when gale opens his arms in the justice building before katniss leaves for the first games, katniss does not hesitate to go into them (thg, 38). in this moment, gale's body is familiar to her and brings many memories of her hunts with him. it is obvious from this embrace that she is close to gale and feels comfort in his arms, reminding her of the past and the woods she loves so much.
and she feels similarly about peeta after those games. because when she sees him before their victory interview, she doesn't wait for him to open his arms before she flings herself into them (thg, 360). and they cling to each other as the audience becomes chaotic around them (thg, 360). so, by the end of the first book, both peeta and gale hold equal positions as people who katniss wants to hug and actively embrace.
this continues when katniss sees gale after the games. similar to her reunion with peeta, she doesn't think when she jumps up and throws her arms around gale (cf, 7). and he is holding her so tightly, not letting her go until he has to because of her hiccups. so, katniss fears are calmed when it seems as though her relationship with gale is the same as before the games.
but everything changes when gale kisses her. because as he kisses her, her perspective of his embrace shifts as she considers how his hands can easily entrap her (cf, 8). and, from that point, they begin to trap her. and it is so ironic that katniss decides to choose gale over peeta to maintain her freedom and agency because the way that she describes gale's embraces suggests otherwise.
because when gale hugs her at the lake house, katniss remains very passive, trapped even, as gale is the one to initiate and pull her into his embrace. gale is the who one steps in and lifts her off the ground. and gale is the one who eventually releases her (cf, 28). and katniss goes along with gale's actions.
and dynamic continues after the quarter quell is announced when gale is the one who pulls a drunk katniss into his arms (cf, 51). throughout their embraces after their kiss, gale is the main agent and katniss is, although laughing and happy, still passive.
katniss is not the one reaching for gale. she is not deciding when to let him go. she doesn't do any of the actions in their embraces. she is merely affected by them.
katniss is no longer the one who runs into his arms like she did before his kiss. because even if she is fine with them, his embrace is still trapping her in a way. she is still being ensnared by his arms.
and compare this to her embraces with peeta. because, following the first games, katniss is consistently running to embrace peeta. with most of their interactions, katniss is making an effort to touch and embrace him. katniss is the one who grabs his hand and presses it into her cheek (cf, 45). katniss is the one who runs into his outstretched arms on the train heading to the quell (cf, 55). katniss is the one who refuses to let go (cf, 55). because, unlike the ones with gale, katniss is an active agent in her embraces with peeta.
but katniss's habit of enthusiastically embracing peeta takes a tragic tone as she reunites with him after he is rescued. because as she runs to meet him, she extends her arms to embrace him (mj, 153). and when his hands reach for her, she suspects that it is to caress her face in the embrace (mj, 153). and why should she think anything else? this is peeta. and she has always felt free to embrace him. expecting nothing but his happy reciprocation. but, in his hijacked state, he instead chokes her.
and so, because she is so lonely, she turns to gale in district two. and it is the first time that they have embraced the entire book. gale might have touched her cheek (mj, 19). gale might have squeezed her hand (mj, 17). but they never embraced. and still, even with the image of hijacked peeta haunting her mind, she still doesn't actively embrace him. so, in district two, katniss once again takes her position of passivity as she finds herself wrapped in his arms (mj, 171).
but it doesn't work out. because her heart isn't into it. because she is trying to forget everything in a last-ditch effort to escape her personal hell. and because gale isn't peeta.
and so, from katniss's perspective, it seems as though the peeta that she so freely embraced was irretrievable (mj, 171). that he will die hating her and she will die heartbroken. that she will never feel his arms embrace her again.
but, slowly, she sees him inching his way back to her (mj, 259). and with him inching, she had enough reason to once again extend her hands to wrap around his neck in an embrace before they parted ways in the capitol (mj, 288). and after an initial shock, the arms she thought would never embrace her again reciprocated.
and it is in these same warm and strong arms, that katniss finds comfort after the war. because, although she thought that peeta would never embrace her again, he did. he came back for her. and his arms were there to comfort her (mj, 329). arms that were always there to protect her. to comfort her. to embrace her.
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