Just like when Katniss volunteered for Prim, Katniss doesn’t even think before she kills the boy from 1.
Ahhhhh, and the fact that Rue loves music more than anything else is the reason that Katniss sings for her.
“But if this is Prim’s, I mean, Rue’s last request,” hiiiiiiiii I’m in pain.
And we get the Meadow song. What else is there to say.
The Mockingjays stop to listen to Katniss sing. Which Katniss says not everyone gets that respect, when she said they would do it for her father. But they stopped for Katniss when she sang for Rue.
This part! This part right here!
“Gale’s voice is in my head. His ravings against the Capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored. Rue’s death has forced me to confront my own furry against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence. There’s no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there?
Then I remember Peeta’s words on the roof. “Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” And for the first time, I understand what he means.
I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can’t own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I.”
See, this is a clear example of Gale and Peeta representing different word views. But what is fascinating about this moment is that they coexist. They work together, both voices in her head. Gale inciting her to want to act, and Peeta guiding her toward the right way. Which is very fascinating when you consider the earlier passage when Katniss says that Gale and Peeta can’t coexist in her mind at the same time.
This scene where Katniss covers Rue’s body in flowers... I’m speechless every time I read it.
“My hatred of the Capitol has not lessened my hatred of my competitors in the least. Especially the Careers. They, at least, can be made to pay for Rue’s death.” This is so very natural and human, and I think a good insight into the psychology of war. The way that your hatred of an opposing government or figurehead is directed at the soldiers on the ground. Especially as you experience personal loss.
And then immediately after this, Katniss gets her gift from District 11. A reminder that the Districts do not have to be enemies. And our first sign of the power of Katniss’s symbolism is beginning to have outside the Games in the other districts.
Sometimes Collins does these things that are almost mythical, spiritual... like when she has Rue appear to Katniss in her dream and sing songs Katniss has never heard. I don’t personally believe in a higher power but I wouldn’t be surprised if Collins does. This is the sort of dream my mother would tell me she had that makes her believe in God.
Seeing Katniss in her depressed state is heartbreaking. She’s literally trying to draw Cato toward her with the signal fire. And you know what? I really believe that she would kill anyone in her path. This is the moment where she is broken by the Games. This is what the Games are designed to do, this is how they make tributes pieces in their Games and demonstrate their power. I honestly think Katniss could have won without the whole star-crossed lover’s thing. But the rebellion wouldn’t have started. She would have won like all the other victors before her. And the cycle would have continued.
“I really think I stand a chance of doing it now. Winning... Something happened when I was holding Rue’s hand, watching the life drain out of her. Now I am determined to avenge her, to make her loss unforgettable, and I can only do that by winning and thereby making myself unforgettable.”
And I think that Haymitch and whoever is working with the underground recognizes this behind the scenes. Plutarch, probably. He sees his chance at having a symbol slipping through his fingers. How many times have they watched this happen to tributes in the Arena? When they turn from innocent children to unsympathetic killers? They have to do something to capitalize on this moment. Something to keep Katniss soft and endearing, before she goes on a killing spree.
“I killed a boy whose name I don’t even know. Somewhere his family is weeping for him. His friends call for my blood. Maybe he had a girlfriend who really believed he would come back... But then I think of Rue’s still body and I’m able to banish the boy from my mind.” Again, just amazed at how well Collins nails the psychology of what Katniss is going through. And I can’t help comparing this to the justifications that Snow goes through every time he kills. At some point I will probably do a direct cross-comparison of Katniss’s thoughts post-killing versus Snow’s. From what I remember, they are both quick to justify their first kills, Katniss seems to humanize Marvel more than Snow does Bobbin.
“I wouldn’t go in for the food, but this would be an ideal time to take out a few competitors.” See, this is a subtle way of cueing how Katniss’s mental state has shifted. She’s about ready to start killing.
And then... the rule change! I absolutely believe this was the underground in the background that put this into works. Plutarch definitely had a hand in this.
“The star-crossed lovers... Peeta must have been playing that angle all along.” Ha. Yeah Katniss, he was PLAYING that angle. PLAYING. Never mind that he said he wanted to still be himself in the Games.
“Peeta, it turns out, has never been a danger to me. The thought makes me smile. I drop my hands and hold my face up to the moonlight so the cameras can be sure to catch it.” A couple things to discuss here. First, this is what I meant about Katniss being good with the cameras in that she reacts naturally, but has the ability to realize what will work to her advantage. She doesn’t smile here because she thinks the cameras will want to see her smile, she does it because the thought of Peeta not being a danger makes her smile and a split second later she recognizes this is an emotion she should share with the cameras. Second is how this relief of Peeta not being a threat or an enemy is the first thing to make Katniss smile since Rue’s death. I do think Katniss is right about how the audience pressured the Gamemakers into changing the rules, but I think the rebel underground instigated this decision, and the timing was purposeful keep Katniss valuable as a symbol before she went on a killing streak and no longer was a symbol of hope.
Goodness though, if I were Foxface or Thresh this rule change would be the worst thing I’d ever heard. Because most likely the District 2 tributes would just be about at the point where their alliance was ending if not for this rule. Now they’ve got not one, but two potential teams hunting them down.
(I’ve lost track of the days and had to resort to the internet. If it is to trusted, we are now on Day 11.)
“He’s very hard to predict, which might be interesting under different circumstances, but at the moment only provides an extra obstacle.” I know that Katniss means this as someone assessing her potential new allies skills, but my mind shot ahead to their post-MJ life and got a little dirty for a second and I laughed. Might be interesting indeed.
(But also, I thought of the “If it weren’t for the baby” moment, because it lives rent-free in my head constantly.)
Ahhh, I wonder if Peeta heard Katniss because of the Mockingjays mimicking her.
The camouflage thing... is a little ridiculous. Sorry Collins. Mostly because I can’t get the movie imagery out of my head, but even still. I do wonder where Collins came up with that idea for Peeta’s skill. Most of the Tributes’s skills have to do with their personalities and I can’t help but wonder what it means about Peeta beyond his cake-decorating abilities.
Maybe it is just that though. Something Katniss sneered off as being not useful because it didn’t seem practical, and Peeta found a way to use his creativity to his advantage in the arena. I sort of do feel like it might be more metaphorical than that though.
“Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.” Katniss takes this as a joke, which I do think it is, but I think it’s partly him trying to get her to go along with the play, and mostly half-delirious flirting from a dying boy who has just been found by the girl of his dreams. Might as well shoot his shot - what else has he got to lose?
Peeta: *teeth gritted, literally crying in pain*
I forget how sarcastically optimistic my boy is sometimes. Meanwhile Katniss is sarcastically pessimistic. Yin and yang.
“Naked bodies are no big deal in the arena, right?” This makes me wonder if they censor nudity in the actual viewing, or if they show it all. Like is Katniss saying this as a “we’re all struggling to survive so who cares about nudity” thing, or is she saying it from experience that she’s watched lots of tributes get naked over the years?
“Thanks. I’m much better, really. Can I sleep now, Katniss?” Ooooh boy, Peeta really is very sick. If he sleeps now, he might not actually wake up. I’m sure he is very delirious.
Not to harp, but I’m still mad about how they downplayed Peeta’s injury in the movie. Like I didn’t want gore-porn of course, but we should have felt the gravity of that situation more. And it would have been totally possible to demonstrate that while keeping a PG-13 rating.
“I try to capture the calm demeanor my mother assumes when handling particularly bad cases.” Once again, Katniss leaning on her mother to help get her through. Both of her parents passed on skills to Katniss that help her in the Games, not just her father.
I can’t help myself. I’m just grinning through Katniss and Peeta’s interactions, in spite of the seriousness of their situation. “Although for all I know, I am killing you.” “Could you speed it up a little?” “No. Shut up and eat your pears.”
Also! I found a grammatical error! This book is supposed to be in present tense, but: “Trust me. Killing things is much easier than this,” I said.” It’s supposed to be say, not said. Oooooooh.
“Oh, I don’t care if you see me,” says Peeta.” I’m sure you don’t Peeta. But I also feel like this is a sign (along with some earlier cues) that Panem is generally not a squeamish culture when it comes to nudity. Which is not necessarily a negative thing, although I don’t like the idea of naked underage teenagers being broadcasted to the country, especially against their will.
Katniss’s first impulse to be insulting Haymitch... ha. Have I mentioned how much I love their relationship?
But also, it’s fascinating to me that Katniss and Peeta have only been sent burn medicine and bread - and it’s implied that the bread was specifically from District 11, and it may have been meant for Rue originally. I’m sure the burn medicine was expensive, but given the amount of sponsors they probably riled up it seems strange. Maybe they really didn’t have that many sponsors until they came together. Or maybe, he was just holding onto the money because he didn’t feel like he needed to use it - Katniss didn’t need anything because she was being self-sufficient, and Peeta was deemed a lost cause as soon as he was injured - and decided to hoard it in case of an emergency.
“Katniss,” he says. I go over to him and brush the hair back from his eyes. “Thanks for finding me.” I know we get a scene like this in Mockingjay, the first time that she willingly touches him after he’s hijacked, so I’m soft at this. Because this is the first time that she touches him to just be sweet, not healing him or having any ulterior agenda.
And then we get the kiss! I find it interesting that this is an impulsive action from Katniss. Like volunteering for Prim, or shooting Marvel when Rue is speared, Katniss doesn’t think about it first. Afterward she justifies it as being overdue because they’re supposed to be madly in love, but it’s interesting to me that this is not calculated. And I like the fact that she doesn’t immediately feel fireworks, because first kisses are often like that.
But yeah anyway, I like the fact that their first kiss isn’t motivated by passion and it’s also not Katniss calculating it. It’s just because she doesn’t want him to die. It’s human connection.
“Then he smiles as if he’d be happy to lie there gazing at me forever. He’s great at this stuff.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA KATNISS.
But also, I do just feel really bad for Peeta in this situation. I haven’t read this book in so long, and I’d forgotten just how sick and close to dying he was. No wonder he gets so confused over it later. Because he was delirious during much of this part of the Games, and it must have been so confusing for him to distinguish what was real and what wasn’t. He must have wondered how much he made up in his head. And it would have made these memories in particular such an easy target for the Capitol when they were brainwashing him in Mockingjay.
