#hunger games analysis

[triassictriserratops]

Would you be able to elaborate on your statement about the pseudo sexual imagery of the Everlark pearl? I hadn’t really considered the pearl from that angle before and would love to hear your thoughts on it.

In response to this post So firstly, this in NO WAY takes away from the other symbolism present in the pearl. This is in ADDITION to, NOT instead of. In fact, lemme go into it all from my perspective, although I know MANY creators have expressed a lot of this much more eloquently than I will! PEARLS AS THEY RELATE TO THE CAPITOL

i always viewed the presence of the pearls on Katniss' capitol wedding dress as twofold. Firstly, it speaks of the opulence and extreme perceived wealth of the Capitol. To have a dress adorned with chains of pearls - what a symbol of luxury! I also viewed them as binding/chains. A representation of the "freedom" of the victors. The trappings of their wealth while living under the thumb of the Capitol. Their chains aren't metal, they're beautiful and delicate but still present and just as deadly. Like a gentle hand on their throats.

PEARLS AS THEY RELATE TO PEETA In direct contrast to the Capitol pearls, the pearl Peeta gives Katniss is singular. It isn't purchased, it is found. It is found in a space where Peeta has nothing else to give to Katniss, other than his life. Instead of a chain or a burden it is meant as his symbol of freedom to her, in conjunction with the locket - "I give you fully back to your family. To the people who love and need you. I let you go, but this, here is something to remember me by." (And I also love how it's representative of Peeta's ability to find pieces of beauty in the most horrific of circumstances.) KATNISS' MENTAL CONNECTION OF PEETA AND THE PEARL We also know that, during Peeta's capture, Katniss connects this pearl heavily with Peeta's life and her need to protect it. "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to agree to be the Mockingjay." I tell her. "Because you want to or because you feel forced into it?" she asks. I laugh a little. "Both, I guess. No. I want to. I have to, if it will help the rebels defeat Snow." I squeeze the pearl more tightly in my fist. "It's just...Peeta. I'm afraid if we do win, the rebels will execute him as a traitor." I slip the pearl from the drawer and spend a second sleepless night clutching it in my hand, replaying Peeta's words in my head. "Ask yourself, do you really trust the people you're working with?" I knot the pearl into the corner of the parachute, bury it deep in the recesses of the bag, as if it's Peeta's life and no one can take it away as long as I guard it. Then, later, when Peeta returns and is found to be hijacked, his essence and personhood taken from him and from HER - the Pearl becomes a symbol of the boy she lost and everything he isn't anymore. Then she finds the pearl Peeta gave me. "Is this-?" "Yeah," I say. "Made it through somehow." I don't want to talk about Peeta. One of the best things about training is, it keeps me from thinking of him. "Haymitch says he's getting better," she says. "Maybe. But he's changed," I say. I consider saying a final good-bye to Peeta, decide it would only be bad for both of us. But I do slip the pearl into the pocket of my uniform. A token of the boy with the bread. And, finally, when in the Capitol, in the last mention of the pearl, we connect it with his literal LIFE in Katniss' HANDS. (And Peeta's unwillingness to risk Katniss' life even for his freedom.) "Should we free his hands?" asks Leeg 1. "No!" Peeta growls at her, drawing his cuffs in close to his body. "No," I echo. "But I want the key." Jackson passes it over without a word. I slip it into my pants pocket, where it clicks against the pearl."

And, finally, here we go: THE PEARL AS IT RELATES TO KATNISS' SEXUAL AWAKENING It is no coincidence, to me, that the pearl is gifted from Peeta to Katniss following the events of the kiss on the beach. Katniss has now admitted to herself that Peeta holds sexual currency with her. Her body is reactive to his own and feeds a hunger in her, a flame. The giving and acceptance of the pearl can be viewed as the "tender" of that sexual currency. Katniss ALSO thinks of the pearl as it relates to Peeta in the ways that Peeta was able to make her PHYSICALLY feel. She connects it with both what she felt with him that night on the beach, and what she HOPES to feel with him upon his return. (And what she misses when he is "lost" to her.) I feel around for the parachute and slide my fingers inside until they close around the pearl. I sit back on my bed cross-legged and find myself rubbing the smooth iridescent surface of the pearl back and forth against my lips. For some reason, it's soothing. A cool kiss from the giver himself. I take the pearl from where it lives in my pocket and try to remember the boy with the bread, the strong arms that warded off nightmares on the train, the kisses in the arena. To make myself put a name to the thing I've lost. But what's the use? It's gone. He's gone. Whatever existed between us is gone.

all I'm saying is that Peeta would literally pass out if he ever hears about how she basically kept rubbing one out in 13 to thoughts of him. (Because, let's be real. That's what the symbolism of the pearl was.) Rolling the pearl between her fingers? Kissing it to her lips? COME ON. It's so on the nose. (Or clit in this case.) 🦪😏

[pennyserenade]

sejanus plinth sneaking into the hunger games arena remains so incredibly important to me because it encompasses so much of who sejanus is as a character: myopic to a fault, but inherently good. i think it is so unfair to characterize him as reckless without also considering the fact that he felt helpless, and that he was, beyond no uncertain doubt desperate in the wake of marcus’ death/punishment. this section in particular is one i always come back to:

though this thought process is admittedly lacking in well, thought, it emphasizes the degree to which this boy cared. he was ready to be martyred—and for people who didn’t even like him! marcus spent the entire time hating sejanus for the mere fact that he had become capital. he did not trust him, did not take his food, and would not accept any token of his friendship. he had no interest in any of it, and sejanus, instead of turning his nose up at the boy and contending with the fact that he was no longer district, only pressed on. even after marcus had died — especially after marcus had died — sejanus buckled down. he decided that, having no fixed place and no express purpose other than to be a pawn in a game coriolanus could not even begin to comprehend, he would rather die. he truly felt that was all he could do to help.

and that thought process was not entirely without its rationale! he had just watched a boy he had once been classmates with—someone who had packed ice, without a thought, onto his hand that one day it was smashed simply because he was kind—get hung up and made into an example, as if he was some kind of monster. sejanus watched this boy die a painful and senseless death, and he wandered into that arena because of that! he knew the cameras were on. he knew people were watching. he attempted to cross marcus’ arms and he spread bread crumbs over his stiff frame, because he wanted to say: fuck you, you can hang up this boy but i won’t let him die without showing how human he is. but he also did it because that is just who he is! this was something he did with archane’s body too—and archane was someone he could not stand. he wanted these people, no matter how cruel or unkind, no matter where or who they came from, to be treated with respect and dignity. every person dead because of these games was one too many for sejanus, no matter which side. he sought something far greater than the end of the hunger games; he knew the problem laid far deeper, and he believed only in his death could he begin to help solve it.

[hayapiss]

lucy gray you deserved so much more

i just finished tbosas (book) and i’m haunted by what were potentially lucy grays final moments. she desperately runs in an attempt to save her life. someone she trusted, someone she was severely trauma-bonded with, turn out to be who she always knew he was. in the back of her mind. from the start she was wary of him, but she chose to trust him, to love him, because she thought he was better than people who had hurt her in the past.

after mayfairs death, she already had a target on her back, didn’t she? so she chose to make that leap, to leave district 12, subsequently leaving her only family, to try and run away and be free. and that’s all she wanted, to be free. And she has coriolanus by her side, who she thought was willing to leave everything so they could both be free. but all he needed was an opportunity, a chance to gain the comfort of his life back. imagine being her in this situation.

You see the look in his eyes as he looks at those guns. you see his disgust as you teach him how to fish, the disgust at this life he said he wanted to live with you.

And that’s when you piece it together: the third person he killed, who he betrayed, was someone he claimed was like a brother to him.

and so you lie; say you’re going out for katniss. and you run.

Lucy gray must have been terrified. she was back in the arena; only this time it was someone that she decided to trust who was doing the hunting.

She sets a desperate trap, and watches as the man she once thought she loved goes rabid, almost as if had rabies; and she sings out her song— sejanus’s song— and holds him accountable

“Are you, are you

Coming to the tree?

Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me.

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.”

and the mockingjays whom he hates so much carry forth her song, driving him beyond mad. and just like her namesakes ballad—we don’t know what becomes of her. no one does.

But she stays a spirit. she’s in the trees, where he can’t catch her. but she also haunts his mind; where he can never get rid of her either; never catch her.

-

sorry if this is put together very sloppily i just have so many thoughts about lucy gray that are all trying to claw their way out of my head. in conclusion i am never getting over her ever and am begging suzanne collins to personally tell me her fate please

[calculatedliterature]

Friday, April 28th

Nearing the close of the semester and getting excited about the newly released trailer for A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! I’ve been annotating The Hunger Games in anticipation of its release and wow, I forgot how densely packed this book was. There’s so much to analyze, I feel like I’m running out of room.

What I need is for someone to publish books with room for notes and annotations the way people sell Bible journals. I need an edition of The Hunger Games with extra wide margins so that I have room for all my thoughts.

[anakin-vaders]

The role of Fashion in The Hunger Games saga a brief analysis.

Ok now with the hunger games renaissance we need to discuss the role Cinna plays in the whole series, and the role of fashion in the hunger games. I read this series when I was 11-12 years old, I grew to become a very, very queer fashion designer (I work for drag queens), I didn't think I truly understood how much THG series impacted me until very recently when I saw/read the whole series again. Like yes, Suzanne Collins makes the Capitol this shallow society, putting a real effort in making their citizens be superficial only caring about their looks, looking super extravangant and absolutely disconnected from the suffering of the districts. While their looks are vibrant, large, shimmery, and totally over the top (showcasing their opulence) the way they dress on the districts (specially 12 and 13) is minimalist, modest, the colors are washed, old. Their each other's antithesis. And of course Katniss expects only that from the people of the Capitol (classic Us vs. Them), and when Cinna, whom I think is very queer coded, comes in, and treats her like a human being, she starts to let her walls down, to let herself be guided trough this horrible thing she's got to endure. In the books when Cinna and his team are pampering her, she doesn't see herself as a symbol, she never really wanted to be one, she feels really dehumanized. Her only motivation upon this point is surviving and get back to Prim on her home, she still thinks everything on the Capitol in stupid and unnecessary. It's only when Cinna puts them in this very intricate and thought out looks inspired by their district industry (coal mining) that I think Katniss starts to understand the power of fashion, the power of symbols.

And later in her interview with Caesar we have the infamous red dress that catches fire and that lefts the audience gagged (if any of y'all have been to a drag show you know how amazing a good reveal is). This moment is so important because now fashion doesn't become something merely functional, or oppressive. Fashion is empowering, this moment is Katniss getting confidence in herself, asserting herself over her circumstances thanks to Cinna, thanks to fashion. It's also very brilliant because this is also catered to the Capitol, to the viewers and consumers of the games. One of the first things Haymitch tells Katniss is to make herself desirable, and this totally makes sense, the Capitol now roots for her, relate to her, so that later she can get sponsors and SURVIVE.

On Catching Fire we have another iconic fashion moment, fire is a very present theme for Katniss. She is of course the spark for the rebellion, and when she understood it, the message not only becomes clearer, it becomes a protest against the games, against the Capitol. The way she and Peeta are almost regal their second time on the games, shows how much she's understood the power of fashion, the power of the message it can send. They look like a piece of coal refusing to cool, refusing to stop burning. And this was all Cinna's mind.

And my absolute favorite. The wedding dress, such and iconic moment and dare I say, a pivotal moment for the rebellion. In the books Katniss and Peeta are doomed to keep their fake relationship for PR reasons, so they get engaged, and make their whole wedding (bear in mind they're both 17 ish here) a reality show-esque moment for the Capitol. Even after they've won, they still have to entertain them, a winner can never rest. The districts are never winners. So when Snow decides to make his personal quest that of making Katniss miserable, thus making his All Star version of the games, knowing district 12 only has 1 female winner...oh if that isn't some evil shit. On top of that, he is the one who request she wears her wedding dress to the interview, the dress that symbolizes all she never wanted (get married, have kids, loose her agency, being controlled by the Capitol). Snow does this hopping Katniss feels ALL THAT, and Cinna being the genius designer he fucking is, turns a 180 on it and gets the wedding dress as a façade, he uses the dress as a symbol of the tragic lovers that never got to wed, the wedding the Capitol never got to see because of the games. And it works. It fucking works.

And then, the dress burns up revealing a beautiful black dress with wings, a mockingjay, she literally becomes the rebellion, she embodies the rebellion and all that comes with it. The power of fashion in the middle of an uprising, and how much it strikes the Capitol because it's said in their language. All of these moments were essential in the history because the people on the districts already knew about the injustices, about the hardships of their conditions. But the consumers didn't. And Cinna, trough Katniss made them see that, he took everything that made the Capitol shallow and gave actual meaning to it. And without of all of it, who knows if the rebellion would've gestated as fast.

TL;DR: the hunger games saga made me a fashion designer, and fashion is really important in the story, dare I say it's a really clever use of fashion and Cinna is a FUCKING genius.

[moonslesbology]

okay but you know how everyone has their idea on what happened specifically to haymitch’s family and girlfriend

well here’s my thought

snow wouldn’t kill them directly. haymitch is a new victor, everyone is watching him. his family and gf are probably notable faces since they were probably interviewed. if they suddenly die, the capitol would be so confused

also imo a sudden death wouldn’t be as painful

it would have to be something that basically places the blame onto haymitch

hence i think haymitch’s brother and gf were reaped for the 51st hunger games

obviously he tried his best and when his best wasn’t enough, he turned to alcohol. his mother committed suicide out of agony, thus leaving haymitch in an empty house.

turns out it’s canon they died like two weeks after his victory :(((((

i’m still headcanoning this because i wanna torture haymitch more :)

[snigora]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I'm fricken obsessed with this book and I had to write something about it, but I’ve never done something like this before so hopefully this is coherent!

Spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I want to talk about the differences in how Coriolanus (I’m just gonna call him Snow I cbb writing out his whole first name) perceives Lucy Gray and Sejanus, and how that leads him to his conclusion about human nature at the end of the novel. Because I think Lucy Gray and Sejanus are two sides of the same coin – to Snow, they both come from the districts, they are both pacifists, and they both have a desire for freedom from the reign of the Capitol. But Snow claims to love Lucy Gray and has a constant dislike, even hatred, of Sejanus. So, what’s the difference between them?

Snow starts out the book as a sort of blank slate, not having come down on either side of the humans are inherently good or humans are inherently evil debate (although it could be argued that his actions always tended towards the belief of inherent violence – but that’s not what this is about). His belief is only completely solidified at the very end, after seeing everything Sejanus and Lucy Gray have done. Given one of the major themes in the book is control versus chaos, I believe that both Lucy Gray and Sejanus represent chaos, with Dr Gaul representing control and Snow definitively falling on that end of the spectrum in the story’s finale. Snow’s close relationship with both the chaos characters is certainly what drives him to his conclusion about human nature, and his desire to control it.

Sejanus is looked down upon by pretty much everyone in the Capitol because of his district heritage. Snow is no exception to this – the only difference between his attitude towards Sejanus and the general attitude of others in the Capitol is his desire to be different from everyone else, falsely leading Sejanus to believe that Snow is his friend (Chapter 1, p17*). Snow has no interest in actually being Sejanus’s friend, but Sejanus latches on to him, much to Snow’s annoyance. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Sejanus’s loyalty lies with District 2, not with the Capitol, which is something that Snow cannot fathom. With his prejudice against the districts, Sejanus’s defence of them is something that fuels Snow’s dislike of him. Sejanus’s trajectory of rebelliousness starts small, with going out of his way to do District 2 funeral rites for tributes who die, and standing up to Dr Gaul, to actively putting himself in dangerous situations. None of his rebelliousness is violent in nature, but it all challenges Snow’s beliefs in a way that he doesn’t want to be challenged. Their ‘friendship’ causes Sejanus to often confide his plans in Snow, which Snow desperately tries to dissuade him from doing, primarily because it would reflect badly on himself. But no matter how hard he tries, Sejanus always ends up doing what he thinks is right in his eyes. Snow values control, he says so many times throughout the book, and Sejanus is someone he cannot control.

Lucy Gray, on the other hand, is someone he sees as beneath him, because she is not from the Capitol. However, Lucy Gray does not particularly strongly associate herself with the districts because of the Covey. She just sees herself as someone who unfortunately ended up in District 12, which allows Snow to justify his continued prejudice while simultaneously falling for her. But the main difference between Lucy Gray and Sejanus is that Lucy Gray’s unpredictability and ‘chaos’ always reflects well on Snow because it draws attention to her as a tribute and as his tribute. She is also very much dependent on him for survival in the Capitol, making him feel in control of her. Lucy Gray says she believes everyone has an inherent goodness in them, and that is reflected in the ways she perceives Snow – everything he does, which we know is out of self-interest, she interprets as a selfless act. So really, she falls for a façade of Snow. She sees all the good in him and voices it often, making him feel validated. He finds her alluring because she is different, she reflects well on him as a tribute, and he sees her as a controllable sort of ‘chaos’. He starts to realise that she’s not as controllable as he’d like – that she has a life outside of him in District 12 and that’s when his affections for her start to slip, and that, along with other events, leads him to ultimately turn on her completely.

So, how do these two similar yet different people influence Snow’s view of human nature? The conclusion Snow draws at the end of the story (mildly influenced by his upbringing and Grandma’am, and majorly influenced by Dr Gaul) is that the Games must continue to constantly remind people about the inherent savagery of humanity, which he thinks people will inevitably revert to if the Capitol loses control. In Sejanus, he sees how his pacifist actions always end up with more violence – when he tries to trade tributes with Snow because he sympathises with his own district, and Marcus ends up dying horrifically; when he disappears into the arena and Snow has to retrieve him, the tributes band together to try and kill them; and when he colludes with the rebels in District 12, which causes the death of Mayfair, Billy Taupe, and Sejanus himself. In Lucy Gray, it’s how he sees her behave in the arena, seemingly killing people with ease; he believes that Billy Taupe’s death is her fault, and that he will end up like him if he stays with her; and when she leaves the snake to bite him in the woods.

Finally, the actions of Sejanus and Lucy Gray also cause Snow to realise the violence within himself. When he escapes the arena with Sejanus and is ambushed by the tributes, he kills a tribute (Bobbin?) out of self defence without a second thought. This shakes him up and causes him to start giving thought to Dr Gaul’s idea of human’s natural state being violent. When he catches Sejanus with the contraband, he ends up killing Mayfair, this time out of self-preservation. After this, he has an active role in the murder of both Sejanus and Lucy Gray, convincing him of his own need, and from there everyone’s need, to be under the control of the Capitol to keep the peace.

This turned into more of a ramble. But I haven’t had a chance to talk about these ideas with anyone yet (and I’ve only read the book once and I may have made errors), so I’m very open to discussion!

*I have the movie tie in edition of the book

[clatoera]

What's sparked the rebellion? Was it Katniss' volunteering for Prim, Rue’s death, the berries, or was it before all of that?

How does many THG victors joined or being recruited for the rebellion?

Thoughts?

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

Alright buckle in besties.

That rebellion was brewing way before Katniss and anything she did. I dont think the rebellion could have brewed and happened in the matter of the year between 74th and the 75th. That unrest was building long before Katniss, probably before she was ever even born.

That being said I think it is a culmination of her actions that she is able to be the symbol. I don't know if it started with her volunteering because it reads very much like she just does it to save her little sister. I think her score was the first indicator. An 11, I never would think a score would go over 10 (i'm guessing it goes to 12 like most things in the book). I think that and her incredible skill is the first hint that she's been stepping outside of the rules of the capitol a long time. How else would this girl who is not from a career district have such insane hunting skills? She's breaking the law to do so. She's already proving to be a bit of a rebel in that way. Rue's death and the way she sends her off is a MASSIVE step forward, which we see as D11 reacts to her death, but also, in the book she is gifted bread from D11 after Rue's death. It's a thank you, it's a sign of recognition, and how often would another district buy something for someone else?

The berries are the proverbial match to the fuse. They openly defy the capitol and NOONE gets away with that. Noone. But they do. Katniss and Peeta pull it off. That sets the rebellion into active action. Katniss throughout the games has proven herself, as snow says it, of Hope. She becomes the symbol for sure in that moment. Because lets be honest, who was buying the act of love angle for Katniss? The girl's face, her mannerisms, her behavior scream act of rebellion.

Obviously by the time they go on the victory tour the unrest is in motion, but she is a symbol at that point. She is a rallying point. District to District she is the face of defiance, more so than Peeta is.

And of course by the quell, we know, she IS the Mockingjay. Katniss has been the Mockingjay long before she openly agrees to it. The games that made her a victor made her the mockingjay.

As for how the other tributes got involved? I think that's hard to know and I have had questions for years. CLEARLY this plan runs deep. Beetee's designs. Plutarch as game maker. Haymitch, Finnick, Johanna..the unrest has clearly gone deep and for way longer than we realize. I think the decision was made in advance and the quell just set it al into motion. I would LOVE behind the scenes of how it all happened. I have wondered for...13 years nearly. It's something I look forward to exploring in a fic im writing right now.

But all that to say I think that rebellion was building, and it took having a symbol like the mockingjay in miss Katniss to light the fuse. A 16 year old cannot run a revolution, but she can be the face of it. And she can inspire the plan to be set in motion.

Thank you!

@curiousnonny

[coraline-piange]

a thought i had that i will go into more depth about maybe tomorrow:

rue in the book keeps getting described as standing like a bird ready to take off (which her little siblings look like as well, btw), or hopping from tree to tree like a bird. her death inspired katniss to put the flowers on her and do the three finger salute which lead to district 11 sending katniss the bread and therefore marking the first truly rebellious action, making it the spark of the revolution.

rue is the original mockingjay

[triassictriserratops]

Reading this bit of Mockingjay today something became clear to me -

"About halfway there, I become aware of the concrete barricade. It's about four feet high and extends in a large rectangle in front of the mansion. You would think it would be empty, but it's packed with refugees. Maybe this is the group that's been chosen to be sheltered at the mansion? But as I draw closer, I notice something else. Everyone inside the barricade is a child. Toddlers to teenagers. Scared and frostbitten. Huddled in groups or rocking numbly on the ground. They aren't being led into the mansion. They're penned in, guarded on all sides by Peacekeepers." - Mockingjay

This was the Reaping of the Capitol's children. The scene, as described, is so reminiscent of the Reapings in the districts. These are the Capitol's children. Penned in. Being offered up as tributes.

"Twelve- through eighteen-year-olds are herded into roped areas marked off by ages, the oldest in the front, the young ones, like Prim, toward the back. Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another’s hands." - The Hunger Games

Of course, OF COURSE Coin's suggestion for the symbolic Hunger Games follows this scene. THAT'S WHAT COMES AFTER A REAPING.

[pennyserenade]

the other night my friend and i got into a heated debate over whether sejanus plinth was a pathetic character or not (i vowed that he wasn't, while my friend urged that he completely was) and i'm going to be real i haven't moved on from that.

he said that sejanus didn't do enough with his privilege - that he squandered what influence he could've had by being irrational and quick-tempered. sejanus, he said, could've done a lot more if he had been less reactionary, using his father's wealth and power to sway the capital in the right direction. instead, he argued, sejanus fucked it all up because he was privileged. the scene in the arena he cited as especially reckless because it achieved nothing and only put himself and others in danger. he urged that most of sejanus' actions were like that.

while i agree with some of that - sejanus was especially quick to his anger and didn't always think before he acted - i think sejanus was a good character, not selfish or over privileged, but desperate. he went into that arena and that was stupid - beyond stupid - but he did it because he wanted them to understand they had killed a boy. not a rat, not a monster, not a message but a real life human. he put bread crumbs over marcus' body and sat with his cold body because he couldn't bear the fact that his contemporaries allowed this to happen. sejanus was willing to die for that message, to be made a martyr. it was an act he did without thinking, sure, but it had heart and showed that sejanus had so much more empathy and bravery than his fellow students. he cared so deeply it ruined him and i refuse to accept that what he did was a product of his being privileged. i think he was a boy who was scared and he was doing his best to change a system he knew he would not be able to overcome through regular means. it was a system that was fundamentally flawed, something that needed to explode completely before anything changed.

[randomyhoughts]

I'm rewatching the hunger games and I never realized how much they hug each other. like with other movies I don't think you see it as often. alao the hugs in the hunger games are really full body hugs, like it looks comfy and I don't think I've seen that so wel done before. idk I guess it just seems important ya know? like maybe it goes back to the whole idea of hope, that even in this terrible world they live in, people still care and will be there for others

[magpieanalysis]

I love that every victor from District 12 won by breaking the rules.

Katniss was proficient with a bow and in a forest because she went past the fence and hunted game illegally; Peeta survived because Katniss threatened for the games to not have a victor after the promised rule (presumably influenced by Haymitch?) if he wasn’t saved; Haymitch won because he used the capitol forcefield against his opponent, bringing their weapon into his game; Lucy won because of rat poison brought into the arena and Snow feeding her scent to the snakes.

There was not a victor from twelve that didn’t backhand the Capitol with their survival. lmao.

[thatrandomblogsays]

Me: *reading a post that makes the joke “Peeta dropped the baby bomb, Gale drops bombs on babies”* haha good one

Also me: you’re missing the point! You’re missing the point! YOURE MISSING THE POINT! He grew up starving. His best friend almost died of hunger. Most of his people live in poverty. He watched children die in a bloodbath every year for the capital’s entertainment. The girl he loved went into the games. Was tortured by the capitol. His district was bombed out of existence. Nearly everyone he knew was killed. Their only crime was being fed up of being hungry and oppressed and sharing the same district as Katniss. All those innocent people. Murdered. He had to take refuge in a district that was bombed out of existence and forced to live underground. Of course he joined the war effort. Of course he designed unethical bombs and battle tactics. He wanted revenge. He wanted the capitol to have a taste of their own medicine. He wanted the rebellion to succeed. And tell me you could live through what he did, and that no part of you would be screaming for Justice and vengeance. Gale is you. You are Gale. He represents a part of feelings and actions that reside within us, even if you don’t act on it.

“But he killed prim!” Exactly! Gale loved prim. She was a second family to her. He looked after Katniss’ family. He saved them from the district 12 bombings. He loved her. He never would’ve put her in danger. He never would’ve put in order for a bombing if it would kill Prim. But coin would. And did. She took what was meant to be a tool of Gale’s righteous revenge for all the suffering he and his people suffered through, only for someone in power to take it and use it to kill someone he loved.

There’s some many lessons to take. We can’t control the things we create. War spares no one. Even justifiable rage and actions can end up rebounding and hurting those you love instead of your targets.

“He drops bombs on babies” is too simplistic of a takeaway and does a disservice to the story and Gale.

[danyllura]

Despite Snows focus being on Katniss, I would argue Peeta played a far more of a rebellious role in his part of the “star crossed lover” during their first games than her. From the moment Cinna gets them to hold hands during the opening ceremony their pairing is shrouded in a “touch of rebellion” - we know alliances among district partners is normal/expected but it is also clear that the terms of agreement are temporary and built upon the goal of their individual survival. Peeta is the one that breaches that agreement, by pushing their relationship beyond district partners to that of “star crossed lovers” with the admittance of his crush on Katniss. It is the intent behind why he chooses what to share that is shrouded in rebellion. Early on Peeta is aware of Katniss’ potential as a tribute and beyond that he recognizes that “spark” that can make her “desirable” to others. Yes, he genuinely loves her. But he shares so not to be honest, or to make himself a sympathetic character for the capitol, but to hopefully benefit her in the arena. He pushes this further by his continuous reiterating of his feelings to the audience, during his time with the careers, alone, and then eventually with Katniss. Time and time again he displays that her survival is his ultimate goal in the games, willing to prioritize her victory over his own life. And while yes, Peeta does this because he does truly love and care about Katniss, he is intentional with his actions. He broadcasts his feelings because it benefits her. And every aspect of that goes against what the games are meant to do to people; divide them.

Comparatively, in regards to the “star crossed lovers” Katniss is much more obedient to the rules of the games. She doesn’t initially portray herself to return Peetas feelings. She plays as a solo player, and Katniss quite literally states she appears “heartless” because of this when they watch back over their time in the arena. When it’s only one promised victor and she believes Peeta to be allied with the careers, she drops a nest of tracker jackets over where Peeta is sleeping and showing she views him as any other competitor. Katniss only reciprocates the role of “star crossed lovers” when the capitol has allowed that type of alliance to work within the games. And if anything her later trick with the berries, is a scene of the capitols own making. It is a final act of desperation. Katniss’ knows Peeta is on the brink of death and it’s even a possibility for the Mutts that had just killed Cato to reappear. When she’s handing the berries to Peeta and as she spills them into her mouth, Katniss is not thinking of the significance of her choice or the potential consequences it may illicit. It’s an emotional decision, not a calculated one. In comparison, laying Rue to rest in a bed of flowers was a far more calculated act of rebellion from Katniss.

But despite all this, President Snow almost solely blames Katniss for the oncoming rebellion. And while Katniss does do many things that help initiate that spark, such as volunteering for Prim, singing to Rue, risking her life for Peeta at the feast- it isn’t that he blames, but rather her lying about loving Peeta back. Because Snow is stuck in the past with his belief that Lucy Gray tricked him into loving her. And Katniss, with her singing and her Mockinjays, is such an obvious parallel of Lucy Grays ghost- he misses the fact that Peeta has been a far more calculated player that has actively rebelled from everything the games are meant to turn you into from the moment he was reaped.

[vasilissadragomir]

one of the most heart-wrenching things about thg universe is that you feel the loss of who each character would be outside the circumstances of their birth almost as acutely as you feel the loss of the characters themselves.

sure, we know what lucy gray and her family would be doing in a different world; she’d be dancing and singing and making music which defines a cultural identity. but what about the others? would haymitch have been a hilarious, loving father with a family had he not been forced to survive 47 other children’s brutal deaths? would finnick have been a charismatic and beloved actor, bringing joy to immeasurable people on his own terms? would beetee and wiress have worked together to develop technology to make it easier to connect loved ones far and wide? what would reaper and annie have given to the world, or thresh, or rue, or even coral or cato or glimmer or clove?

if katniss wasn’t half-starving and forced to spend each day hunting to feed her family, would archery be her true passion? or if she’d been a well-sustained little girl with access to art supplies, would she have spent her time sketching captivating dresses? she picks up ropes and making fish hooks quickly—could her dexterity have lent itself to knitting, sewing, or crocheting with vibrant yarns and fabrics? there’s so much evidence that katniss finds clothing inspiring and empowering, even when she dismisses it as frivolous. she likes being pretty, she just hates the circumstances under which she’s made to look pretty. cinna shows her that beauty has its own power, and there are several moments in her interactions with cinna and his designs that make me wonder who she’d be if she had space for art and creativity in her life.

conversely, peeta has had art in his life since he was a small child, but for him, art has always been entangled with his trauma. he could bake and decorate well because he learned from his mother, a mother who beat him his whole life. but his talent grows, not only as a survival tool in the first games, but when he paints rue on the floor of the training center before the second games. his art becomes not only a symbol of his trauma, but a means of resistance and solidarity. in a world where peeta’s intrinsic kindness and loving heart had been nurtured and welcomed rather than abused, could he have been a painter, helping people find collective meaning in the simple realities of life?

could katniss and peeta have still found each other in another world, a world without the horrors they were raised with, and bonded over their love of art? could they have been each other’s muses?

maybe they find their way to share art, after the events of mockingjay, as part of their process of healing and falling in love with each other. when they’re finally safe and have been for a long time, maybe katniss fashions peeta an easel for him to paint in their living room. after months of watching him gaze out the window and paint the changing leaves, katniss takes to knitting on a rocking chair in the other corner of the living room to steady her restless hands. they work silently as the days go by, quietly exchanging the things they’ve made to give each other the reassurance and love neither could ever fully convey with words.

and maybe one day, when they learn there’s a baby on the way due in midwinter, katniss takes a page from peeta’s sketchpad and starts to plan a series of sweaters and hats and socks she can knit for the baby. and peeta goes to the little nursery upstairs and starts working on a mural, so the baby will have something beautiful to look at every day. they work together to design the perfect baby blanket for their child, to ensure they will always be wrapped in a layer of protection and love by their parents.

but even if they find creativity and beauty in their lives after the end of mockingjay, the art they make will simply never be what that art could have been had they not faced what they faced. art comes from suffering, yes, but the human condition has so much suffering as is, and we’d never know what kind of art they’d make if they hadn’t experienced trauma of a distinctly sadistic and inhuman nature. but maybe their children, raised in a better world with love and protection and safety and joy and creativity and expression, will be the ones to create the art peeta and katniss never could.