Construction Amid Deconstruction: Survival of the Kindest and the Ethos of Caring in the Hunger Games

Abstract

Katniss Everdeen - the girl who was on fire, the Mockingjay, the iconic heroine of Suzanne Collins’ young adult series The Hunger Games - has captivated audiences worldwide since 2008, when she burst from the page as a resourceful, independent YA protagonist in sharp contrast with other popular YA characters of the time. Championed for her strength and self-sufficiency, Katniss is a feminist model for the young adult readers who have embraced her. However, the series’s most vital example of true rebellion comes not from Katniss, but from her male counterpoint, Peeta Mellark. Peeta teaches Katniss that surviving for survival’s sake alone is meaningless, and that the vulnerability and connection she has avoided are actually what makes life worthwhile. What’s more, in their post-apocalyptic dictatorship, where they are among the poorest and most desperate citizens and pitted against each other, forging relationships with others is the most defiant act of all. Though she seemingly wins the Hunger Games thanks to her more traditionally masculine traits, it’s Katniss’s warmth, protectiveness, and trust in others that ultimately give her a reason to fight, and Peeta teachers her to recognize and value those traits. Through his selfless actions, unconditional love, and proxies like fellow tribute Finnick Odair, Peeta shows Katniss and her young adult readers the importance of caring for others in a world determined to isolate you.