Hunger Games Ch. 4-10
What more do we learn about Katniss?
Though Katniss is still the same old soul she was at the beginning of the book, we start to see some of her true age in these chapters. Between the time she meets Peeta and the Games begin, she is on a emotional roller coaster. Not because of the fact that she is being forced to participate in an event where children must fight to the death, but because she struggles to understand her feelings for Peeta. Early on, she knows that she must be skeptical of him since they will be competing against each other. As she gets to know Peeta, her internal conflict grows and she doesn’t know how to deal with it. A great example of this is on page #72:
“And then he gives me a smile that seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me. A warning bell goes off in my head. Don’t be so stupid. Peeta is planning how to kill you, I remind myself. He is luring you in to make you easy prey. The more likeable he is, the more deadly he is. But because two can play at this game, I stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek.”
This type of internal dialogue occurs regularly for Katniss throughout these chapters. Another example is on page #48. Peeta and Katniss are cleaning up Haymitch after he vomits on himself. Katniss is grateful for Peeta’s help, but also questions his motives. I think this is the newest and most interesting trait in Katniss that is revealed to us in these chapters. Other traits that we already knew about are intensified. When Katniss is preparing to be interviewed before the games on page #117, she struggles to take Haymitch’s advice. She continues to be head strong and defiant towards authority. She shows this again at the end of chapter seven when she’s showing off her talents to the Gamemakers. When none of them are paying attention to Katniss, she decides to shoot an arrow towards the group and hits an apple that was roasting in a pigs mouth.
In this section, we also learn more about how Katniss met Gale starting on page #109. We learn that they’re connected because their fathers died in the same coal mine explosion. We also see more of how Katniss is determined. She is forceful in her first meeting with Gale. She asks him to teach her how to set traps.
What do we learn about Peeta?
Peeta can best be described as a big question mark, especially for Katniss who is in the awkward situation of getting along with Peeta before she may face killing him. He does a lot of things that question his motives and seems to have a lot of secrets. It all started back in District 12 when Katniss was looking for food. Almost frozen to death, Peeta throws her some bread that his mother said was supposed to go to the pigs. If Peeta’s mom caught him, he would have been beat. So maybe Peeta is nice before the Games. Later, on the way to the Capitol, when Haymitch vomits on himself, Peeta offers to take care of cleaning him up so Katniss doesn’t have to. This continues to make Katniss wonder if he’s genuine or playing the game. One of the biggest surprises is when Peeta is being interviewed before the games and he tell everybody watching in Panem that he has a crush on Katniss. Katniss is stunned, but even more when she later learns that it was all a stunt that could help Katniss. Again, why is he helping her? What are his motives? This continues when Haymitch breaks the news to Katniss that despite their earlier decision, Peeta would now like to train separately. One of the biggest question marks on Peeta is his conversation with Katniss on the roof before the Games begin. Peeta tells Katniss that “I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not.” (Page #141) Why is Peeta showing such weakness before an event where only one person literally survives Katniss wonders? Peeta is so good at remaining ambiguous that Katniss is continually questioning her own feeling for Peeta throughout chapters 4 through 10.
What do we learn about the Capitol and the Games?
Well, on a personal note, the residents of the Capitol are kind of sick in the head. Anyway, the Capitol is located in what used to be the Rockies and the Games are held to remind the Districts that they are under control of the Capitol so that they don’t revolt again. The oddest thing about the Capitol, besides the way they talk, according to Katniss, is the relationship that they have with the contestants of the Games. Despite the fact that the residents of the Capitol will be watching these children try to kill each other, they also enjoy watching them in parades. They feed them delicious food. They provide them with luxurious accommodations. They give them maids. It seems they try to put them on pedestals before they force them to begin killing each other. It really is an odd relationship and continues to perplex me as I read.
The Games themselves consist of one boy and one girl from each district for a total of 24 individuals. There are some districts that send what Katniss calls “career” tributes. These are kids who train to participate in the games. They usually volunteer in their districts to be in the Games. The Games are held in a sort of wilderness arena. There may be a desert or a forest or anything in between, and yet people who help move the Games along control the arena. They can make it rain, snow, etc. The games also have a unique way of supporting the participants. Each district’s tributes have a person outside the arena that represents them. It’s their job to try to find the tributes sponsors from the Capitol. The sponsors provide equipment and food to the tributes while they are in the arena.
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