#thgreread2024

[s3ra9him]

In THG chapter 2, right after eating one of the loaves of bread Peeta gives her with her family, Katniss "crawled into bed, and fell into a dreamless sleep." This after she established in chapter 1 that ever since her father's death she "still wake(s) up screaming for him to run." This is the first instance in the book of the comfort provided by Peeta easing her nightmares and allowing her to sleep peacefully.

[notsocooljess]

i love that the first thing peeta ever says to katniss, the first thing ever spoken directly between them, is, “it’s okay. i’ll take it from here.” (thg, 48)

the first words he speaks to her are looking out for her. helping her. making sure she’s comfortable. already starting a non-transactional relationship with her that she needs so desperately.

[disgurrr]

Katniss and Gale: took a long time for her to be friends with him, to trust him. Took months for her to return a smile at him. Only truly smiles with him if it’s in the woods.

Katniss and Peeta after less than 48 HOURS of meeting each other: laughing together. She smirks after she hears his laugh, and makes a jokes with him. Katniss BLUSHES AND FEELS WAMTTH WITHIN HERSELF when he compliments her.

See the difference?

[devildogdemon]

I gotta be straight with y’all: in a story full of brutal maiming, unforgiving starvation, and scorched earth warfare, that R-i-i-i-p is probably the most real and painful thing to read for me. Every single time 😭 Being a dude, it’s a pain I also have the heavenly privilege of never knowing, which means it’s probably worse than I’m imagining 😬

It makes me feel even more for Katniss later on their Victory Tour. She’s absolutely fuming at the bullshit double standard of Peeta getting to sleep in AND keep his body hair while she has to be up early and stripped to the bone 😤 And she is so right for that. She even mentions how she actually liked the return of it 🥺 and they’re taking it away from her again 😠

This is why post-Mockingjay, I will accept nothing less than a Peeta Mellark who adores his furry-legged kitty. For one thing, he’s probably been checking out her legs since the sixth grade, hair and all. But more importantly, between now and the end of the story, he experiences probably the worst leg pain imaginable 😭 He sees no sense in being cruel to your legs, especially when you have the good fortune to still have two. He will kiss those hairy legs of hers every opportunity he gets. When Katniss speaks of them growing back together, there’s absolutely a literal component to it for me 🥰💚🧡

[asweetsorroww]

Day 5:

Yes katniss girly, intimidate him by kissing him in the cheek☠️☠️

[mollywog]

Oh, no, I think. Not him.

[theflowerunderthewillow]

Interesting aspect about Peeta. As soon as he is punched by Haymitch he grabs ice. He doesn't fight back, he just grabs ice to put on the wound.

It seems interesting for a wrestler not to fight back, but to protect himself, take care of his wounds and get up.

Makes me wonder how many times he's done this before... Abuse of his mother? Maybe. I just think it's a sweet touch to the whole thing.

[atelierlili]

#thgreread2024: Chapter 1

"Look at what I shot." Gale holds up a load of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh. It's real bakery bread, not the falt dense loaves we make from our grain rations.

I'm doing the reread of the Hunger Games with my lovely friends. Its one chapter a day so fingers crossed that I can keep it up!

I love Chapter 1 of the Hunger Games. There are few books that gets me hooked from the very first chapter, but Suzanne does it flawlessly. Nearly all the main themes of the series find they way into this first chapter. I don't have all the time to break it down, but I'll do what I can.

District 12, Panem and Katniss as our protagonist is already fully fleshed out. We know her main motivation is to keep Prim safe from the Reapings. We learn her greatest fear is having and loosing children, or more symbolically, hope, in a place like Panem. To want to have children is similiar to having hope for the future, of having good things. Katniss, understandably doesn't think that's realistic. Life in District 12 is not easy for Katniss. The Reapings bring her nothing but stress. That is not a future she'd want to any children of hers- which is why she's so critical of Gale when he brings the topic.

Chapter 1, Gale is rebellious- but he still holds on to hope, unlike Katniss who has mostly abandoned it. He thinks of children as a possibility in the future- in a future with Katniss- if they could manage to escape beyond the fence. A notion that Katniss (very pragmatically) finds ridiculous. His crush on her is already on full effect- he doesn't even try to hide framing their families as one and placing themselves as the parental roles. In a wink whink nudge nudge fashion. Katniss doesn't take the notion all too kindly- she shoots him down and they start a fight. Romantic melodrama aside, Gale tells us directly that Katniss does not have normal relationship with her sister Prim. Prim is very much Katniss' child even if she didn't birth Prim herself. This ties Prim directly to Katniss' biggest fear. Unfortunately, we learn at the end of the chapter that her greatest fear is realized.

The Hunger Games isn't just a romance book, but its easily the second most important theme (Fight me). Talks of marriage and children are introduced as soon as Katniss' first suitor enters the scene. Chapter 1 is also where we get to observe Katniss' and Gale relationship with any outside influence, like Peeta and the capitol. Katniss and Gale get along well, with Katniss even saying Gale is only of the only people she can truly be herself with. Despite this, she takes any notion of being in a relationship him negatively. She sees him as a brother. She attests that there is no romantic tension between them (though I think she's in a little denial here. There IS, she's just ignoring it). She says Gale can have his pick of women so long as she gets to keep him as a hunting buddy. Who knows if she's speaking from a place of denial or simply because she didn't care romantically. Gale and Katniss' relationship is beginning to blur thanks to Gale efforts to be noticed by Katniss and Katniss not shooting him down directly. Whatever it is, it's clear that Katniss is just not ready for a relationship yet. If you asked me, so long as Katniss had no hope for the future, she would not even entertain the idea of marriage and children with Gale (or anyone for that matter).

Even though, Peeta is not in this chapter, symbolically he's right here! Being his sweet smelling self in the form of bakery bread. Gale might have been Katniss' first suitor to us readers, but Suzanne has cheekily included Peeta in between them with the loaf of bread. And boy, does Katniss has a history with bread. It even has an arrow stuck in it! Arrows and Bread. Katniss and Peeta. (Well, I guess you can also attribute arrows with Gale- but I'm pretty sure that he's more of a snares kind of guy.)

Finally another tiny bit of foreshadowing I've notice this is final part of Gale and Katniss's feast. When Gale begins to mimic the capitol- he pulls out a few blackberries and together with Katniss, say "may the odds ever be in your favour" before eating the berries, foreshadowing how Katniss would do the same thing with Nightlock to tip the scales and win the Games with Peeta at her side.

Anyway, see you guys tomorrow for Chapter 2!