hot take: katniss is a revolutionary female hero because she’s not really a hero. she fights for people, not for a greater good, and she’s willing to do awful things for her family, including killing innocents. she believes in a revolution because she wants freedom, not because “it’s the right thing to do.” she’s not a quirky female hero who always knows what to say. she’s awkward and self-depricating and blunt and not likeable, which is implicitly stated in the books and movies. she’s not comfortable in feminine clothes, she hunts, she’s scared and social uncomfortable in a way that makes others uncomfortable. she’s volitile in a way that’s very different than the normal quirky female lead, she’s not some manic bipolar idea, she’s a real person with genuine issues. she’s harsh and sharp and cruel and mean and she’s not perfect. she’s not even very likeable. she doesn’t speak much to others and when she does, it’s mostly angry or cutting. but she’s astounding and breathtakingly tragic while being real and raw and absolutely human.
additional hot take: peeta is a revolutionary male lead because he’s a baker. he’s a homemaker, essentially. katniss is a hunter and he is a baker. they are the exact opposite of their steryotypical gender roles. she is the deadly one, not him. she is the angry one, not him. where she pushes, he bends. where she screams, he sings. where she runs, he hides.
peeta is soft and kind and good and willing to die so he won’t hurt others. he comforts katniss when she needs it, even when she isn’t that nice to him. he loves her from afar, quietly and not creepily. he isn’t angry. he barely uses any violence in the first book/movie. he’s the injured one, not her. he isn’t the muscular manly stereotype of a male lead, especially in such a violence driven world. he isn’t like four from divergent. he isn’t cold and harsh and mysterous. he’s sweet and open and soft, he’s kind and compassionate.
he’s a baker in a world full of hunters.
