Nalini combines her love of meaning, analysis, and critical thinking with film, media, and discussion to bring a different perspective.
Katniss Everdeen Character Analysis
Katniss Everdeen is such a complex and interesting character that I was surprised that many people found her unpleasant and oversimplified. Her character and what she brings to the story lends much of her layering and commentary to the story, and studying her character proves to be a fascinating insight into psychology, human coping, and the human spirit.
Read on for my analysis of Katniss Everdeen, the "Girl on Fire" from The Hunger Games trilogy. This analysis is based on reading the trilogy and watching the movies.
¡Spoiler alert!
Who is Katniss Everdeen?
- Katniss Everdeen is a survival-focused character, and her overall goal is to try to survive life as unscathed as possible.
- Accept reality and the world as it is and focus on the present.
- He does not plan for the future and thinks that there is no point in trying to change the existing world.
- You don't see much joy or hope for the future, and given your past and present circumstances, you don't have much reason for hope.
- When her father died and her mother fell into depression, Katniss became the mainstay of her family's survival and her own.
- While Katniss is reserved and isolated from others, she loves her sister Primrose very much and tries to give Prim a chance in the future, even though she herself has no hope for the future. Katniss finds meaning in Prim.
- Katniss has a best friend named Gale Hawthorne, with whom she can be herself and has fewer reservations than others, but she hasn't allowed herself to have romantic feelings.
- In fact, Katniss hasn't allowed herself to think about romance.
- Katniss's feelings for anyone other than Prim and for anything other than survival are unknown or unclear and we will only know ourselves and Katniss when Katniss herself begins to know them. This doesn't mean you don't feel or aren't able to feel, but in order to get ahead in the world and survive, you put your feelings in the background where you don't have to deal with them or where you don't have to make sense of what they do and Focus on what you have to do.
Katniss's first turning point
The primary catalyst forThe Hunger GamesAt that time, Katniss volunteers to take Prim's place in the 74th Hunger Games. This act was not calculated or planned, but was done as a sacrifice to protect Prim from the Games and give Prim a chance to live. In doing so, Katniss risks giving up her own life.
How the 74th Hunger Games changed Katniss
After volunteering to take Prim's place in the games, Katniss quickly finds herself drawn to the surreal, twisted world of Capitol game preparation, culture, and media, and then to the actual games. Through it all, Katniss must learn to navigate a social and media minefield, as well as the actual field of games. Katniss needs to develop and use social skills that she doesn't have, and she needs to use those skills to curry favor with an audience watching a game that could see her lose her life and kill others fighting for their own lives, all of it. for entertainment. This is not an easy task and it is not easy for anyone to bear.
While Katniss never takes it, she accepts the fact that if she wants to live, she must "play the game" in more ways than one and on more than one level. This is a reality throughout the series that Katniss increasingly accepts, though not always willingly and usually without knowing what the outcome will be.
When Katniss talks to Peeta about the games the night before the games, Peeta shares with her a wish to be true to himself while in the games, to die as himself, and not be just another character in the games. Katniss initially interprets this to mean that Peeta wouldn't kill anyone, but Peeta clarifies in answering Katniss's question that he would kill if he had to, but still wanted to be himself if he died in the games. Katniss snaps back at Peeta, letting him know that she can't afford to think that way because she's prissy. This discussion is insightful because it shows how important Prim is to Katniss, and while she may not be able to focus on herself or want to stay true to herself when she dies, she will try to survive and the games for Prime to win. This moment also hints at how Katniss will eventually become a character in her game, and how Katniss realizes on some level that she can't rule out the possibility of becoming a character in her game because she's picky.
In the games, Katniss is shown to be very similar to Peeta, and kills when she must, especially when her survival is directly threatened. Katniss makes no effort to kill the other tributes and takes no pleasure in killing them, but he feels no remorse or hesitation when it comes time to fight back, when it's time to kill, or when murder occurs. The exception to this is of course Rue, who looks like Katniss when she sees Prim and that she doesn't kill Katniss but is killed by another tribute.
In order to survive, keep her sanity, and move on, Katniss doesn't allow herself to grieve or reflect on the loss of the other tributes, but because she opens up to Rue and sees Rue the same way she sees Prim, she feels the loss of Rue sharp and this loss shakes Katniss to the core. It is the violent and senseless murder of Rue that breaks Katniss. In an act of defiance, anger, and loss, Katniss mourns Rue and grieves for her as best he can under her circumstances. She also shows the neighborhood of Rue and to the public the three-fingered sign of her neighborhood. While this act is not fully televised, Katniss shows her and Rue's humanity and brings humanity back to the games, which intentionally remove tributes to her humanity and which also encourage and support the loss of humanity of tributes and the population outside the capitol. This shows that while Katniss sees survival as a priority, and while he implements the coping skills he needs to survive, he is not without conscience and heart, and is unaware of the inherent falsehood and lack of Humanity games.
After mourning the loss of Rue, Katniss continues the game alone until it is revealed that two tributes from the same district can make it out of the game alive. With that, Katniss begins her search for Peeta, and once she finds him, Katniss takes care of him as best she can. During this time, Katniss must "play the game" once more and in a different way, as she must make the audience and Peeta believe that she loves Peeta in order to win the audience's support and gain their support so that they both increase their powers. chances to survive. the games. But playing the game becomes all too real, as Katniss eventually can't tell if she has feelings for Peeta now or when exactly those feelings started. This isn't her biggest problem, of course, but it complicates things during and after the game.
At this point, Katniss's drive and survival instincts cover not only her own survival, but Peeta's as well. she reveals a second time during the games that once she decides to let someone in, she will watch over and protect them. In the game's ending, Katniss kills Cato out of pity, not malice or pleasure, and is willing to risk death for Peeta and herself in the hope of ensuring her chance of survival. This is just a place that emphasizes Katniss's strength, bravery, and intelligence. Katniss and Peeta are able to save their lives and do not complete their suicide attempt as the Watchers would rather have two winners and no immediate public riot than no winners and a public riot.
The Katniss of the 74th Hunger Games is one who uses her coping mechanisms and her will to survive to get through the games, but also clings to her humanity despite not being able to afford to be in constant contact with her.
How Katniss Changes: Tour Katniss and the 75th Hunger Game
La Katniss al finalThe Hunger Gamesand at the beginningcatch fireit's someone who wants to move on and get back to some kind of normality. She wants to leave the past behind and find a way to move on in life, even though she is no longer the same person and everything she has lived has taken her away.
Katniss soon discovers that when she is thrown into the Victory Tour, back into the Games, and back out into the world, any thoughts she had of going back to life as usual and forgetting the Games wouldn't happen, she thought she would have run away. Throughout the tour, Katniss sees things fall apart around him and he finds himself in a position where he needs to control something he accidentally started but can't contain. Katniss discovers that he has no real control over his immediate life or the world that unfolds around him. Katniss is deeply shocked by the events and violence surrounding her, as violence affects innocent people in ways she never expected or planned and that she cannot control.
Back in the games, Katniss is fighting for her life, but more so fighting for Peeta's life. Katniss decides to protect him and is willing to lose her life in the process to get him out of the games alive. This shows Katniss's self-sacrifice, as well as her sense of morality, as she sees that saving Peeta is the right thing to do. Katniss's feelings for Peeta continue to develop and things get complicated when they both try to get out of the arena alive and now there are others who must get out alive too. While Katniss makes it out of the arena alive, Peeta's fate is unknown, as she was confiscated by the Capitol. Katniss discovers that once again someone important to her is in danger, once again a pawn is in someone else's game, and once again she feels powerless over the outcome of a decision she has made.
The Katniss of the Rebellion
Amspittoon, we find a rather unrecognizable Katniss. She is mentally, physically, and emotionally unstable, and is unconscious and unconscious for much of the book. When she is conscious, she has no control over her life, as she is now a pawn of the Rebellion where she was once a pawn of the Capitol. She refuses and her brief moments of resilience bond with Peeta, and she ultimately dies with Peeta as the Peeta who had also previously died and the newly abducted Peeta is as unrecognizable as Katniss. The difference is that Peeta is unrecognizable because he was brainwashed, a prisoner of war, and has PTSD, while Katniss is unrecognizable because she suffers from depression, PTSD, is constantly sedated and manipulated, and has mostly given up on life, although physically she is still alive.
This is the Katniss the trilogy ends with, only her moments of happiness and resilience still tied to Peeta. While Peeta thrives and triumphs over her internal struggles regarding Katniss and finds peace and hope from her, Katniss also thrives and triumphs and finds some peace and hope through her connection and bond with Peeta. When Peeta is unsuccessful and triumphs over her infighting over Katniss and finds no peace or hope, Katniss fights more than usual.
In the end, we find out that Katniss gives Peeta children because Peeta wants them, which shows that he's still a pawn in a way, only now he cares about someone.
Katniss Everdeen in her outfit
Katniss is a reluctant hero, but she never chose to be a hero, she was made to be one. Katniss is the love interest of two men in her lives, but she doesn't choose to be their interest, they choose her. Katniss has two potential partners to pursue a future with, but she chooses not to pursue a future with either of them.
Katniss has very few choices, and those choices give her little control over her life or the actual outcomes, and many of her choices are "no choice" choices, "less than two evils" choices, or choices that have already been made for her. she and she Just choose one or "join". In reality, Katniss only makes three decisions on the show: 1) survive, 2) save Prim (both after her father's death and at harvest), and 3) save Peeta (both incatch fireyspittoon). Ultimately, he only succeeds in one option, since he alone can save Prim from the mindless killings of the games, but not from the mindless killings of the war, and since he can't save Peeta.catch firethe enspittoon.
Katniss's choice to survive keeps her going, even if she doesn't want to go through with it. Through injury, pain, violence, loss, emotional complications, and an extra person to care for, Katniss survives the games. With the onset of mental instability, more violence, casualties, threats to her family and loved ones, higher stakes in the arena, and her feelings for Peeta evolving, Katniss survives the Quarter Quell. Through manipulation, mental, physical, and emotional instability, loss, violence, and horror, Katniss survives the rebellion. But in the end, Katniss just survives; It's a sad triumph since it's the only decision she made and had control over, but it's also the only thing she does. She doesn't grow as a character and actually weakens as the trilogy progresses.
At the end of the trilogy, she allows herself to love Peeta, but just survives life, occasionally holding out hope and reminding herself that things could be worse. She does it every day and while there are some happy moments, it's an unfulfilling life.
Katniss is the most realistic and multifaceted character in the series, even if her character's integrity isn't maintained throughout the trilogy. Katniss is smart, strong, capable, loyal, mature, serious, brave, pragmatic, suspicious, cautious, witty, and realistic; And though she is all of those things, she is still, in the end, a pawn in the agendas of others. She is accused of manipulating and using Peeta to survive, but those around her, even those who care for her, are using and manipulating her. The way Katniss is used and the way events in her life unfold support Katniss's worldview that it is futile to try to change the world and the way things are to change. Her decisions are based not only on survival, but also on not getting hurt and not letting her loved ones suffer.
To say that Katniss is a character only interested in her own survival is reductive since her actions support something else. Katniss's choices and code of ethics are often based on the survival of others and the sacrifice that goes into helping others survive (seen in Prim, Rue, and Peeta) as she tries to survive. She displays compassion, integrity, love, strength, sincerity, fear, vulnerability, confusion, and humanity, and as a character she's great (for most of the trilogy) and a hero (although she doesn't choose to be tragic). ).
Katniss is both a victim of life and a survivor of life; and while he doesn't grow much as a character, his permanence, decline, and cautious acceptance of life speak to those of humanity's most damaged, and yet somehow survive life and still manage to find strength even when they want to give up. , even when hope is gone, and even when they have seen how terrible the world can be.
Two well written articles that make me appreciate Katniss even more.
- Is Katniss Everdeen actually a strong female character?
- Katniss Everdeen and the meaning of true strength | Pop Mythology: Review of Movies, Books, Comics and Games
Of all the heroes in contemporary pop culture, Katniss Evereen is one of the greatest. And it's not because she's such an asshole. It's because she's not.
© 2013 Nalini Marquez
Nalini Marquez (Author)on July 15, 2015:
hi jonas,
Thank you for your comment/feedback and for taking the time to read the review! I'm glad you liked the hub. I agree with you on the importance of strong female characters in movies. Katniss contributes a lot to the idea of what a strong woman is/can be, so I hope she has a good influence on the young people who watch the movies.
Have a wonderful day
Nalini
Nalini Marquez (Author)on July 15, 2015:
Hi Rabadi,
Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the center! :-)
Nalini
Jonas Rodrigoon July 15, 2015:
Interesting analysis, Nalini. Strong female characters are especially important in movies like The Hunger Games because they have the power to influence young viewers. Great center!
jonas
true storefrom New York on July 14, 2015:
Cooler hub :)