Letās talk about the Prim Reaper
Listen. Itās funny. I enjoy a big tall glass of I hate Gale juice in the morning with my bacon and eggs as much as the next girlie. But heās also super interesting and complicated and important and I have a million thoughts so buckle up for a lengthy journey through the Gale Hawthorn section of my brain.
He wants a better world for everyone in panem
He stepped up to care for his family as a 14 year old
He took care of Katnissās family while she was in the arena and would have continued to feed them for the rest of his life if sheād died in the games. At great person cost
Every single person from district 12 who is alive at the end of the games (besides the victors) is alive because of Gale. He pulled people out of burning buildings, he tore down the fence, he fed and led all the refugees to d13
Heās smart, resourceful, capable, determined, idealistic, stubborn, and honest.
Why Gale is important as a character
His anger at the state of Panem is (1) valid and (2) representative of a feeling held by a LARGE number of people. Katniss doesnāt talk to a lot of folks openly, but itās safe to assume everyone overthrowing their districts was just as angry as Gale. He puts a voice to that fury
His focus on violence as a solution and his quickness to assimilate into the military and his trust of Coin make him one of the most notable mirrors held up to society in the original trilogy. Susanne wrote THG inspired by Americans response to the Iraq War. We were dealing with things like the Patriot Act, anti-Muslim sentiment, and enlistment propaganda in the states when these books were first written. Gales view on enemies and war were incredibly normal takes for the average American citizen at the time. She didnāt write him to be a villain, she wrote him to be US
The belief that some collateral civilian death is necessary and acceptable in war is NORMAL (bad, but very very common). All of you reading this live under governments that operate that way. Itās KATNISSāS beliefs that are the outliers here. The fact that Susanne got us all to agree with Katniss on this is wonderful and impressive and half the point of the books. But that doesnāt make Gale a stand out villain, heās representing the norm. He is who we were before we read THG
Gale is a foil to so many things I donāt even know where to begin. His morals contrast Katnissās and make her views more solidified and defined for the reader. He does the same for Peeta by being a contrasting romantic lead. Also Finnick to a lesser degree. He mimics some of Snowās philosophy, reminding us the call is sometimes coming from inside the house. And he exemplifies Coinās control and influence over her people. Not all of these are examples of literary foils but if youāre not Mrs Pierce from 12th grade English you donāt get to call me out about it
He has a strong Us vs Them mentality, which is very normal, very problematic, and very worth critiquing. He has a chip on his shoulder about the āwell offā merchant class in district 12, he has no empathy or forgiveness for capital citizens like Katnissās prep team, and holds onto prejudices against victors. Unlike Katniss, he doesnāt get to know people and change his mind about their motives, he doesnāt give respect or humanize those he thinks are against him. He does not remember who the real enemy is
He also has a strong āif youāre not with me youāre against meā view of people. Anyone who isnāt rebelling loudly enough is making themselves his enemy. Heās angry with katniss in Catching Fire for not wanting to join the rebellion, he complains she should be doing more to spread dissent instead of trying to protect herself and her loved ones. He says that anyone sweeping floors in the Nut in district 2 is working for the enemy and deserving of the same treatment as those actively firing weapons against him. Heās very black and white about who deserves mercy and who does not.
Heās a really bad friend!!! He rarely gives Katniss any sort of comfort or emotional support. He ignored it when sheās struggling. He ignores the trauma she went through in the games. He goes so far as to ignore it when her SISTER DIES. When she acts out of fear (trying to run away, performing with Peeta for the cameras, refusing to define any romantic relationships atm) he belittles her.
It has to be said, we all knew this bullet point was coming, the romantic pressure he puts on Katniss is not chill. He kisses her without permission, guilts and manipulates her, gets angry when she doesnāt make a āchoiceā about who her āboyfriendā should be in the middle of conversations about who will be brutally murdered next. He does not read the room and does not accept her no or empathize with her confusion or fear.
āāItās the way he hates you. Itās soā¦ familiar. I used to feel like that,ā he admits, āwhen Iād watch you kissing him on the screen. Only I knew I wasnāt being entirely fair. He canāt see that.āā - Gale says about hijacked Peeta after heās insulted and embarrassed Katniss in the dining hall. Hijacked Peeta, who barely sees Katniss as human, who tried to kill her, who at best sees her as cruel and manipulative and wicked at this point in the story. Gale relates to that overgrown, violent, jealousy so much he tells katniss itās FAMILIAR. He says that TO HER FACE. Evil. I know he goes on to say a nice comforting thing about how hijacked Peeta isnāt seeing the real her right after this quote but I will never be over that he says this and I shanāt forgive him for it.
What happened with Prim and the bomb
This gets its own section cuz itās a big deal and super twisted by in fandom discussions
We know that Gale didnāt make the choice to use the double bomb when and where it was used. He was with Katniss and Co.ā¢ļø in the capital when it went down
Gale and Beetee are not even sure that it was their trap design enacted by Coin. But they seem to suspect. Katniss is sure itās true. We the readers are meant to believe thatās what happened. It was Chekhov's gun, it had to go off
Gale would NEVER hurt Prim on purpose. Heās proven himself to be a protector, and Prim is one of his priorities. Heās saved her life, heās cared for her, he cares a lot about Katniss and knows better than almost anybody how important Prim is to her. Thereās no reality where Gale knew she was going to be in the capital and allowed it. No world where he saw her on the street and pressed a button to drop a bomb on her.
However, Gale is okay with the death of innocence. His design preys on compassion, it intentionally targets medics and those rushing in to help. It reflects his belief system about collateral damage in war perfectly. He knows itās not pretty, but he believes itās necessary and the ends justify the means. When he says this heās imagining the trap being used on the ENEMY. Heās comfortable thinking about the deaths of theoretical, enemy Prims.
The fact that this got turned around and used on allies and ultimately kills someone close to him and ruins the relationship he cares most about is a huge lesson for Gale. He never learned to remember who the enemy is and that failing lead him right up to that scene with katniss in the mirror. He thought there was a wholely good and wholely bad side to the war. He thought his designs would only be used on enemies. He thought those getting hurt would deserve it. He thought the loss of life would be worth it. He was wrong.
stormborns
2087
gracieabrams
romaincrisis
