Haymitch.

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Haymitch makes a deal withPeeta and Katniss. He saysthat he’ll remain sober enoughto help them as long as theydon’t interfere with hisdrinking. His first piece ofadvice is not to resist thechoices of the stylists. AsHaymitch leaves thecompartment, the train pullsinto the Capitol, and Peeta andKatniss rush to the window tosee what they’ve only seen ontelevision before. The Capitol’swealth is obvious from thesplendor of the buildings. Astheir train passes by, peoplewave, and Peeta waves back.When Katniss looks at him, heshrugs and says that one of thepeople below might be rich,which makes Katniss believethat Peeta has been forming astrategy to stay alive all alongand isn’t to be trusted.

It’s impossible for Peeta andKatniss not to gawk at theCapitol’s wealth. It’s completelydifferent from the povertythey’ve known all their lives.Katniss believes that she’sunderestimated Peeta, since hiswaving seems so calculated. He’saware of how important it is toremain poised and likable in frontof the audience.

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CHAPTER 5Katniss follows Haymitch’sadvice and doesn’t resist theprep team who prepare her tosee her stylist. They clean herup and remove her body hair.Katniss finds it hard to hateher prep team, even thoughthey’re so vain andsuperficial—they’re sincerelytrying to help her, in their ownway. As the prep team finisheswith her, Katniss waits for herstylist to come. The only partof her that’s been leftuntouched are the braids thather mother did for her the daybefore.

Katniss and her prep team arefrom such different worlds thatKatniss doesn’t even regard themfully as human beings. She alsorecognizes that their attention toher appearance will help her inthe arena, since she’s beginningto learn how importantappearances are to people in theCapitol.

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When her stylist, Cinna,arrives in the room, Katniss issurprised by how natural helooks. The only thing thatseems altered on him is themetallic gold eyeliner that hewears. Cinna complimentsKatniss’s hairstyle as he takesher in. He reveals that heactually volunteered to takeDistrict 12—usually a stylist’slast choice—but he doesn’t saywhy.

Cinna surprises Katniss becausehe looks relatively natural. Moststylists in the Capitol dye theirhair, skin, or opt for plasticsurgery that makes themunrecognizable. Cinna’s entiremanner, however, is understated.

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Katniss puts on a robe, and sheand Cinna walk into a sittingroom, where they sit by awindow revealing the city.With a push of a button, Cinnais able to conjure their lunch, alavish array of chicken andoranges in cream sauce.Katniss tries to imagine howlong it would take her toprepare a similar meal at homeand concludes that it wouldtake days of hunting andtrading, only to create a poorsubstitution of the dish beforeher. Cinna watches her as shethinks of this, and when shelooks up, he says, “Howdespicable we must seem toyou.” Then he changes thetopic to address her costumefor the opening ceremony.

Katniss’s contemplation of thedish before her reveals howdifferent life is in the districts.Whereas in the train, Katnissonly focused on stuffing herselfwith the food in front of her, shenow sits back and wonders howshe might recreate the dish—andrealizes that she wouldn’t be ableto. The knowledge that there arepeople in the Capitol who haveso much and people in thedistricts who have nothing istruly sinking in for Katniss.

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For the opening ceremonies,it’s customary to wearsomething that represents thedistrict of the tribute. BecauseDistrict 12 is a mining district,Katniss assumes that she andPeeta will be in some kind ofcoal mining getup. However,Cinna tells her that he believesthe coal mining idea isoverdone. Instead, he says, hewants to focus on what peopledo with coal—they burn it.

The fact that each of the tributeswears clothing that representshis or her district emphasizeshow divided they are. Eachdistrict only specializes in onetype of output.

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A few hours later, Katniss isdressed in a simple blackunitard that covers her fromankle to neck, with a flutteringcape made of streams oforange, yellow, and red. Cinnaplans to light the cape on fireright before their chariot takesto the streets. He assuresKatniss that it isn’t real fire, butshe remains unconvinced. Sheand Peeta are nervous as theopening music begins and theyawait their entrance.

Katniss’s costume is fairly simple,despite the pyrotechnics. Insteadof dramatically altering theirappearance, Cinna makes surethat Katniss and Peeta arerecognizable so that theaudience will be able to spotthem in the arena.

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When it’s their turn to roll out,Cinna lights the fake flamesand gestures for Peeta andKatniss to hold hands. Theflames immediately draw thecrowd’s attention, and theyroar Katniss’s name as shepasses. The chariot finally rollsto a stop before PresidentSnow’s mansion, and thepresident gives the officialwelcome from his balcony.

Peeta and Katniss make a strongimpression on the audience. Theygo from being the underdogdistrict to the district that theaudience is cheering forthroughout the openingceremony. Having anattractive—anddramatic—appearance makes abig difference for the tributes.

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When the chariot pulls backinto the Training Center, Peetacompliments Katniss on herappearance with the flames,and she decides that part of hisstrategy is to act likable. Shedecides to play along, andstands on her tiptoes to givehim a kiss on his cheek.

In the atmosphere of the Games,it becomes increasingly difficultto tell which appearances signifythe truth and which arecalculated, since they areconstantly forced to perform foran audience. Although Peetaseems genuine, Katniss decidesthat his likable manner isprobably calculated.

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CHAPTER 6At the training center, eachdistrict has an entire floor.Effie has been corralling Peetaand Katniss around, and shesays that she’s been talkingthem up to everyone sheknows in the Capitol,emphasizing how they’ve beenstruggling to overcome thebarbarism of their district.However, Effie adds, Haymitchis the only one who can sealsponsor deals for them.

Effie doesn’t understand why thepeople of District 12 don’t haveproper manners, not realizingthat their entire lives are set updifferently from hers. As a result,she dismisses them asbarbarians. Katniss finds this tobe hypocritical, since Effie ishelping the Capitol send thetributes to slaughter and that,justifiably, seems much morebarbaric to her.

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Katniss’s quarters are largerthan her entire house backhome. She experiments withthe automatic gadgets,programming the closet to pickan outfit to her taste andconjuring food from anautomatic menu until Effiesummons her to dinner.

Katniss notices more and moreways in which the Capitol iswealthier than her district. Theyhave better food, more electricity,and more advanced technology.

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When Katniss arrives, shesees that the stylists will bejoining them for dinner inorder to strategize about theGames. Haymitch also seemsto be pulling himself together,appearing as clean-shaven andsober as Katniss has ever seenhim. Katniss also tries her firstglass of wine, but decides toswitch to water halfwaythrough because she doesn’tlike the foggy feeling it givesher.

Haymitch’s clean-shavenappearance is encouraging andsignals a shift in his behavior.Although he continues to drink,he doesn’t do so sloppily, and hetries to remain sober enough togive advice.

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A red-haired girl comes to seta cake on the table, and whenKatniss turns to ask her aquestion, she finds that sherecognizes the girl. She blurtsthis aloud, and the girl looksterrified, shaking her head asshe hurries away from thetable. When Katniss turnsback, the fouradults—Haymitch, Effie,Cinna, and his partner,Portia—are watching hercarefully. Effie says that the girlis an Avox, someone who hascommitted a crime. Aspunishment, their tongues arecut off so that they can’t speak.Haymitch says that she wasprobably a traitor of some sort.

Katniss doesn’t know what anAvox is because the Capitolprevents people in the districtsfrom knowing details about otherdistricts and the Capitol. Thisignorance almost gets Katnissinto trouble, since there’s no goodreason she should know the girl.

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Katniss finally recalls who thegirl is, but senses that sheshould conceal this knowledge.Peeta comes to her rescue,saying that the girl looks likesomeone they know fromschool, which helps everyoneto relax.

Peeta again comes to Katniss’srescue—each time he does this,Katniss is unsure whether he’sgenuinely trying to help her orwhether it’s part of his strategy inthe arena.

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After dinner, the party movesinto the sitting room to watcha replay of the openingceremonies. Haymitchcomments that thehandholding is the perfecttouch of rebellion, which givesKatniss pause. She realizesthat the other tributes stoodstiffly next to each other, nottouching, as if the Games hadalready begun. Haymitchsends Peeta and Katniss off toget some rest while the adultsstrategize.

Because Haymitch understandsthat the Capitol’s control isbased on division—turning thedistricts and tributes against oneanother—he recognizes thathandholding is a sign of rebellion.It shows that Katniss and Peetaare not yet participating in theGames, since they’re stillappearing in public as a team.The affection they show for eachother is defiant, a refusal to bedivided by the games, even if it’sjust an act.

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When they’re alone, Peetacorners Katniss and asks herabout the Avox. Katnisshesitates, and Peeta, sensingher hesitation, suggests thatthey go up to the roof, wherethey can see the whole city. Hewarns her that the wind can bea bit loud though, and Katnissrealizes that he means thatthey can’t be recorded upthere. Katniss follows Peeta upa flight of stairs to the roof,where they admire the sceneryfor a minute, before Katnisstells the story of the red-haired girl.

Katniss and Peeta know thatthere’s a good chance they’rebeing monitored at all times, andthey’re very careful with theirappearances as a result. Theytalk casually, even when theyboth know that the subject theywant to discuss on the roof is aserious one.

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Katniss explains that she andGale had been hunting in thewoods one day, hiding as theywaited for game to pass by.Suddenly, all the birds stoppedsinging at once, and a pair, aboy and a girl, appeared,running as if their livesdepended on it. Suddenly, ahovercraft appeared abovethem, and a net dropped downon the girl, pulling her up, and aspear impaled the boy beforehe was pulled up to thehovercraft as well. Peeta askswhether the girl saw Katniss,and Katniss responds that shedoesn’t know—even thoughshe does. The girl had lockedeyes with Katniss and calledout for help right before thehovercraft appeared.

Katniss lies when she says thatshe doesn’t know whether the girlsaw her—possibly because shedoesn’t want to appearresponsible for the girl’s capture,but also because she feels guilty.The past with the Avox is a timewhen she did not help someonein trouble, when she allowed(justifiable) fear of the Capitol tokeep her divided from others.

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Katniss believes that the girland the boy were from theCapitol from the way theywere dressed, but she doesn’tknow where they were goingor why they would leave. Peetablurts out that he would leavethe Capitol too and then looksaround nervously beforecovering up his statement witha joke about the quality offood. Then he changes thetopic to Gale, asking whetherhe and Katniss are related.Katniss says that they aren’t,and Peeta asks whether Galewent to say goodbye to herafter the reaping. Katnissresponds that he did, and thatPeeta’s father visited her too.Peeta seems surprised by thisnews and says that his fatheralways liked Katniss and hersister. He explains that hisfather knew Katniss’s motherwhen they were kids.

Peeta is careful to monitor hisappearance so that he doesn’tseem to be questioning thegoodness of the Capitol—hepresents himself as a simplerperson than he is, which willendear him to the audience. Thefact that Peeta’s father knewKatniss’s mother also makessense to Katniss because theygrew up as part of the samemerchant class, showing how thesocial classes are divided andunequal, even within the district.

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Peeta and Katniss returnindoors and say goodnight.When Katniss enters herroom, the red-haired girl isthere, collecting Katniss’sdiscarded clothing from thefloor. Katniss wants toapologize to her, butremembers that she isn’t tospeak to an Avox except to givean order. The girl avoidsKatniss’s eyes, and Katnissfeels ashamed that she didn’ttry to help the girl in thewoods. As Katniss tries to driftoff to sleep that night, shewonders whether theredheaded girl will enjoywatching her die in the Games.

Katniss wants to apologize to theredheaded girl, but she knowsthat she isn’t allowed to speak toher except to giveorders—another way to assurethat people from different classesand groups are divided. Katnissfeels like a hypocrite because shejust sat there and watched as thegirl was captured, much like theCapitol audience will sit andwatch her suffer in the HungerGames in a couple days.

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CHAPTER 7Katniss sleeps fitfully, withnightmares, and when shedrags herself into the showerin the morning, she fumbleswith the automatic buttons,spraying herself in alternatelyhot and cold jets of water. Shedresses herself in a practicaloutfit that’s been laid out forher and ties her hair in a singlebraid, before heading down tosee if there’s food in the diningroom.

In a comic scene with the showerbuttons, Katniss againdemonstrates one of the resultsof social inequality—she doesn’tknow how to use all of theautomated technology in theCapitol.

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Katniss serves herselfbreakfast and eats whilethinking about what Prim andher mother might be doingback home. She wonderswhether the openingceremony gave them anycomfort. Haymitch and Peetaarrive to breakfast soonafterwards as well, and Katnisssees that Peeta is once againwearing clothes that match herown. Katniss feels annoyed bythe twin act, but she decides totrust Cinna because sherespects him. Katniss feelsnervous about their firsttraining day, during which she’llmeet the other tributes face-to-face. After finishing hisbreakfast, Haymitch askswhether she and Peeta wouldlike to be trained together orseparately. They decide thatneither one of them has anysecret skills, so they agree tobe trained together.

Katniss’s thoughts of Prim andher mother make her homesick,but they also motivate her. Shewants to give them comfort byperforming well. Katniss alsofinds it annoying that she andPeeta are being forced to lookand act like a team, since they’llbe trying to kill each other in thearena. She finds this hypocritical.

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Haymitch asks them for anassessment of their skills, andPeeta says that he has none.Katniss says that she’s okaywith a bow and arrow, butPeeta immediately talks herup, saying that she’s muchbetter than okay. This annoysKatniss for some reason, andshe comments that she’s seenPeeta lift hundred-pound bagsof flour. They begin to argue,and Peeta reveals that on theday of the reaping, his mothercommented that District 12might finally have awinner—and then he realizedthat his mother had meantKatniss, not him. Katnisssuddenly remembers the daythat Peeta threw her thebakery bread, and she realizesthat he remembers as well.Peeta says that sponsors willbe tripping over each other tohelp her in the arena, butKatniss is skeptical.

When Peeta says that Katniss isamazing with a bow and arrowand tells her that she shouldn’tunderestimate her own skills, shebecomes annoyed because shefeels that Peeta is doing thesame. He’s underestimating hisown strength and ability towrestle, which makes hiscomments about her archeryskills seem hypocritical.

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Haymitch advises Peeta andKatniss to save their specialskills for their private sessionswith the Gamemakers. Whilethey’re practicing with theother tributes, Haymitchadvises them to learn newskills. He also orders them tostay together throughout,even though they both beginto protest. He orders them tomeet Effie at the elevator fortraining at ten.

Haymitch doesn’t want Peetaand Katniss to appear too strongwhen practicing with the othertributes. He would rather theyappear weaker so that theyaren’t targeted at the start of theGames.

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Katniss marches off to herroom, angry that she andPeeta are being forced to actamiably towards each otherwhen they’ll just have to killeach other in the arena.Katniss is also confused byhow much attention Peeta hasseemingly paid her over theyears, to comment on herhunting skills. When it’s ten,Katniss goes to meet Effie andPeeta at the elevator, andtogether they go to thetraining rooms, where all theother tributes have alreadygathered.

One of the things that angersKatniss most is hypocrisy, andshe finds it hypocritical that sheand Peeta are presentingthemselves as a team whenthey’ll be trying to kill each otherin the arena.

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The head trainer explains therules. There will be experts indifferent skills located aroundthe room, and tributes will befree to wander among thestations. There will be nocombative exercise betweentributes, but there will beassistants on hand if they careto practice with a partner. Asthe trainer talks, Katnissobserves the other tributesand notes that most of themare larger than her. However,many of them areundernourished, so she hasthe advantage of a healthybody. The exceptions are theCareer Tributes—the oneswho have been training theirentire lives to fight in theHunger Games. These tributescome from Districts 1, 2, and 4.

Katniss notices that it’s possibleto tell which of the tributes camefrom wealthier districts based onhow nourished their bodies look.This is just one more advantagethat the Career tributes havewhen going into thearena—they’re also trained to bedeadly and often have manysponsors helping them once theGames begin.

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When practice begins, theCareer Tributes immediatelyhead to show off their skills,handling deadly weapons.Peeta and Katniss decide to goto the knot-tying station,followed by a camouflagestation that Peeta seems toenjoy especially. He admitsthat he decorates the cakes inthe bakery in District 12. TheGamemakers arrive early inthe day as well, and observethe tributes as they move fromstation to station. Each day, thetributes eat lunch together inthe same room, and Peeta andKatniss sit together, just likeHaymitch ordered.

Peeta’s affinity for camouflageisn’t just limited to paint— he’sgreat at adapting to situationswith different people as well. He’sable to appear tougher when heneeds to—like he does withHaymitch—and he’s able toappear likable and funny in frontof the Capitol audience.

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On the second day of training,Peeta notices that they’rebeing shadowed by Rue, thetwelve-year-old girl tributefrom District 11. She followsthem from station to station,and she reminds Katniss ofPrim. On the District 12 floor,Effie and Haymitch haveteamed up to tell Katniss andPeeta what to do, and theresult is exhausting Peeta andKatniss. When Peeta jokes thatsomeone ought to getHaymitch a drink, Katnissresponds that they shouldn’tpretend to be friends when noone’s around. Peeta wearilyagrees.

Katniss is unnerved by howmuch Rue reminds her of Prim,and she’s afraid that beingsentimental and making thisconnection will hurt her in thearena. Meanwhile, in herrelationship with Peeta, Katnissis afraid that she’ll confusewhat’s real with what’s for show,so she decides that theyshouldn’t have anything to dowith each other outside oftraining.

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On the third training day, theGamemakers start to call thetributes out of lunch for theirprivate sessions. District 12goes last, and by the time it’sKatniss’s turn, she realizesthat the Gamemakers arebored already and no longerpaying attention. She performsa series of excellent shooting,but when she turns around,she sees that the Gamemakersare more preoccupied with aroast pig that has just arrivedat their banquet table. Furious,Katniss shoots an arrowstraight at the table, throughthe apple in the pig’s mouth,pinning it to the wall.

Katniss is angry that theGamemakers aren’t payingattention and act like the tributesare beneath them. In theircallousness, they definitely don’tseem morally superior to peoplefrom the districts. They’re morefocused on food andluxury—signified by the roastpig—than on the lives of thepeople before them. That Katnissshoots at the Gamemakers is anindication of the danger sheposes to the Capitol: while othertributes seem to be focused onwinning the Games and killingeach other, Katniss's angerresults in her often directing herefforts not just against the othertributes but, in fact, directly atthe Capitol.

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CHAPTER 8As Katniss strides back to herroom, she begins sobbing,terrified that the Gamemakerswill punish her family for herrash behavior. Haymitch andEffie try to fetch Katniss fromher room, but she tells themboth to go away and remainscurled up in bed. As more timepasses, however, it begins toseem less likely that theGamemakers will punish herfor her actions in a publicmanner. She concludes thatthey will probably just give heran extremely low score on thetraining sessions so that noone will sponsor her. Thescores, between one andtwelve, offer a starting pointfor people who are betting onwho might win the HungerGames.

Katniss’s most intense fear isthat her actions will cause herfamily to get hurt. They’re hermotivation for playing along withthe games in the Capitol andtrying to stay alive.

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When Effie calls Katniss downto dinner, Katniss decides togo. Everyone is seated at thetable, including Cinna andPortia, and for a while, theadults talk about the weather.Finally, Haymitch announcesthat there’s been enough smalltalk and demands to know howbad Peeta and Katniss were atthe private sessions. Peetareveals that the Gamemakerspaid no attention to him, so hejust threw around some heavyobjects until they said he couldgo.

Katniss is relieved to hear thatthe Gamemakers provoked Peetaas well with their lack ofconsideration and hypocrisy.They pay no attention to thetributes whose lives are in theirhands, even though they pretendthey’re morally superior andbetter than the people from thedistricts.

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Finally, Katniss reveals whatshe did in the private session,and everyone at the tablestops eating. She asks whetherher family will be punished,and Haymitch says it’s unlikely,since they’d then have to makethe contents of the privatetraining open to the public,which isn’t allowed. Katnissrealizes she feels better andbegins eating her dinner.Afterwards, everyone heads tothe sitting room to watch thescores announced ontelevision. The Career Tributesscore in the eight-to-ten range,while most of the othersaverage a five. Peeta receivesan eight, and then when it’sKatniss’s turn, she receives thehighest score of eleven,shocking everyone in theroom. Peeta and Katnisscongratulate each otherawkwardly before heading tobed.

Katniss begins to feel better afterHaymitch assures her that herfamily will probably be safe, sinceshe’s more concerned about theirwellbeing than her own. Thetraining scores divide the tributesby making them feel competitivewith each other—but Peeta andKatniss still congratulate eachother despite the circumstances,demonstrating that they do havea somewhat amiablerelationship. Katniss's ranking ofan eleven could indicate manythings: that the Gamemakerstruly recognize her skill, or thatthey are trying to punish her forshooting at them by putting atarget on her back by ranking herhighest.

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In the morning, Katnissimagines what Gale might bedoing back home. She recallsthe first time she met Gale,around six months after shestarted hunting and foraging inthe woods. Gale and Katnissbegan to teach each othertheir different skills, and thenone day became a team,working together to feed theirfamilies. She compares hercomfortable, trustingrelationship with Gale to therelationship she pretends tohave with Peeta and realizesit’s not a fair comparisonbecause of the circumstances.Effie calls to Katniss to getready for the day, and Katnissremembers that the televisedinterviews are the followingnight. She gets dressed andheads to the dining room forbreakfast, noticing that Effie,Haymitch, and Peeta aretalking in hushed tones aroundthe table. When she asks abouttheir current strategy,Haymitch reveals that Peetahas asked to be coachedseparately.

Katniss’s trusting relationshipwith Gale is built on mutualneed. They rely on each other tofeed their families. With Peeta,however, they’re divided by thecircumstances and rules of theGames, no matter how friendlythey might become. One person’ssurvival in the Games meanseveryone else’s death, so it’sdifficult to be anything butdivided. Peeta's request to becoached separately seems toindicate that he senses the samething.

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CHAPTER 9Katniss feels betrayed at first,but she realizes that she andPeeta will soon be trying to killeach other in the Gamesanyway. Katniss spends fourhours training with Effie onpresentation, learning to smilemore and walk in high heels,before she moves on to trainwith Haymitch for content.Haymitch tries to find an anglefor Katniss, but she’s unable topull off witty, charming, funny,humble, etc. Finally, he gives upand tells her just to try not toreveal how openly shedespises her audience.

Katniss resents Peeta for wantingto train separately, but she alsorealizes that that’s the nature ofthe Games—they’re meant to becompetitors, not teammates.Effie and Haymitch both work onessentially the same thing: howKatniss will present herself. Howshe appears during her interviewcan make a big difference in howmany sponsors she can get.

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In frustration, Katniss smashesall the plates in her room thatnight, and the red-haired girl issurprised when she enters tosee the mess. Katniss tells herthat she regrets not trying tosave the girl, but the girlmotions for her to be quietbefore cleaning up the messand tucking Katniss into bed.

The redheaded girl seems toforgive Katniss with her gestures.Their unlikely relationship isanother sort of rebellion in theface of the Capitol, since anAvox’s punishment is that sheshould never be able to talk andform troublesome relationshipswith others again.

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In the morning, the prep teamgets Katniss ready for herinterview. Cinna has designeda dress for her that’s made outof gems, fashioned to look likeflames. He advises her to beherself for the interview, topretend that she’s answeringthe questions for a friend. Hesays that Katniss will be able tosee him on the main platformduring the interview and thatshe should pretend to addressher answers to him.

Cinna helps Katniss get ready forher interview. He designs abeautiful dress that will make animpression and tries to get her torelax. He and Katniss have alsobecome friends—another unlikelyfriendship, considering that he’s astylist from the Capitol and she’sa tribute from District 12.Though the fact that he chose towork with District 12 suggeststhat he sees something inKatniss, that his sympathies arewith her.

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The tribute interviews begin,and Caesar Flickerman, thetalk show host who’sconducted the Hunger Gamesinterviews for the past fortyyears, is spending threeminutes with each tribute.When it’s Katniss’s turn, she’sextremely nervous but tries tobe honest as Cinna advisedher to be. When Caesar asksher what’s impressed her mostabout the Capitol, Katnissresponds that the lamb stewwith the dried plums has beenher favorite. She also shows offher costume, twirling for theaudience. The interviewconcludes with Katnissrepeating her promise to Prim,that she will try extremely hardto win.

Because the interviews are soshort, appearances are veryimportant. It’s crucial that atribute makes an impressionquickly. Katniss’s mostmemorable moment is when shethinks of her little sister, Prim—itbrings back her determination towin for her family.

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When it’s Peeta’s turn tointerview with Caesar, Peetamakes several jokes that getthe audience laughing. Caesarasks whether Peeta has agirlfriend back home, andPeeta shakes his headunconvincingly. Peeta admitsthat there is one girl he’s likedever since he can remember,but his feelings have alwaysbeen unrequited. Caesarassures Peeta that if he winsthe Games, the girl won’trefuse him—but Peeta revealsthat winning won’t helpbecause the girl came to theGames with him.

Peeta’s revelation that he lovesKatniss causes the Capitol to seethe tributes in a different,humanizing light. The audiencenow sees how they might relateto two star-crossed lovers, ratherthan focusing on the differencesof their social class.

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CHAPTER 10The crowd grows upset,sympathetically murmuringafter Peeta’s admission.Katniss is shocked and looksdown to avoid the cameras.After the tributes return totheir floors, Katniss sees Peetaand shoves him into an urn,which shatters and bloodiesPeeta’s hands. She says that hehad no right to say thosethings about her. When theother doors open and theadults arrive, Haymitch pinsKatniss against a wall, tellingher that Peeta has done her afavor by making her lookdesirable. Realizing thatHaymitch is right, Katnissapologizes to Peeta forshoving him.

Although Katniss doesn’t realizeit yet, Peeta’s decision to castthem in the light of star-crossedlovers is also an act of defiance. Itshows the Capitol that there’sstill room for him to care about aperson other than himself—andnot only another person, but acompetitor in the Games. It alsoearns the sympathy of theaudience, who might be moreupset and less entertained byPeeta’s and Katniss’s deaths.

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The group sits down to dinnerand afterwards watches theinterviews as they air ontelevision. Then it’s time forthem to say their goodbyes,since the next morning, Peetaand Katniss will enter thearena. Effie actually has tearsin her eyes, and Haymitchagain repeats his advice to stayalive. When Katniss goes tobed, however, she realizes thatshe’s unable to sleep. Sheheads to the roof where shefinds Peeta standing on theedge, watching thecelebrations in the city below.

In just a short time, Katniss andPeeta have formed morerelationships—with Effie,Haymitch, and their stylists.These are people who will nowview the Games differently, sincethey’ve gotten to know thetributes involved.

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Peeta starts to talk about howhe’s trying to avoid becomingone of the Capitol’spawns—how he wants tomaintain his identity, even inthe Games. This rubs Katnissthe wrong way, and she snapsat Peeta before turning andheading back to her room. Shesleeps fitfully for the remaininghours and then Cinna comesto see her before dawn, givingher a simple shift to wearbefore she dons her costumeoutside the arena. Cinna takesher to the roof, where ahovercraft appears and carriesKatniss away. A woman placesa metal tracker in Katniss’sarm, and then Katniss isreleased to eat breakfast.

Peeta’s concern with remaininghimself during the Games makesKatniss ashamed of her ownselfish preoccupations atfirst—but then she becomesannoyed because she believesthat Peeta’s words arehypocritical, since he’s going tokill others during the Gamesanyway.

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When the hovercraft lands,Cinna and Katniss findthemselves in a room belowthe arena, where Katnisschanges into the outfit she willwear. Cinna hands her thetoken Madge gave her, whichhe retrieved from one of theoutfits Katniss wore on thetrain. Katniss fastens the tokenon her shirt, and then she andCinna wait for the call that willsignal the beginning of theGames. Cinna holds one of herhands in both of his, and theywait without speaking until it’stime for Katniss to enter thearena. Cinna tells her that if hecould bet, his money would beon her. Then Katniss isenclosed in a glass cylinderthat begins to rise, and for aminute, her eyes are dazzledby the sunlight—before shehears the announcer’s voicesignaling the start of theGames.

All of Katniss’s goodbyes revealpeople who care about her.When she left District 12, Madgeand Peeta’s dad surprised her,and now, when she’s gettingready to enter the arena, shefinds that she and Cinna havegrown closer.

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CHAPTER 11The tributes are forced tostand on their mounds for sixtyseconds before they may enterthe arena—otherwise, a bombwill detonate and blow offtheir legs. In the center of thearena lies the Cornucopia, agiant golden horn thatcontains survival tools liketents and weapons. Haymitchhad advised Peeta and Katnissto avoid the Cornucopia andinstead run for safety, butKatniss hesitates when shesees the bow and arrows thatlie in the Cornucopia.

The tributes are divided by therules of the Games, which dictatethat they must kill each other tosurvive. The Cornucopia,however, lures everyone to thesame place at the start of theGames, resulting in a bloodbath.

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Just as she prepares to run forthe weapons, she catchesPeeta’s eye, and he seems tobe shaking his head at her.When the gong rings out,Katniss misses the moment todash for the Cornucopia andinstead grabs a nearby sheet ofplastic and a loaf of bread.She’s angry about missing themoment and dashes farther into grab a backpack, butanother boy reaches it at thesame time, and they grapplebefore another girl kills him.The girl aims another knife atKatniss, but Katniss runs andhitches her pack over herhead, where the knife lodgesitself. Katniss jogs and walksfarther into the woods for thenext few hours, puttingdistance between herself andher competitors.

Katniss is frustrated that shemissed her moment—and herfrustration makes her careless,dashing farther into the fray. Shealso feels angry towards Peeta,who she blames for herhesitation. Even Katniss’s briefhesitation results in her almostgetting a knife in the head.

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Katniss begins to feel better asshe walks farther into thewoods, even though there’s nosign of water yet. In the lateafternoon, canons sound tosignal the tributes who havedied in the morning. There areeleven dead, leaving thirteento play. In a few hours, theGamemakers will projectimages of the dead in the nightsky so that everyone can knowwho died. Katniss finds herselfoverwhelmed by the thoughtthat Peeta might already bedead, though she tells herself itmight be better, since it meansthat she won’t be the one to killhim herself.

Katniss worries about Peeta,since she’s gotten to know himmore over the course of training.However, rather than dwell onthe thought that he might bedead, Katniss decides that hisearly death might be betterbecause of the way the Gamesare set up—at least she wouldn’tbe directly responsible for hisdeath. It seems that Katniss andPeeta could have been goodfriends, but the Games preventthem from becoming too close.

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Katniss examines the contentsof her pack, finding a sleepingbag and some crackers anddried beef. She also finds anempty water bottle, whichreminds her of how dire herwater situation might become.For the moment, she sets acouple snare traps beforesettling into a willow tree forthe night. Soon, the anthemthat precedes the death recapbegins to play, and Katnissnotes with relief that Peeta isstill alive. She tells herself thatif she loses, it will be mostbeneficial to her family if Peetawins.

Although Katniss continuallyaccused Peeta of pretending toact like her friend, it seems morelike Katniss is pretending thatshe doesn’t genuinely care forPeeta. She makes excuses forthinking about him, telling herselfthat she only cares about hissurvival because it will benefither family. In this way, Katniss’sactions are somewhathypocritical. She seems to befighting to not care about Peetabecause she thinks that is theonly way to survive. But thinkingthat way is to play the Capitol'sgame.

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Katniss dozes off only to beawakened a few hours later bythe sound of branchessnapping below her. Anothertribute has started to make afire, which infuriates Katnissbecause it is sure to revealtheir destination. As dawnarrives, Katniss thinks thatperhaps the fire-starter hasgone unnoticed, but then shehears the footsteps of theCareer Tributes, and thepleading of a girl before she’skilled. The Career Tributesoften band together at thestart of the Games, before thetension becomes too great andthey start to turn on eachother

The alliances that the Careertributes form require a certainamount of hypocrisy, since they’lleventually have to turn on eachother in order to win the Games.The fact that the strongesttributes tend to band togetheralso emphasizes the socialinequalities between districts.The strong ones become strongerby banding together, and theweaker districts are weeded out.

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The pack starts to walk away,but they pause beneathKatniss’s tree, worried thatthe girl they left behind isn’tdead yet. One voice says thathe’ll go finish her off, andKatniss is shocked torecognize the voice as Peeta’s.

Katniss believes that Peeta is acomplete hypocrite now, since hewas talking about defying theGamemakers the night beforeand has now joined the cruelestgroup of tributes in the arena.

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CHAPTER 12When Peeta runs back tofinish off the girl, Katnissoverhears the Career Tributesdiscussing whether theyshould kill him or not. It seemsthat they’re keeping Peetawith them because they hopethat he’ll lead them to Katniss.When Peeta returns and thepack heads off, Katniss rollsout of her tree. She realizesthat the cameras will befocusing on her after sheoverheard the Career Tributestalking, and she decides topretend that she’s one stepahead of the game, smilingknowingly.

Katniss knows that it’s importantthat the audience doesn’t seethat she’s flustered, so sheappears poised instead. She givesthe audience something to guessat, since she knows that theGames are just entertainment forthem, and the more suspensethere is, the more exciting they’llfind the show.

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Before Katniss leaves the area,she checks her snare traps andfinds one rabbit. She returns tothe dead girl’s fire to warm therabbit meat on the remainingcoals, which are still hot, andshe uses the ashes tocamouflage her backpackbefore heading off in theopposite direction of the othertributes. Her top priority isfinding water. As the day goeson, Katniss grows more andmore desperate for water butstill isn’t able to locate any. Shealmost devours some berriesfor their moisture before sherealizes that they’re unfamiliarto her and could be poisonous.

Katniss’s suspicion of the berriesreflects her wariness of othersurface appearances as well. Shehas a hard time believinganything Peeta says, for example,and it took much longer for herto relax around Gale than viceversa.

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By the next day, Katniss isdesperate for water and angrythat Haymitch hasn’t sent herany. She believes she musthave sponsors who want tosend her some water. It occursto Katniss that perhaps she’sclose to finding some, and thisis the reason Haymitch iswithholding it, but byafternoon, she believes she’sreached the end of herabilities. As she collapses anddrifts off, Katniss realizes thatshe’s lying on mud, and shehurriedly follows it to a smallpond, where she drinks andfills her water bottle. Thatevening, there are no deaths toshow, and Katniss drifts off tosleep in her sleeping bag, onlyto be awakened before dawnby a wall of fire descendingupon her.

Katniss’s suspicion of surfaceappearances is to her benefithere. She realizes that Haymitchmight be sending her a messageby refusing to send her a sponsorgift. As a result, she keeps walkingand stumbles across the pondherself, without having to use upprecious sponsor funding.Katniss and Haymitch have akind of second sense of eachother, and both realize that theycan communicate both throughwhat is communicated and whatisn't.

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CHAPTER 13Katniss grabs her sleeping bag,which contains her backpackand water bottle, and runs.However, Katniss is unable torun fast enough, and thesmoke starts to overpower her.She has to stop for a momentto vomit and recover, notingthat the flames around her areman-made. Too uniform to benatural, the flames are likelycreated by the Gamemakers tobring the tributes together sothat the viewers in the Capitolwill have more action to watch.Suddenly, fireballs begin toshoot at Katniss, and she triesto move away from the areawhere the launchers must belocated. When it finally seemslike they’ve stopped, shepauses to take a break—butthen another fireball shoots,and she’s not fast enough tododge. It hits her calf, and shegrabs at her leg, causing her toburn her hands as well.Afterwards, the fireballs reallydo stop.

Like the Cornucopia, the wall offire is meant to draw the tributestogether for a confrontation.While the rules of the Gamesdivide the tributes, theorganization of the arena drawsthem together. This is becausethe Capitol audiencehypocritically demands real painand suffering from the tributesfor entertainment while lackingauthentic suffering in their ownlives.

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Katniss finds herself near apond, where she allows thewater to cool her burns.Exhausted by the day andunwilling to move from thesoothing water, Katnissreorganizes her belongingsand falls asleep. She awakenswhen she hears the Careerpack approaching and runs to anearby tree, which she beginsto climb. By the time theCareers arrive, Katniss istwenty feet above them in thetree. She taunts them, realizingthat she’s lighter than all ofthem and a much betterclimber. A couple of theCareers attempt to go up afterher, but none of them canmake it.

Although Katniss is frightenedthat the Careers have hercornered, she acts nonchalantbecause she’s aware that theaudience is watching theconfrontation, and she wants togive off the impression that shehas a plan.

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Katniss settles in for the night,aware that the Careers are stillwaiting below the tree for her.Her burns are also hurting herseverely, and she doesn’t knowwhat to do. As she looksaround her, she spots a pair ofeyes in the trees and realizesthat they belong to Rue. Ruequietly points at somethingabove Katniss’s head.

Rue reveals her hiding spot toKatniss in order to pointsomething out, showing that shetrusts Katniss, despite the factthat they’re in the arena together.Katniss has inspired trust andfriendship in Rue.

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CHAPTER 14Katniss realizes that Rue ispointing at what looks like awasp nest above Katniss’shead, but Katniss suspects thatthey’re no ordinary wasps. Shebelieves that the nest belongsto tracker jackers, moremuttations from the Capitol. Asingle tracker jacker sting canswell to the size of a plum andcause hallucinations—severalstings can kill a person. Thetracker jackers also track downthose who have disturbedtheir nest—hence the nametracker jacker. The smoke fromthe fire seems to have subduedthem for now.

Rue’s decision to reveal thelocation of the tracker jacker nestto Katniss probably savesKatniss’s life, since just a fewstings could kill her. In a gamewhere the object is to killeveryone else, the fact that Ruesaves Katniss is very surprising.

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Katniss devises a plan to cutdown the branch on which thenest hangs. She believes thatdropping the nest on theCareer pack will be her onlychance of escape. She beginsto saw at the branch while theevening’s anthem plays,allowing the music to cover upthe sound of her sawing. Whenthe music stops, Katnissdecides to cut the rest in themorning. When she returns toher spot in the branchesbelow, she discovers thatHaymitch has sent her a pot ofointment to treat her burns.The ointment must have cost afortune and is extremelyefficient, offering immediaterelief. Katniss dozes off tosleep.

Haymitch wisely saves thesponsor funds for burn ointmentrather than the water Katnisswished for earlier. The fact thatKatniss has enough sponsors tofund such an expensive gift,however, also shows that Peetawas right about her having aneffect on people. She’s managedto elicit compassion from manysponsors.

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When Katniss awakens in themorning, she sees that all ofthe members of the Careerpack have drifted off to sleep.She decides to execute herplan but warns Rue before shecuts the rest of the branch thatholds the tracker jacker nest.As she saws, she notices thatthe tracker jackers arebeginning to recover from thesmoke and are already leavingtheir nest. As the branchcrashes down, three of thetracker jackers find her andsting her, and the rest attackthe Career pack. Two of theCareers seem like they won’tsurvive the attack, includingGlimmer, the girl who has thebow and arrows from theCornucopia. The rest run inthe direction of the lake.Katniss flees in the oppositedirection, but returns whenshe remembers the weapons.

Katniss returns the favor andwarns Rue that she’s going todisturb the tracker jacker nest.Glimmer is one of the Careerswho get the worst of the trackerjacker attack, and although shewas presented as the mostattractive tribute during theinterview process, the trackerjacker stings have made herunrecognizable.

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Katniss is hallucinatingseverely because of thetracker jacker stings, and thetrees around her seem to bespinning when she returns.She tries to pry the bow fromGlimmer’s hands, but the fleshlooks like it’s melting away, andKatniss recoils in horror.Finally, she’s able to obtain thebow and arrows, but thensomeone else comes rushingthrough the branches with aspear aimed for her. Katnissregisters that it’s Peeta.Suddenly, Peeta is urging herto run, and she does, but notbefore she sees a fearsomeCareer named Cato arriving atthe scene as well, with hissword drawn.

Katniss’s hallucinations are aliteral manifestation of herinability to distinguishappearances for actualintentions (in her relationshipwith Peeta, for example).Appropriately, Peeta appears inthe scene to save her again,defending her from Cato. Hisloyalty to Katniss defies thesetup of the Games, and suggeststhat his professed love for her isreal and not just a ploy.

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Katniss continues tohallucinate as she stumblesaway, vaguely aware thatsomeone—possibly she—isscreaming. Finally, she tripsand lands in a place that seemsto be filled with orangebubbles. Her final thought isthat Peeta Mellark saved herlife.

Peeta has defied Katniss’sexpectations by saving her life.She still doesn’t understand whataspects of their relationship havebeen pretend and what’s beenreal.

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CHAPTER 15The tracker jacker venomcauses Katniss to havenightmares about Prim andher father getting hurt, as wellas having her own body tornapart. Once the venom fades,however, and Katniss finallycomes to, she doesn’t knowhow many days have passed.She tastes a honeysuckle,which reminds her of herhunting days with Gale—butsuddenly, she’s reminded thatPeeta may have saved her lifeby telling her to run. She can’tunderstand why he would dothat, and instead focuses herthoughts on the fact that shenow has a bow and arrows.

When Katniss wakes, she’s stillconfused as to why Peeta wouldrisk his own life to save her. Thethought doesn’t compute withher knowledge of the Games andsurvival.

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Katniss sips her water andputs more ointment on herburns, realizing that she needsto search for water again. Asshe looks, she shoots a rabbitthat crosses her path. Katnisscomes across a stream that’swarm enough for her to bathein, so she washes her clothingand hair after refilling herwater bottle. Then she followsthe water upstream, lookingfor game. She kills a type ofbird she doesn’t recognize, butit looks edible. Katniss makes afire around late afternoon andputs it out before dusk,warming the plucked bird overthe hot coals. Katniss hears atwig snap behind her andwhirls around, finding Ruehiding behind a tree trunk.

Rue has followed Katniss to thisspot, and their earlier friendlyexchange seems to hint that theycan trust each other.

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Katniss smiles and offers tomake an alliance with Rue. Shealso offers Rue some meat, andin exchange, Rue helps Katnisstreat her tracker jacker stingswith a type of leaf. Katniss alsoshares her ointment with Rue,and as they eat, Rue revealsmore about District 11.Although they’re the districtthat produces most of thefood, they’re never allowed toeat the crops themselves, andthe officials are much stricterthere than they are in District12. Public whippings are acommon occurrence.

Katniss decides that she wantsRue for an ally, even though Rueappears to be one of the weakertributes due to her size. Katnisscan see strength where otherscannot, and she also can't stopherself from wanting to protectthe weak. Katniss also learnsmore about Rue’s district. Shedidn’t know anything about itbefore, since the Capitol makessure that the districts don’t knowvery much about each other. Shelearns that Rue’s district is verypoor as well and that they alsostruggle to get enough to eat,even though they’re the districtthat provides most of the food.

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Rue and Katniss lay out theirfood and materials to share,and Rue recognizes thestrange sunglasses fromKatniss’s pack that Katnissdismissed for being useless inthe sun. Rue says that theglasses are used to see atnight. Katniss offers to shareher sleeping bag at night, andRue gratefully accepts theoffer. That night, as theanthem plays, Katniss asks Ruehow many other tributes havedied and reveals that Peetasaved her life the other night.Rue responds that twotributes died from the trackerjacker stings, and the otherCareers are recovering by thelake, but Peeta isn’t amongthem. He may have had to fleeafter helping Katniss.

Rue and Katniss share bothsupplies and information.Katniss, for example, didn’t knowwhat the night vision glasseswere for until Rue told her. Bycompiling their skills andknowledge, they become morepowerful—which is exactly whythe Capitol usually keeps thedistricts apart. Katniss is also stillfocused on the fact that Peetasaved her the other night.

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Rue believes that the Careersare too strong to defeat—theyhave all the supplies and can’tgo hungry. This helps Katnissformulate a plan. She tells Ruethat they’ll have to change theCareers’ food situation.

In this situation, the fact that theCareers have always been wellfed may be to Katniss and Rue’sadvantage. If they’re able todestroy the Careers’ food stash,they can put the Career's into anunfamiliar situation of hunger.They can turn the Career'sstrength into a weakness.

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CHAPTER 16Rue falls asleep immediatelyafter snuggling into thesleeping bag with Katniss, andKatniss feels similarly that shecan trust Rue. Katniss fallsasleep as well, and she wakesto the sound of a cannon firing.They can’t tell who the deadtribute is until nightfall,however. Katniss gathersinformation about the Careers’food situation from Rue, who’sbeen to spy on the Careerpack’s camp by the lake.Katniss is certain that theCareers will struggle withstaying alive once their foodsupply is destroyed.

Rue and Katniss seem to trusteach other wholeheartedly. ForKatniss, this is in part becauseRue reminds her of Prim. Katnissalso believes that the key todefeating the Careers is todestroy their food supply, whichthey need to stay alive becausethey don’t know how to forageand hunt for their ownfood—they’ve always ledrelatively privileged lives anddon’t know how to go hungry.

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Rue and Katniss formulate aplan that involves Ruedistracting the Careers bycreating a series of fires andKatniss sneaking up on theCareers’ camp while they’reaway. Rue teaches Katniss afour-note melody in case shecan’t get back to the camp intime. If she sings it, themockingjays in the area willpick it up and the other personwill know that the other is safe,even if she hasn’t made it backto their meeting place.

Rue and Katniss bond furtherover the mockingjay pin, whichreminds Katniss of her father andalso reminds Rue of home. It issignificant that the pin alsosymbolizes the fact that theCapitol doesn't have quite asmuch control as it wants itssubjects to think it does. Theywork as a team to dismantle theCareers’ food stash.

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Katniss heads off to spy on theCareers and notices that theirsetup is very strange. Shedoesn’t understand why theyhave the boy from District 3guarding their supplies, forexample—he’s scrawny andwasn’t particularly notableduring training. The food isalso displayed in the open.After the Careers leave thesite, distracted by Rue’s fire,Katniss is about to reveal herposition when she notices thatFoxface—the girl from District5—has appeared and is doing astrange dance towards thefood.

As usual, surface appearancesseem to conceal somethingdeeper, and Katniss is trying tofind out what that might be. Asshe wonders, she sees Foxface,who also turns out to be morethan she appears. Even thoughshe’s kept a low profile, Foxfaceproves to be very clever, andKatniss realizes that sheshouldn’t underestimate her asan opponent.

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At one point, Foxface trips andsqueals in terror, but whennothing happens, shecontinues towards thesupplies, retrieving a bit fromdifferent packs of food, but notenough that it will be noticed.Then Foxface retreats,following the same pattern.Katniss realizes that the landaround the food must bemined with explosives,explaining the presence of theboy from District 3—he comesfrom a factory district wherethey manufacture such things.

Katniss watches Foxface todiscover the truth behind thestrange appearance of theCareers’ camp, and she finallyrealizes that Foxface is being socareful about where she stepsbecause the area is mined.

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Katniss tries to decide whatshe should do about theknowledge. If she sends offonly one arrow, she might onlyset off one explosion, leavingthe food intact and revealingher own position. She thennotices a sack of apples andrealizes that she can set off achain of explosions if she cancreate a large enough hole inthe bag. Katniss sends off aseries of three arrows, andthen the apples tumble out ofthe bag, and she’s thrown backby the explosion.

Katniss’s plan is perfect becauseit destroys the food withoutrevealing her location. It appearsas if the mines were simply wiredbadly and malfunctioned whensomeone wandered upon theCareers’ stash.

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CHAPTER 17When Katniss is able to crawlaway from the explosion, shesees that it’s successfullyblown the Careers’ food stashto bits. She tries to escapebefore they return, but shefinds that she’s too dizzy to doanything but crawl. Katniss isunable to hear, and her left earis bleeding. She drags herselfinto some bushes just as theCareers arrive and see thewreckage. Cato is furious andtakes it out on the boy fromDistrict 3, killing him in aheadlock.

The Careers are furious becausethey know that they’ll havetrouble surviving without theirfood stash. Their more privilegedbackgrounds meant that theynever had to learn how to gathertheir own meals or how to gohungry when enough food wasn’tavailable. Hypocrisy also comesinto play because as soon as theCareers face tension, theiralliance with the boy fromDistrict 3 collapses, and they’rewilling to kill their own ally.

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The Careers retreat to the laketo wait for the anthem that willannounce the dead tributes.They see that only two morehave died, meaning that thebomber of their stash is stillalive. They light a torch andhead into the woods to huntfor the bomber. Katniss,meanwhile, dons her nightvision glasses and snacks onsome of the greens and nutsthat she and Rue gathered.She wonders how Rue isdoing—whether she’sworried—but at least theyeach know that the other isalive because neither of theirfaces appeared after theanthem. Katniss also worriesabout Peeta—she overheardCato mention that he’dstabbed Peeta earlier. Finally,Katniss settles into the bushesfor a cold night, having left hersleeping bag with Rue.

Even as the Games become morebrutal and cutthroat for some ofthe other tributes, Katniss isdeveloping more ties. When shefinds herself alone with time tothink, she worries about bothRue and Peeta, even thoughthey’re technically hercompetitors. Her emotional tiesto these two represent adisregard for the rules of theHunger Games, and the dangerthat she poses to the Capitol.

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In the morning, Katnissawakens to hear laughter andrealizes that she has hearingback in her right ear. The laughbelongs to Foxface, who’sstanding among the wreckage.She seems too sly for Katnissto ask her to be an ally. Foxfacesuddenly stops laughing andruns away from the site as iffrightened. Katniss decidesthat this is a sign for her toleave as well and heads backtowards the stream.

Katniss again realizes thatappearances cannot be taken atface value. Foxface, for example,is cleverer than she firstappeared to be—so Katnissdecides to trust Foxface’sinstincts and leaves the areawhen she does.

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Katniss follows the streamback to the site where she saidshe would meet Rue. Her leftear is still deaf, and she worriesthat it won’t recover. WhenKatniss reaches the site, shesees that it’s still undisturbed,which worries her. Katnisssettles into a tree near the siteto wait for Rue as shedaydreams about food, feelinghungry and finishing off therest of her supply.

When she’s alone, Katniss forcesherself to keep moving—but forRue’s sake, she’s willing to stopand stick around in a tree to waitfor her. Her alliance, unlike theCareers’ alliance with the boyfrom District 3, is based onloyalty and actual friendshiprather than necessity.

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By late afternoon, Katnissdecides to look for Rue. Shefinds the site of the third firethat Rue was supposed to lightand sees that it’s been set upbut remains unlit. Assumingthis means that Rue ran intotrouble along the way, Katnissgoes to search for her. Shehears some mockingjayssinging Rue’s four-note melodyand sings it back. Suddenly,Katniss hears a child’s scream,and she runs towards thevoice, breaking into a clearingto see Rue entangled in a net,reaching for her just as a spearenters Rue’s body.

Katniss doesn’t care that shemight give herself away byrunning to Rue—she’s onlyworried about Rue. Hercompassion for others is whatdistinguishes her from some ofthe other tributes in the Games,and it’s the reason the Capitolfinds her dangerous—becauseshe can forge bonds with otherseven when the Capitol is trying tokeep them divided.

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CHAPTER 18Katniss shoots the boy whospeared Rue, killing himimmediately. She runs to Ruebut sees that the wound isbeyond healing. Katniss tellsRue that she destroyed theCareers’ food stash, and shepromises Rue that she will winthe Games for both of them.Rue asks Katniss to singsomething for her, and Katnisschokes back tears as she singsRue a mountain tune fromDistrict 12.

Although Katniss normallydoesn’t like to sing, she does sobecause it’s Rue’s last request.The fact that she’s mourning forRue shows the audience that Rueis worth caring about—is aperson worthy of respect—andhighlights the cruelty of theHunger Games for an audiencethat usually only sees theirentertainment factor.

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Rue dies, and Katniss finallyunderstands what Peetameant that night he talkedabout wanting to show theCapitol that he’s more than apawn in their games. Katnissdecides to make a wildflowerwreath for Rue so that it willhave to be broadcast toeveryone who watches theHunger Games when her bodyis collected.

Katniss’s gesture shows theaudience that Rue doesn’t existsolely for their entertainment.Her life was also important andworth mourning. Katniss’s act isdefiant because it forces theCapitol audience to see howunfair their Games are.

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Afterwards, Katniss wandersaimlessly and is about to makea camp in a tree when anothersilver parachute lands. She’sconfused as to what it mighthold, since she’s not in need ofanything particular fromsponsors right now, but whenshe checks the parachute, shefinds a loaf of bread fromDistrict 11, Rue’s district. Shecan’t imagine how many peoplewould have had to do withoutin order to scrape up enoughmoney to send this loaf, andKatniss thanks District 11aloud so that they’ll know sheappreciates the gesture.

From Rue’s descriptions ofDistrict 11, Katniss realizes thatthe people of District 11probably had to sacrifice moneythey didn’t have in order to sendher a gift. Because sheunderstands how little they have,she appreciates the bread evenmore. This is also the first time inthe history of the Games thatone district has sent a gift toanother district’s tribute, whichthe Capitol might perceive as athreat, since the Capitolmaintains control by keeping thedistricts divided.

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Katniss settles into her tree,eats the bread from District11 and dozes, dreaming ofRue. She dreams that Rue isalive and singing to her. WhenKatniss wakes up in themorning, she feels groggy andunwilling to move, but sheremembers that she mustcontinue on for Prim’s sake.Katniss hunts some morebirds, building a fire to attractthe other contestants, but noone takes the bait.

As usual, it’s Katniss’s connectionand loyalty to Prim thatmotivates her to fight harder inthe Hunger Games. If she didn’thave anything to return to inDistrict 12, it’s likely that shewouldn’t try as hard to win.

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Katniss replenishes her waterand settles into another treefor the night but can’t stopthinking about the boy shekilled. She realizes that he washer first direct kill. As sheattempts to settle into sleep,trumpets sound, announcing achange to the rules. Twotributes from the same districtwill now be allowed to win ifthey’re the last two to survivethe Games. Before Katnissrealizes what she’s doing, shecalls for Peeta.

Katniss dwells on the fact thatshe killed a boy because sherealizes that she would be ahypocrite to pretend that his lifedidn’t matter to people in hisdistrict—just like the Capitolaudience who watch tributes diewithout thinking twice abouttheir families back home.Katniss’s reaction to theannouncement also shows thatcares for Peeta and has beenconcerned for him over thecourse of the Games. TheGamesmakers have clearlychanged the rules to satisfy theaudience's desire to see the two"lovers" working together. Theyare trying to manipulate Katnissand Peeta, perhaps not realizingthe true power of love andloyalty.

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CHAPTER 19Katniss immediately regretscalling Peeta’s name, but thenshe realizes that there’s almostno one left to be afraid of. Sheinstructs herself to go back tosleep and search for Peeta inthe morning. When she wakes,she’s extra-cautious, knowingthat Cato and the others maydecide to ambush her as shetracks down Peeta.

Forming relationships with othertributes often puts Katniss inmore danger, but it also sharpensher sense of caution because sherealizes that there is more atstake.

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Katniss decides that Peetamust be near a source ofwater, since he wouldn’t beable to survive without it,especially with severe wounds.She follows the stream to anew part of the woods, wherethere are muddy banks. Shefears that she will bevulnerable if Thresh, apowerful tribute from thesame district as Rue, or Catofind her in this spot, and she’sabout to leave when she spiesa bloody streak across one ofthe boulders. She follows theboulders, believing that she’sonto something, but when shecan’t find anything, she givesup. As she starts to walk away,she hears Peeta’s voicehoarsely say, “You here tofinish me off, sweetheart?”

Katniss endangers herself,walking into an area where shemight be vulnerable to attack, sothat she can find Peeta. Peeta’sskill at camouflage also reflectshow adept he is at blending insocially. The fact that he wasable to convince the Careers tolet him join them is a testamentto his skill with manipulatingappearances.

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Katniss looks towards thesource of the voice, but shestill can’t find Peeta andwanders up the side of thebank. Suddenly, Peeta speaksagain, and she sees that she’sdirectly above him, and Peetais remarkably camouflaged.Katniss attempts to movePeeta, but it’s evident that themovement is causing him toomuch pain, so she decides toclean the mud off of him first.She takes a look at his wounds,applying leaves to soothe thetracker jacker stings and givinghim medicine for his fever.When she finally looks at thestab wound on Peeta’s leg,however, she realizes howsevere it is—cutting straight tothe bone. She tries to apply theleaves to the festering wound,and pus drains from it. Shewraps up the wound againafterwards, but she knows thatshe hasn’t done enough.

Although Peeta’s wound looksbetter after being cleaned up andnewly bandaged, Katniss knowsthat it’s extremely severe. Surfaceappearances do not reflect thedeeper truth.

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Katniss allows Peeta to restfor a bit and then forces him tomove, but he can’t go far at all.They’re forced to settle in themouth of a nearby cave, wherePeeta rests. He refuses to eat,but Katniss gets him to takesome medicine for his fever.Peeta thanks Katniss forfinding him and begins to talkabout what will happen if hecan’t make it home. In order tohush him, Katniss leans in for akiss. Peeta finally dozes off.

Katniss is manipulative in someways, realizing that she can getPeeta to do what she asks byshowing affection. However, hermanipulation also stems fromhow much she cares aboutPeeta—she only tricks him sothat she can keep him healthyand safe.

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When Katniss heads outsidethe cave, she sees thatHaymitch has sent anothergift—a bowl of broth. It’s aclear message to Katniss tokeep up the romantic gestures.She heads inside to feed thebroth to Peeta, understandingthat she needs to act in orderto get the sympathy ofsponsors.

Katniss fully realizes how big of arole her appearance will play ingetting donations from sponsors.She knows now that it all hingeson her ability to create aconvincing romance with Peeta.She is playing at love, whileperhaps also feeling the stirringsof it. Peeta, though, is plainly inlove.

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CHAPTER 20Katniss feeds Peeta the broth,coaxing and kissing until hefinishes it and falls asleep.Katniss then allows herself toeat before settling down tokeep watch. The night growscold quickly, however, and sheends up joining Peeta in thesleeping bag, where shediscovers that his fever isgetting worse. She placesdamp bandages on hisforehead, hoping it will help.Meanwhile, Katniss tries not todwell on the fact that she’smore vulnerable now thatshe’s teamed up with Peeta.

Katniss is aware that Peeta is inmany ways a burden to her—he’stoo weak to travel or hunt, andshe must stay with him toprotect him. At the same time,she puts his needs first. Shemakes sure that he eats and restsbefore she does.

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Katniss prepares a berry mushto feed Peeta for breakfast,and Peeta panics to see thatshe’s gone, worried she’s beenattacked by Cato during thenight. Katniss laughs at hisconcern and feeds him themush. Peeta tells Katniss thatshe should sleep while hekeeps watch, and shereluctantly gives in. WhenKatniss wakes up hours later,she notices that Peeta’s feverhas gotten worse. She checkshis leg wound and finds that hehas blood poisoning—whichwill kill him if it goes untreated.The medicine is likely tooexpensive for sponsors toafford, so she urges Peeta tostay alive until they win—that’sher only hope.

Even though Peeta’s too weak todo very much for Katniss, he stilltries to protect her, worryingwhen she’s out of sight. He alsoinsists that she rests as well.Appearance again ties in withlove and loyalty, since bothKatniss and Peeta put on a braveface in order to assuage theother’s fears.

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Katniss goes to prepare a soupand when she checks on Peetaagain, he asks her to tell him ahappy story. At first, Katnisscan only think of goodmemories that involve Gale,but then she decides to talkabout how she bought Prim’sgoat. She changes the facts inorder to keep her friends fromDistrict 12 safe, however. Inthe real story, she and Galemanaged to shoot a youngbuck and sold it to the butcherfor a lot of money—but in theversion Katniss tells Peeta, shesays that she sold an old locketof her mother’s to get themoney. She recalls how shehaggled with their market’sGoat Man to buy a goat thatwas very sick. She brought ithome, hoping that Prim andher mother could cure it, andthey did.

All of Katniss’s happy stories linkback to the people she leftbehind in District 12, showinghow much her memories of themmust motivate her in the Games.Her story about Prim’s goat alsohighlights some of the effects ofsocial inequality. The fact thatthey could only afford the goatbecause it was very sick showshow little money they had tospare, even for special occasionslike birthdays. And yet, theysaved the goat through care andtenderness, suggesting thatperhaps the same thing can savethem in this situation.

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Peeta grows progressivelyworse, and soon the trumpetssound again, announcing afeast at the Cornucopia thatwill contain something each ofthe tributes needs desperately.Katniss is sure that Peeta’smedicine will be there, butPeeta forbids her to go, sayingthat he’ll follow her and shoutthe entire way, which will gethim killed anyway. She finallyconvinces him to eatsomething, telling him that shewon’t go, but she knows thathe won’t make it unless shedoes.

Peeta and Katniss bothdemonstrate their willingness tosacrifice for the other—eventhough sacrifice is opposed to thenature of the Hunger Games. Intheir loyalty to each other,they’re again defying theGamemakers, dismantling thecutthroat mechanics of theGames.

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As Katniss heads outside, lostin thought, another parachutearrives from Haymitch.Katniss realizes that itcontains sleep syrup, and shemashes it into a berry mush forPeeta. She goes into the caveand tells him that she’s foundspecial berries for him to try,and he eats several spoonsfulbefore he realizes it containssleep syrup. He attempts tovomit, but it doesn’t work, andhe’s soon unconscious. Katnisswatches him with a mixture ofsadness and satisfaction.

Although Katniss was angryabout acting and pretendingduring her training sessions, sheis now the one pretending inorder to trick Peeta into takingthe sleep syrup. However, shetricks him in order to save his life,so behind her seeming hypocrisy,she’s still doing what she can toprotect someone she caresabout.

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CHAPTER 21Katniss camouflages the caveopening before nightfall. Thenshe eats and cleans herweapons. Katniss decides totake her bow and arrows aswell as the knife, since Peetaisn’t in any condition to use aknife anyway. If Katniss doesn’treturn, Peeta won’t live either.The remaining contestantsnow are Cato and Clove fromDistrict 2, Thresh fromDistrict 11, and Foxface fromDistrict 5. Katniss curls up nextto Peeta to wait for dawn. Thenights are growing colder inthe arena, and Katnissimagines that people inDistrict 12 are watching themanxiously at home. Katniss alsoimagines Gale watching theGames and wonders what hethinks of her and Peeta’srelationship.

Katniss chooses to endangerherself in order to savePeeta—she knows that there’s noother way he’ll survive. Katnisscontemplates what theirsituation must look like toviewers who are watching backhome. Gale, who can’t possiblyknow about all the politicsinvolved, for example, might havea different interpretation ofKatniss and Peeta’s relationship.This is also an indication ofKatniss's confusion regardinglove, as she feels a connection toboth Peeta and Gale.

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At around three hours beforedawn, Katniss prepares toleave Peeta, placing themedicine and water near hisside. She decides to take hisjacket as well as her own, sincehe has the warmth of thesleeping bag and his fever.Remembering the cameras,Katniss gives Peeta a kissbefore she heads off for theCornucopia.

Katniss is still acting for thecameras—making sure that herappearance matches that ofsomeone who’s in love. However,even though her kiss is calculatedand she doesn’t care for Peeta inthe exact way that the audiencebelieves she does, she still caresdeeply for him and ensures thathe has everything he’ll needwhen he wakes up.

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Katniss still isn’t able to hearout of her left ear, but shefollows the same path she tookearlier to her hiding spot nearthe lake. When she arrives, shestill has an hour or two left towait before the feast begins atdawn. She settles in theunderbrush to wait. As the firstrays of light hit theCornucopia, a table rises out ofa disturbance on the ground,with packs that are markedwith each of the remainingdistricts’ numbers. Foxfaceleaps out of the mouth of theCornucopia, where she hadbeen hiding, grabs her pack,and runs off before anyoneelse can reach the table.Katniss realizes that she needsto get her own pack next, orelse someone else will scoop itup when they grab theirs.

Each time the Gamemakers forcethe tributes to converge, they’reactually emphasizing the divisionbetween the districts, since thetributes will be forced to fightand kill each other when theymeet. Even the fact that Foxfacewas clever enough to hide in thehorn, for example, raises feelingsof jealousy and anger in Katniss,who is continually surprised byhow clever Foxface is when sheseems so unassuming.

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Katniss runs towards theCornucopia and deflects aknife that comes whizzing ather. Katniss retaliates,shooting an arrow at Clove,but the arrow only hits herarm. Katniss reaches thebackpack, but a second knifeslices her forehead, and thenClove pins her to the ground.Clove doesn’t want to killKatniss immediately though.She mentions Rue, tauntingKatniss about her ally’s death.But just as Clove begins to cutKatniss’s lip, she’s lifted intothe air by Thresh. Thresh killsClove and demands to knowwhat happened to Rue. Katnisstells him that they teamed upand that she tried to save Rue,but it was too late. Katnissadds that District 11 sent herbread in thanks. She asksThresh to kill her quickly, andhe hesitates before letting hergo. He says that they’re noweven, and Katniss runs. Threshgrabs both his pack and Cato’sand jumps down a cliff behindthe Cornucopia anddisappears.

Thresh chooses to show Katnissmercy in order to thank her forher treatment of Rue—and in thisbasic act of kindness, hetemporarily breaks down thedivisions that the Capitol hasenforced between districts.Further, it is Katniss's originalkindness that inspires suchbehavior in Thresh. There is astrength in friendship and loyaltythat breaks down the Capitol'scontrol, and are thereforedangerous to the very structureof government in Panem.

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Cato discovers that Clove isdead, and Katniss flees thescene before he can chaseafter her. She hopes that Catowill run after Thresh, sinceThresh is the one who has hispack. Katniss makes it back tothe cave with difficulty andadministers the medicine toPeeta before she succumbs toblood loss from the gash onher forehead and losesconsciousness. The last thingshe remembers is an exquisitegreen and silver moth landingon the curve of her wrist.

Katniss suffers from some majorblood loss, but she manages tostay conscious long enough toadminister medicine to Peeta.Her loyalty to others is whatmotivates her to push herselfbeyond her limits.

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CHAPTER 22Katniss begins to wake,imagining that she’s back athome and her mother isstroking her hair. However, shejerks awake when she hearsPeeta’s voice saying her nameinstead. He’s recovered quicklysince Katniss administered themedicine, and now he’s takingcare of Katniss as she recoversfrom her wound.

Katniss finds herself missing thecomfort of having loved ones tocare for her at home. Peeta,however, is doing the best that hecan, and he’s eager to care for hernow that he’s starting to recover.

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Peeta feeds Katniss, as shetells him about what happenedat the feast. She tells himabout how Thresh spared herlife, and Peeta takes in thisnews with disbelief. Katnissdismissively says that shewouldn’t expect Peeta tounderstand how difficult it is toowe someone something—shebrings up the bread that Peetatossed her years ago as anexample. Katniss asks Peetawhy he did that for her, andPeeta tells her that she knowswhy, but he doesn’t say anymore than that.

Katniss and Peeta’s biggestarguments revolve around thefact that they come fromdifferent social classes. Katnissresents Peeta for having had acushier upbringing, and Peetagets upset that she dismisses hisability to understand herexperiences. The problem ofowing someone is a particularlytouchy subject for Katniss, sinceshe still feels that she owes Peetafor his act of kindness on the dayhe tossed her the bread. Peetacared enough about Katniss thatit was also an act that benefitedhim, but Katniss has troublebelieving this.

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Peeta and Katniss discuss theremaining contestants, and thethought of Thresh being killedupsets Katniss greatly. Shegoes to sleep as Peeta keepswatch, and he wakes her in theevening to split the remainingfood for dinner. He tells herabout Thresh’s hideout acrossthe lake, a field with longgrasses. Peeta says that thefield seems ominous, so he hasstayed away, and this promptsKatniss to start mentallycomparing Peeta and Galeagain, as she knows that Galewould view the field as adanger as well as a source offood.

Katniss also looks down on Peetaat times because he doesn’tpossess the same street smartsthat she and Gale have, due tohis merchant background.Katniss also finds herself caringabout Thresh’s fate, since heshowed some compassion for hersituation earlier.

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Peeta wonders what it willtake to get Haymitch to sendthem some bread, and Katnissremembers the previous timeHaymitch sent broth—whenKatniss first gave Peeta a kiss.She knows that Haymitch isurging her to up the romancefactor. Katniss steers thedirection in a vaguely romanticdirection, hinting that shedoesn’t know what she woulddo if she were to lose Peeta,and they kiss again, butHaymitch doesn’t send anyfood.

Katniss understands what Peetadoesn’t—that their affectionatekisses and embraces are a showfor the sponsors. She knows thatthe amount of food they receivefrom Haymitch is a direct resultof how convincingly love-struckthey can appear.

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Katniss insists on taking thefirst watch, but after three tofour hours, she can’t stayawake any longer and wakesPeeta. The storm the next dayprevents them from huntingagain, and Katniss takes theopportunity to ask Peeta aboutwhen he first started liking her.Peeta recounts a detailedstory about the first day ofschool, how his father hadpointed Katniss out becausehe had been in love withKatniss’s mother, but she ranoff with a coal miner becausethe coal miner had a beautifulsinging voice. Katniss sang onthe first day of school too, andPeeta fell for her then andthere. Katniss realizes thatPeeta might not be pretendingto love her, and the thoughtconfuses her, but she know shehas to play along—she leans infor a kiss, and as soon as theirlips touch, another gift fromthe sponsors arrives, this onebearing a feast.

Appearances in the Games arecomplicated because it’s notalways clear which emotions andacts are genuine. Peeta’s story, inparticular, sounds like the truth,but Katniss is unnerved becauseshe’s been thinking of theirrelationship as an act (and thetruth of his story may affectKatniss's own emotions, makingwhat she has been playactingmore real). The story of Katniss’smother and father alsodemonstrates how love canbreak down divisions betweendifferent socioeconomic classes,and also that it inspires loyalty inothers, as Peeta's father neverstopped caring about Katniss'smother or, by extension, Katniss.

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CHAPTER 23Katniss and Peeta are carefulto ration the rich food so that itdoesn’t disturb their stomachs.They talk about how Haymitchwill become their neighbor ifthey win the games and moveto Victor’s Village—the part ofthe district where previousHunger Games winners live. Itoccurs to Katniss that theydon’t know how Haymitch wonhis Games, and Peeta andKatniss conclude that he musthave outsmarted hiscompetitors. Katniss begins toserve herself a second portionof the food when the anthembegins to play. Peeta checksthe images in the sky and tellsher gently that Thresh is nowdead. Katniss is upset by thenews, but she waits until herface is covered inside thesleeping bag to mourn. Shevows to remember Thresh andRue. Katniss drifts off to sleep,and Peeta wakes her in a fewhours to eat again.

The fact that the victors—whobecome very wealthy afterwinning the Games—aresectioned off into a small villagein the district emphasizes classdivisions. Although Katniss isextremely saddened by the newsof Thresh’s death, she knows thatshe can’t show her distress to theaudience, since mourninganother tribute directly countersthe object of the Games—to killeveryone else. She has to pretendthat there’s still some sense ofdivision between her and all ofthe other districts’ tributes.

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As Peeta takes his turnsleeping, Katniss keeps watch.During her shift, the rain stopssuddenly, and a full moonappears in the sky, remindingKatniss of how long it’s beensince she was last in District12. She imagines what lifemight be like if she won anddidn’t have to hunt for foodanymore, and she finds thethought somewhat alarming.She also wonders what thingswill be like with Peeta if theywin, but she can’t imaginebeing anything more thangood friends.

Since her family has alwaysneeded more food, Katniss’sexistence has revolved aroundthe acquisition of more food, andshe has trouble imagining anidentity outside of that. She can’tcomprehend what it would belike to be wealthy and idle. Also,she’s confused by what winningwould mean for her relationshipwith Peeta because she knowsthat she does genuinely care forhim now, but not in the way thatit appears on camera.

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Katniss wakes Peeta in themorning and they split theremaining stew. They jokeabout what Effie would sayabout their manners, but whenthey leave the cave to begintheir day, they become serious.After a while, it becomesevident that they have to splitup because Peeta’s loudfootsteps are scaring away thegame. Peeta heads off toforage nearby while Katnisshunts.

Again, the fact that Peeta hasnever had to hunt becomesobvious when he can’t tread aslightly as Katniss. It’s anotherpoint of annoyance for her.

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Katniss grows worried whenPeeta doesn’t respond to herwhistled signal, however, andruns to find him, seeing a stashof gathered roots and berrieson the ground. She yells forPeeta, who appears, worried.Angrily, Katniss observes thefood stash, noticing that someof the cheese is missing. Shealso recognizes that theberries are poisonous ones,and then suddenly, a cannongoes off and a hovercraftnearby lifts Foxface’s bodyaway. Assuming that she waskilled by Cato, Peeta grabsKatniss and begins to run—butKatniss informs Peeta thatFoxface was his kill, not Cato’s,thanks to the berries.

Foxface was clever at readingappearances—it was onlybecause Peeta had genuinelybelieved that the berries weresafe that she was tricked intoeating them. His genuine errorcaused her to outsmart herself.The berries will also come to playan important role later in thebook.

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CHAPTER 24Katniss explains how Foxfacehad been stealing food fromthe others and how she musthave thought the berries weresafe because Peeta hadcollected them in his stash.Katniss collects the remainingpoison berries in a pouch tocarry with her, in case theyhave the opportunity to trickCato as well. Katniss makes afire to cook the meat she justhunted and also to draw Cato,their only remainingcompetitor, but he doesn’tshow. Peeta asks to stay in thecave again that night, andKatniss reluctantly relents,realizing that she hasn’t beenvery nice to Peeta all day.

Although Katniss does careabout Peeta, some of herchoices—such as consenting tostaying in the cave at night—area result of considering how shemight appear to the audience.She realizes that she has to listento Peeta sometimes because theCapitol audience will expect herto.

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After Katniss and Peeta reachthe cave and eat, Katnissallows Peeta to sleepthroughout the night as shekeeps watch, thinking abouthow dangerous Cato is. In themorning, Peeta takes thewatch, and Katniss sleeps untilthe afternoon. When shewakes, they decide to eat mostof their food so that they’renot hungry when they have tofight Cato. It turns out that thestreams and ponds in the areahave also run dry, meaning thatthe Gamekeepers are forcingthe remaining competitors togather by the lake.

Although at times they drag eachother down, there are benefits tobeing part of a team. Katniss andPeeta are both able to get sleep,whereas a lone competitor wouldlikely have to stay up to take theentire watch. Being a team, inthis case, makes Katniss andPeeta stronger than they wouldbe if they were divided. Thissame principle is the reason theCapitol keeps districtsdivided—to make sure they don’tgather strength from teaming up.

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Katniss and Peeta head to thelake, but Cato doesn’t seem tobe there when they arrive.They wait in the open. As theywait, Katniss sings Rue’s four-note melody to themockingjays, and they pick itup. Suddenly, however, themockingjays’ songs turn intoshrieking, and Peeta andKatniss see Cato barreling outof the woods. Some sort ofbody armor protects him, soKatniss’s arrows do nothing tohurt him. However, instead ofattacking Peeta and Katniss,Cato runs past them. Katnisslooks to the woods and sees anumber of creatures leapingonto the plain. She turns torun, thinking only of savingherself.

At the beginning of the novel, themockingjay pin reminded Katnissof her father and of the Capitol’sblunder with muttations—nowmockingjays remind her of Rue, afriend she made in the unlikeliestof places. Katniss’s reaction tothe wolf creatures also showshow the Games can divideindividuals—in her terror, shetemporarily forgets abouteverything other than her ownsafety, despite all the time andeffort she’s spent trying to savePeeta.

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CHAPTER 25Katniss can see that thecreatures are moremuttations, giant wolves thatmove in an unnervingly humanway. She follows Cato to theCornucopia, but as she’s aboutthe climb, she remembersPeeta and turns to see himstruggling on his bad leg. Hetells her to go on, but she triesto help him up the golden hornof the Cornucopia, fending offthe mutts with her remainingarrows.

The mutts are another tactic theGamemakers use to try to dividethe tributes. After her initial blindterror passes, however, Katnissrefuses to leave Peeta,demonstrating how strong herloyalty to him is.

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As Katniss and Peeta climbonto the golden horn, Katnissrecognizes that the mutts eachresemble one of the fallentributes, and the thoughtterrifies her. She tries to thinkof how she can get to Cato toattack him, when she turns tosee that Cato has Peeta in aheadlock. Cato says that ifKatniss shoots him in the head,he’ll take Peeta down with him.Peeta is quickly losing air, andKatniss is unsure what to do.Peeta raises his forearm todraw an X across Cato’s hand,and Katniss understands. Sheshoots Cato’s hand just asPeeta shoves him backwards.Katniss grabs Peeta before hecan fall and they wait for Catoto die. Because he’s wearingprotective body armor,however, the attack continuesthroughout the night, and Catostill isn’t dead.

Even after the other tributeshave died, the Gamemakers usethem to divide the competitors.Katniss is forced to shoot thecreatures that resemble the alliesand enemies she knew in life,viewing them anew as threats.Meanwhile, the Capitol'stransformation of the othertributes into mutations againdisplays the Capitol's power andcontrol, in this case even overdeath as it can bring back deadcontestants to a monstrous sortof life. Katniss and Peeta defeatCato as a team.

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In the morning, when Katnisssees Cato again, themuttations have left, but Catois still alive. He’s a raw hunk ofmeat, and she sends an arrowto kill him more out of a senseof pity than competition. Still,after Cato dies, nothingchanges in the arena. Katnissand Peeta move to the lake sothat the hovercraft canretrieve Cato’s body, but evenafter that, nothing happens.Then an announcement comeson—the last revision to therules has been revoked, andthere can only be one winnerto the Hunger Games.

The Gamemakers choose thismoment to revoke their rule toemphasize how much theHunger Games are really aboutbeing divided—every individualfor himself. There’s no room forteams or alliances in the arena,just like there’s no room foralliances between districts. TheGamemakers clearly believe thatthe urge to survive is greater thanany love, and they now want tothrill their bloodthirsty audienceby pitting two people in loveagainst each other.

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Katniss is shocked, and whenshe sees Peeta reaching for hisknife, she automatically trainsher last arrow on him. Peetadrops his knife in the lake andtells her to go ahead, butKatniss is ashamed by herreaction and drops herweapons too. Peeta insists andsays that there’s no otherway—the Capitol needs tohave a victor. His words giveKatniss an idea. She retrievesher pouch of poisoned berries,and she hands some to Peetaand takes some herself. On thecount of three, they agree toeat the berries and killthemselves. On three, as theberries cross their lips,another frantic announcementcomes on, telling them to stop.Katniss and Peeta areannounced as the winners ofthe Hunger Games.

Katniss almost does exactly whatthe Gamemakers want her todo—she sees Peeta, for amoment, as the enemy andprepares to kill him, making heras much of a hypocrite as theCareer tributes who turn on eachother when the tension becomestoo much. However, Peeta’s love,which makes him willing to die tosave Katniss, snaps her out of it,and she again sees a way to turnan apparently weak position intoa position of strength: sheattacks not Peeta, but the rulesand logic of the game—she andPeeta show that they areshowing them that they’d rathersacrifice their lives together thangive the Gamemakers their onewinner, that the rules of theGames are less important thanthe bonds of love and loyalty.

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CHAPTER 26Katniss and Peeta spit out theberries and wash out theirmouths in the lake. Ahovercraft arrives, and Peeta isimmediately taken to aseparate room to be treatedfor his wounds. Katnissbecomes panicked when he’swheeled away, and somebodyarrives to sedate her. Whenshe comes to, she’s strappedinto a hospitable bed, andthere’s a meager meal beforeher. She realizes that herappetite has shrunkdramatically since the end ofthe Games. Katniss tries toleave, but then somethingenters her veins from an IV,and she’s knocked out again.This process repeats itselfseveral more times before shewakes one day and is no longerstrapped in.

Katniss and Peeta areimmediately separated whenthey get back to the Capitol sothat they’re easier to manageand can be treated separately.The division makes Katniss feelpowerless, since she’s spent somuch of her time in the arenamaking sure to protect Peeta,and now he’s taken away fromher with ease.

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Katniss notices that her scarsare all gone, and her hearing’sbeen repaired. She gets out ofbed to meet her team, callingfor Peeta when she enters thehall. Effie’s voice respondsinstead, and Katniss runs togreet the team, surprisinglyhugging Haymitch first.Katniss begins to panic whenshe notices that Peeta isn’tthere, but Haymitch assuresher that it’s only because theCapitol wants to televise theirreunion.

Another unlikely relationshipthat’s come out of the HungerGames is the one betweenKatniss and Haymitch. Katnissunderstands Haymitch betterand has more compassion for hisbad habits after going throughsome of the same horrors hemust have survived in his HungerGames.

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Katniss follows Cinna to getready. He’s designed a verysimple looking yellow dressthat makes Katniss appearyoung and innocent. Katniss isaware that this must bedesigned with a particularreason in mind, but she can’tunderstand why yet.

After the Games, Katniss knowsthat appearances arecalculated—especially importantones like the televised reunion.Cinna didn’t just pick the dressbecause he thought it was pretty.

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When Haymitch greetsKatniss again, he asks to giveher a hug before the showbegins. While he has her in anembrace, Haymitch whispersthat the Capitol is very angrythat she made them thelaughingstock of Panem byusing the berries to outwitthem and force hem to changethe rules of the game. She’s invery grave danger unless shecan convince them that shewas so madly in love shecouldn’t act otherwise.Haymitch also adds that hedidn’t have to give Peeta thesame memo—he’s already inlove with her.

Katniss realizes that camouflageis her last defense, as it was forPeeta during the Games. Herappearance has to match theaudience’s idea of what it shouldbe, or else she might face theconsequences of an angryCapitol.

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Katniss is very afraid,wondering how this mightaffect her family in District 12.She has many unansweredquestions about theimplications of theirvictory—but she has to setthem aside for now, as sheprepares to step into the mostdangerous part of the HungerGames yet.

Katniss’s fears again return toher family and the people shecares most about—except thistime, it’s more plausible thatthey’ll get hurt, since she’s out ofthe arena. Ironically, her familywas safer when she was in theHunger Games, since her life wasthe one at stake.

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CHAPTER 27Katniss waits as othermembers of the team areintroduced onstage, and thenit’s her turn, and she sees thatPeeta is already there,standing a few feet from her.She runs to him, giving him ahug, and he kisses her untilHaymitch makes them stop.They sit together on aloveseat, and Katniss cuddlesup next to Peeta as they watchthe highlight reel of theHunger Games. It documentsall the tributes’ deaths, as wellas the scenes between Peetaand Katniss that seem to tell alove story. Katniss is gratefulfor the video’s edits, whichhave been designed to makeher appear madly in love.

The video edits emphasize howthe Hunger Games are justentertainment for the Capitolaudience. They create a lovestory out of the clips becausethat’s what the audience wants.Many of the emotions depictedon camera were genuine, but thecompilation of them paints apicture that’s not entirely true toKatniss.

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President Snow, leader ofPanem, arrives with a crown,breaking it in half to crownboth Katniss and Peeta. By thecoldness in his eyes, Katnisssees that President Snowblames her for being theinstigator of the berry stunt.After the crowning, Peeta andKatniss attend a VictoryBanquet, smiling and laughingfor the cameras while holdinghands. Afterwards, Haymitchsends Peeta off without lettingKatniss talk to him. Haymitchtells Katniss to go to bed, sincetheir interview is the next dayat two.

President Snow’s gesture ofbreaking the crown in twoemphasizes division. He knowsthat the fact that Peeta andKatniss outsmarted theGamemakers as a team isdangerous to the control he hasover the districts—what he wantsmost is to keep the districtsdivided.

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Katniss attempts to find Peetaanyway, wandering to the roof.She returns to her room, butwhen she tries to leaveagain—this time to headdirectly to Peeta’s room—shefinds that the door has beenlocked from the outside. Shehas the eerie feeling that she’sbeing monitored.

Katniss realizes that the showisn’t over, even when she’s not ontelevision. She’s being watched,and she’s kept away from Peeta.

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The next morning, Katnissjoins her prep team and Cinnaas they dress her for herinterview. When it’s time totalk to Caesar, Katniss makessure to allow Peeta to do mostof the talking—however, sheinterjects when she hearsabout Peeta’s new leg. Shehadn’t realized that his leg hadhad to be replaced because ofthe tourniquet she placed on it,even though the tourniquetdid save his life. Caesareventually directs somequestions at Katniss. Inparticular, he asks what wasgoing through Katniss’s mindwhen she decided to eat thepoison berries. Katniss thinksfor a bit, knowing that heranswer is crucial, and sheresponds that she couldn’tbear the thought of beingwithout Peeta. Peeta agrees,and the interview concludes.

Katniss's answer to the questionof what was going through hermind is important because whatshe did in coming up with theplan to commit double suicidecould be perceived by the Capitolas a direct attack against it andits rules. She hides the defianceof the gesture—in order toprotect herself and those sheloves—by saying that it waspurely an act of love. She playsinto the narrative, and in doingso minimizes any defiant action.That Peeta actually is entirely inlove with her, however, meansthat she is not just deceiving theviewers. And, further, she doesfeel strongly aboutPeeta—perhaps not romanticlove, but some sort of love andobligation, so even hersubterfuge isn't entirely a lie.

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Katniss and Peeta gather theirthings—just the mockingjay pinfor Katniss—and they head tothe train. They’ll have to travelagain soon to go on a tour ofthe districts, but for now,they’re just heading back toDistrict 12. As they movefarther away from the Capitol,Katniss begins to think ofhome. She feels that she’sreverting to who she was inDistrict 12, and suddenly, shefeels uncomfortable withPeeta.

Because Katniss was constantlyaware of keeping up appearancesthroughout the Games, she has ahard time figuring out how sheshould feel now that she mightbe allowed to revert back tonormal.

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When the train stops for fuel,Peeta and Katniss headoutside, hand in hand. Peetahands her a bunch ofwildflowers, but they onlyremind Katniss of Gale. Peetaasks her what’s bothering her,but she replies that it’snothing. At that moment,Haymitch appears and tellsthem they’ve been doing agreat job and to keep it up.Peeta asks Katniss whatHaymitch means and isextremely upset to discoverthat Katniss’s feelings for himhave all been an act, part of asurvival strategy. Peeta beginsto distance himself fromKatniss. Katniss feels sadabout the distance betweenthem, but she’s too confusedto say anything. As they pull upto the station in District 12,Peeta extends his hand, addingthat it’s for the cameras, andKatniss holds on tightly,dreading the moment she’llhave to let go.

Although Katniss was the onewho didn’t want to pretend atthe start of the Games, Peeta isnow the one who’s hurt thatKatniss has been strategizingwith Haymitch all along. Katniss,in the end, is the one who’s beenmost effective at pretending.However, her sadness revealsthat she does sincerely care forPeeta, but she doesn’t yet knowwhat role that can play in theirrelationship outside of theHunger Games arena, or thedegree to which the false "reality"of the Games can or should ormust bleed into the "reality" ofthe life she is returning to inDistrict 12.

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HOW THOW TO CITEO CITEIt's easy to cite LitCharts for use in academic papersand reports.

MLA CITMLA CITAATIONTIONBen Florman and Justin Kestler, LitCharts Editors."LitChart on The Hunger Games." LitCharts.com. 11Mar 2016.

CHICACHICAGO MANUGO MANUAL CITAL CITAATIONTIONBen Florman and Justin Kestler, LitCharts Editors."LitChart on The Hunger Games." LitCharts.com. 2016.http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-hunger-games.

APAPA CITA CITAATIONTIONBen Florman and Justin Kestler, LitCharts Editors2016. LitChart on The Hunger Games. RetrievedMarch 11, 2016 from http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-hunger-games.



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