a common question in the hunger games fandom is how katniss and gale would operate if they had both been the ones in the games instead of katniss and peeta. at first, i thought that we could only think about hypothetical situations based on their reactions to killing and battle.
but, after reading the chapter about the battle in district eight in mockingjay, i think that suzanne was trying to simulate what a games with just gale and katniss would be like.
because, as the bombers from district two appear in the sky, katniss and gale immediately take their positions in the hunt. katniss invokes a common hunting strategy, reminding gale of their hunting strategy for geese (mj, 86). katniss and gale further reduce these planes to foul as katniss and gale puncture their "belly," "wing," and "tail" (mj, 87). it is so genius that suzanne uses these terms because they perfectly describe both the parts of a plane and the geese that katniss and gale base their strategy off of.
and i feel like suzanne was trying to depict what it would be for gale and katniss in the arena. they would revert to their role as hunters. because, "how different can it really be," hunting and killing the enemy (thg, 39). and katniss even realizes that if she "forgets they’re people, it will be no different at all" (thg, 40).
it is not until afterward, when katniss is sitting alone in her hospital bed, that she truly realizes the people that were in the planes (mj, 99). she can not continue to see them as the geese that she would regularly hunt. because she is reminded that they were people too. and she is haunted by that.
in contrast, although i can hope that he feels a little remorse for his role in killing, gale on the outside appears unaffected, getting chummy with coin (mj, 93) and eagerly assisting beetee in weapon development (mj, 98). he demonstrates his insensitive attitude about killing these bombers as he uses it as justification for his death trap in district two. that it is no different.
in many ways, although katniss quickly falls into the dehumanization of the enemy
after the moment, she is also more likely to solemnly process the death. similar to peeta. even with foxface, a person who peeta unintentionally killed, he didn't feel good about it (thg, 324). and what is the entirety of mockingjay but katniss constantly drowning in grief over the thousands that died as a result of her actions, even if it wasn't her directly killing them?
because at the end of the day, katniss is aware of the intrinsic value of humanity. the value of preserving her own. and the value of others. and i am not saying gale doesn't. but he is able to shrug this off if it means he can achieve his ultimate goal.
so, i think that we can assume that this is how katniss and gale would be in the arena. in the moment, they would both revert to their old hunting habits. but while gale would most likely justify the deaths (and hey, i don't blame him. i probably would too. because what else can you do in a death arena?), each of katniss's kills would haunt her until her final breath.
and it is not until peeta gives katniss an outlet to memorialize the people that died that she is able to truly move on. because the weight of killing innocent people takes everything you are (mj, 23) . and that can never really be completely remedied. but perhaps it can be lightened if you resolve to never forget them. to not let their deaths be in vain.
baratheonpilled
prguitarman
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