Reminder: Peeta Mellark Had to Get Used to a Prosthetic Leg While Still Experiencing Major Growth Spurts
It’s very subtle, but the description Katniss uses of her head being placed comfortably against his chest - on equal ground - during one of their hugs in Catching Fire (the one after they learn about the other’s respective acts of defiance against the gamemakers) places him as significantly taller than his original description of being of medium height. Even if Katniss was as short as say, 5’2,” that means Peeta was still clearing six feet by that point. It lines up with the basic biology that us guys don’t usually stop growing until around eighteen to twenty (I personally didn’t until nineteen). So, this unfortunately means that Peeta was likely experiencing pain or extreme discomfort during the six months he and Katniss weren’t on substantial speaking terms, and either had to order new prosthetics or constantly adjust it if it had that feature.
Just to add a more heartbreaking layer on top of that, he very likely may not have been done growing while being tortured as well. And something tells me his abusers didn’t care too much about any discomfort caused by an uneven gait. Sorry for all of this. But if this makes you depressed, remember that he’s fully grown now and living his best life with his loving family…
