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Katniss Everdeen

by Ian from Los Angeles

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"
Katniss Everdeen in the arena (bookriot.com)
Katniss Everdeen in the arena (bookriot.com)

Katniss Everdeen, The Girl On Fire, is my hero because of her bravery, of how she was able to hold on to her sanity in the middle of a war, of how she led the districts to defeat the Capitol against incredible odds. When I read 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, I fell in love with her main character, Katniss Everdeen. I wanted to read more. I have read the whole series and I love it. I admire Katniss Everdeen. And on this page, I will tell you everything about Katniss Everdeen, My Hero.

Map Of Panem. It is located in future USA. (sparknotes.com (Chrissie Gruebel))
Map Of Panem. It is located in future USA. (sparknotes.com (Chrissie Gruebel))

Katniss Everdeen was born and raised in District 12. It's hard to explain, but every year, the Capitol forces every one of the 12 Districts (previously 13 but District 13 was destroyed in the Dark Days) to send a girl and boy tribute to the yearly Hunger Games, in payment for grain and oil, where they fight to the death. Last person standing wins. The victor wins riches and popularity. Then they become mentors for their district's next tributes. The Hunger Games are much hated by the outside districts, but the districts favored by the Capitol (District 1, 2, and 4) train their whole lives to be tributes in the Hunger Games. They are called 'careers' because the Hunger Games is their career. Anyway, District 12 has only had one victor (Haymitch Abernathy) who is a drunken man and is very hard to trust. In other words, the chances that District 12's tributes (Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen) would win under these conditions are close to impossible.

Katniss On Reaping Day (sparkleonandwearbows.com (Celebuzz!))
Katniss On Reaping Day (sparkleonandwearbows.com (Celebuzz!))

Katniss Everdeen's father was killed in a mine explosion and Katniss mourns him a lot in the books. When he died, Katniss took over and put her family under her wing. Her mother was stricken by depression, not helping them. Katniss hunted in the woods to get them food, and then traded what she didn't need at the District 12 black market, the Hob, to get the other necessities. This shows that Katniss is VERY responsible for her age. In the woods she meets Gale Hawthorne and instantly becomes friends with him. They start hunting, trading, and spending time together, but it isn't romantic, as it later becomes. Then, the day that would change her life came. The day they choose the tributes. Reaping day. Katniss is very attached to her sister, Primrose Everdeen, known as Prim. When Prim became old enough to be out in the bowl, Katniss only let her put 1 slip in, while she had it in there 20 times. Yet, out of all those slips of paper, Prim is chosen. And when that slip of paper is called out, Katniss volunteers as tribute. "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" This shows how brave Katniss Everdeen is. This started her whole life. This started all the hate from President Snow. This started all the death threats. This started a revolution.

Peeta With the Bread (posh24.com)
Peeta With the Bread (posh24.com)

And then the boy's name is called. The name called is Peeta Mellark, Peeta is the son of the baker. And when Peeta walks up to the podium, Katniss remembers him. Once, during an especially bad month, Katniss was begging and digging in trash cans to find food for her family. She was outside the baker's house. Then, she heard yelling coming from inside. She heard the sound of a slap. And then the door opened. "Feed them to the pigs!" A powerful, loud feminine voice yelled. As the door closed, a boy stepped outside. He was holding two burnt loaves of bread. And while he was ordered to throw them to the pigs, he threw them to Katniss. He didn't say anything. She didn't say anything. And then he stepped inside. The boy was Peeta.

When the tributes arrive in the Capitol via train, they fall into the hands of their stylists. In Katniss' case, her prep team consists of Flavius, Venia, and Octavia. The man who is in charge of the team is called the stylist. For Katniss, his name is Cinna. He has a really important role in the story. He creates all the costumes that Katniss wears during the pre-games interviews. In the parade (where all the tributes ride out in the square in front of the Capitol in chariots) Katniss and Peeta wear black clothes that have been set aflame. They wear these clothes because District 12 is the mining district, and they produce coal. And when Caesar Flickerman (the interviewer of the games) interviews her, she wears a dress that looks like flames when she spins. Cinna creates the beautiful costumes that were a part of Katniss' rise to fame. But that wasn't all Cinna did. He also provided comfort and trust to Katniss in a world that lacks happiness, that lacks trustworthy people.

During the Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss fall in love, and it leads to a lot of kissing. Throughout the series, Katniss and Peeta continue to be in love, and there are a lot of heartbreaks. But Katniss keeps her sanity, even when the love of her life is mutated by the Capitol to try to kill Katniss. Katniss continues trying to get her boyfriend back, and it works. He becomes the regular Peeta again. But then, at the end of the series, her loved sister, Prim, is killed by the people she was working with to kill President Snow. Most people would go crazy, and become a wreck with depression. And for a time, she does become depressed. Even mentally mute. But eventually she finds herself and becomes the Katniss we all know. Katniss is one of the most fascinating, interesting, and loved protagonists I have ever shared an adventure with. And while she may be over aggressive, and may not be the best lover, and sometimes she might not be emotionally stable, she is still incredibly brave. She still never lost her sanity, like Annie, her friend Finnick's girlfriend. And when someone does something to those she loves, capturing Peeta, killing Prim, destroying her district, she pays them back. She is loyal and avenging to those she loves. She is not perfect. She is not kind. She is not the most lovable person. But she is my hero.

Page created on 1/22/2014 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 1/22/2014 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.