Why Katniss was always going to choose Peeta
Gale was never even a real option for Katniss, it was always going to be Peeta.
Gale was always *physically* there for her in the sense that he could hold her hand/hug her/hunt with her/take care of her family etc. which was confusing for her because 'why would she choose Peeta if Gale was literally right next to her?' But Peeta was always *emotionally* there for her, in the way that he understood her and knew how to comfort her versus Gale sometimes not realising there was more to healing than just Katniss's exterior healing like broken bones mending.
Katniss knew Gale for years, he was easy to love because she was familiar with him, she understood him, could read him like a book. It was the plain, simple fact of her being around him for so long.
She didn't agree with Gale's opinions or plans, and I don't mean the ones he threw about in the woods criticising the Capitol, but the ones where he could justify killing (murdering) innocent children. And I don't mean her disagreeing in like a casual, argumentative way, but she genuinely felt sick to her core at some of his ideals, found them horrific and him barbaric.
Peeta and her shared a traumatic experience, twice. They both went through the Games, and both survived, barely. And I know it could be argued that this could have confused them into being in love, but it really didn't. It wasn't the Games that made them fall for each other, we know Peeta liked Katniss way before them, but it was how Peeta helped Katniss to recover from them. It was the aftermath- the nights on the train- that fuelled their feelings.
Gale was the fuel to Katniss's fire, but Peeta could calm it. Gale and Katniss were both too similar, hot headed sometimes, could be a little impulsive, very strong minded. Whereas Peeta was very gentle, he could soothe Katniss, give her a sense of security and comfort.
Gale and Katniss had similar childhoods so automatically they felt drawn to one another, and I think it was difficult for Katniss to kind of separate herself from Gale because of that. Like, he understood that part of her, but in a way he never got how she was later on. He didn't want her to change from the girl in the woods. But she did change, and he couldn't accept that to some degree. Peeta might not have understood Katniss's childhood like Gale did, but he tried to. Gale never really openly talked about what it was like for Katniss in the Games. I think he assumed he knew what it was like just from watching it. And maybe that came from a good place- him not wanting to drag up bad memories (???)- but it wouldn't have hurt for him to help her open up about it.
Gale (whether unintentionally or not) blew up Prim. Ofc he didn't mean to, but he did. AND HE HAD NO REMORSE FOR THE BOMBS, JUST THE FACT THEY KILLED PRIM.
Peeta fell in love with her twice.
"You love me, real or not real?" "Real."
