Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up... in a happy if poor home with her parents and younger sister Prim. But the happiness ended when she was eleven and her father was blown to pieces in a mine explosion.
Living... in District 12 of Panem with her mother and sister. Her mother took her father's death even worse than Katniss, basically checking out on life and leaving her daughters to fend for themselves. As Katniss says, "I try to forgive her for my father's sake. But to be honest, I'm not the forgiving type." Thankfully, Katniss has Prim. She loves her more than anything and believes it's her job to keep Prim safe.
Profession... fighter in the Hunger Games. The Games are a long tradition; this is the seventy-fourth one. Each year, the twelve districts of Panem must send one boy and one girl to the Capitol as a sacrifice, to fight each other to the death while the nation watches on TV. Although the government tries to make the killing sound honorable, it is really just showing how much power it has over everyone. In her district, a boy named Peeta and her sister Prim were selected. But she volunteered to take Prim's place.
Interests... archery. With her trusted bow and arrow, she has been putting food on the table for her family since her father died. That also enables her to spend hours hunting with her best friend, Gale.
Relationship Status... single, but complicated. The handsome Gale is her hunting buddy, but maybe he could be more - much more. Now Peeta says he has always had a crush on her, and if the two of them pretend to the Hunger Games audience that they are in love, it could help keep her alive. But now she's developing real feelings for Peeta, too.
Challenge... competing in the Games. One of the 24 contestants will go on to fame and fortune, and the rest will die. So Katniss is forced to choose between two terrible alternatives – kill or be killed.
Personality... tough and loyal. Katniss can have a cold exterior, but she does warm up. As she says, "It's not as if I'm never friendly. Okay, maybe I don't go around loving everybody I meet, maybe my smiles are hard to come by, but I do care for some people." If you can get through the wall that she puts up, Katniss is a very caring person. After all, she has made the ultimate sacrifice for Prim by taking her place in the Games. We would all be lucky to have a big sister like her.
Get to Know her in...
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Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which Tributes must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The world will be watching.
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Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games—a competition that could change Panem forever.
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Katniss Everdeen reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against the autocratic Capitol.
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With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends—including Gale, Finnick, and Peeta—Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
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Set in a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her younger sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.
