Maysilee posted over a year ago. Josh Hutcherson. Jennifer Lawrence. Peeta Mellark. Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. The Hunger Games Movie. Catching Fire. But her choice is what defines her love and she chooses Peeta. She chooses to love.
This explanation is not mine. I copied it from some reviewer. It's been a while ago, I copied it. But I think it explains everything.
And explains what true love really is. It is a great piece to contemplate and even use in our real world life. I guess I'm just worked up because after getting to know and like Katniss for the first two books, I didn't feel ok with "leaving her" in a vague picture of her present with Peeta.
There was nothing to indicate they were 'in love' but rather just committed circumstantially. May 29, PM. You are wrong. Their experience in the area brought them closer together. Katniss and Peeta had their own issues to deal with, yes, but because they had gone through all that and still fought to be together is impressive. You have to truly love someone to go through all that and still want to be together.
Katniss and Peeta had a system to deal with his disillusion, the whole "Real" or "Not Real" thing. Really it's nothing that a soldier coming back from war might not experience. I personally feel that her feelings for Peeta were outweighing those of Gale anyways, but when they executed his plan that put a nail in it.
Katniss would never be able to recover from that. The proof that they were in love, was the fact that they did have children. Katniss never wanted children because she didn't want them to grow up in the same conditions that she did.
Once she put an end to the Hunger Games, and returned to her district to make things better, then the life conditions improved enough for her to consider it. Katniss and Peeta had their scare from their civil war, but they were together and building a new better life for the people in the districts. The children symbolize so much. As far as the grave part, that is more a recognition and honoring of the past while they were building a better future.
Smiles wrote: "um she could If she had said no what do you think that would happen? How would he react when he suddenly realized that everything he thought to be real would, again, be questioned. I don't think that he would survive it. May 30, AM. Smiles wrote: "Sara wrote: "I disagree. Whether it was an accident It was his idea.
Indirectly killing Prim. May 30, PM. I think it started as like a favor for Peeta or something but at the end she did fall in love with him.
Wait who killed Prim again? It wasn't Gale, right? It's been quite a time since I read this book. Remember how he and Beetee were working on traps, designs, and other ways to take over the Capital people.
May 31, AM. Saying Gale killed Prim because he designed the bomb that was used that day is like saying all airplane crashes are Wilbur and Orville Wright's fault. Just because Coin used that device to manipulate Katniss doesn't mean Gale is at fault.
He loved Prim like a little sister. As for the original question, no, I don't think Peeta and Katniss "loved" each other in the classical sense, but they were very dependent on one another and content with that arrangement.
Peeta played the game from day one and claiming he loved Katniss was a great strategy for a weaker contestant to employ.
Just because they ended up together and have affection through the shared experience doesn't mean they are in love. I always got the impression that Katniss loved Prim more than anyone else in the world except maybe her father and Rue was a close second only because she reminded her of Prim.
I thought she settled with Peeta because she felt guilty initially and eventually, that turned to a companion-type of affection.
I even got the feeling that Katniss was "meh" about her own kids, too. I just don't think she's capable of completely opening up to anyone, honestly. Maybe, in her emotionally stunted, PTSD kind of way, she loves him as much as she can. May 31, PM. They obviously are not in love. Why else would they marry and have two kids? It's like Finnick said when Katniss asked him if he loved Annie right away. She snuck up on me. Rachel wrote: "They obviously are not in love.
Jeni wrote: "Rachel wrote: "They obviously are not in love. I should probably elaborate but I'm too busy reading:. I started Divergent last night. I love Divergent! I really liked Love books that make you think. Sense and Sensibility is one of my next on the big list. Have you read Jane Eyre?
I finally finished the Hunger Games trilogy last week and was recommended Divergent as a good transition from the Hunger Games "high". I'm currently reading the Handmaiden's Tale. Strange and compelling, so far. Everything is: "Peeta is sweet," "What did Katniss do to earn a guy like Peeta's affections? So beautiful. It's like, did we read the same books? Are we reading the same Katniss and Peeta? Peeta does have redeeming qualities but overall he is a double-edged sword.
On one end he fights off Katniss' demons and gives her hope, strength, and safety and on the other end he manipulates and tries to control her. At first glance it is meaningful that they grow together and are able to work towards healing and a future, on closer inspection there are other "games" being played even if, as Katniss reflects in the epilogue, there are worse games to be "played". I will have to see how I find it when I re-read the trilogy.
I have also been bothered by Peeta. Peeta always struck me as being kind of petulant. Outing Katniss on national television as being the object of his decade-long affection was just plain wrong.
I know a lot of people take the view that he only did it to help her but if that were really the case, he wouldn't have been so bitter when she confronts him after the interview.
He doesn't apologize or try to explain his actions. Instead, he grumbles that, "she's just worried about her boyfriend. And later that night, on the roof, when she tells him to care about "staying alive", he's very condescending towards her. Here he is, face to face with the girl he's supposedly been in love with for 11 years and he spends what could very well be their last moments together mocking her and making her feel bad for wanting to survive.
Again, he just dismisses her feelings. I won't go through the entire series and point out each time he says something passive-aggressive or pulls the rug out from under her all for her own good, of course! In fact, I can't think of a single instance in the trilogy where he directly tells Katniss that he loves her. I'm really bothered that Katniss ended up with him.
First and foremost, Peeta tries to kill her with his own hands twice. And she feels guilty about it because she thinks his hijacking was her fault?
That is a textbook abusive relationship. Second, it felt to me like Katniss settled for Peeta because she was too broken to do otherwise. At no point during the last two chapters in MJ did I feel like she was truly in love with him. Even Peeta has to drag it out of her, saying "you love me, real or not real? You just had sex with the girl of your dreams. Give the needy talky-talk a rest. For once. Katniss was a BAMF for much of the trilogy but in the end, she's a shadow of her former self.
This is not to say that Peeta doesn't have any redeeming qualities, because he does. He's certainly brave, he's a strategic thinker and he willingly sacrifices himself. But Collins' decision to have Peeta try to kill Katniss ruined their storyline for me. Hi Haaffa, thank you for your comment and for taking the time to read my hub. I really appreciate it. I find the Katniss and Peeta dynamic interesting, especially because it is so layered and complicated. Even though I wrote about Katniss' and Peeta's relationship, I find it difficult to explain.
You captured in one sentence what I tried to explain with many. Thank you for bringing it together. I agree with you that Peeta is a natural performer either naturally born or as a result of his childhood circumstances and I like the points you make about how Peeta knows that revealing his crush on Katniss during the interviews will make for great television, that it not only makes Katniss "desirable" but that it also makes Peeta memorable, and the idea of the sharing of the spotlight vs the competing for attention with 24 others.
I had not thought of it that way but it is a good insight and it adds another layer to understanding Peeta and how he functions. I did not initially make the connection between Peeta and his own father but once I saw the connection it, I wondered how I had missed it. It is interesting to think of Peeta as the only one who achieved his childhood goals and changed his destiny, especially since he did it in a nearly undetectable way and since he did pay a steep price as did Katniss and other THG characters.
Following that train of thought, a lot of different arguments could be made about some of the messages in THG and about the way that THG trilogy closes.
Thank you again! Thank you for putting into words my sentiments towards the Peeta and Katniss dynamic. Since the beginning of THG there was something not quite right about Peeta that I couldn't put my finger on.
Explaining why was difficult to articulate. The heart of this confusion is because Peeta's manipulative nature coexists with his tendency towards kindness and compassion. He deceives Katniss "for her own good" many times throughout the games. It's almost as if he can't help but understand what people want from him and he's a natural born performer.
He knows that revealing his crush on Katniss during the interviews will make for great television. It makes her "desirable" as Haymicht points out, but more importantly it makes Peeta memorable. Sharing the spotlight with one is much easier than competing for attention among 24 tributes.
Also, thank you for pointing out the parallels between Peeta and his own father. It was the first time that I thought about it in that way. And it makes so much sense. From this perspective, Peeta's the only one who really achieved his childhood goals and changed his destiny.
You could argue that he paid a steep price, but so do all the other THG characters - especially Katniss. Hi The boss, thank you for your comment and for reading my hub. Peeta is kind to others that are not Katniss. I do not make the argument that he is unkind or that he does not show moments of genuine kindness or sincerity. Gale and Peeta both have anger with respect to Katniss and try to control Katniss in different ways, and Peeta is arguably the one that gives her more freedom to respond to her true feelings that develop out of complicated circumstances.
Reducing Katniss' emotional development with respect to Peeta and Gale as "kissing two people and leading them on" and Peeta as only wanting "some respect and not to be used like he was" disregards the other factors that come into play for THG trilogy, for the characters, their relationships, and development.
He never thought she "owed" him anything, all he wanted was a little respect, kissing two people and leading them on shows a lack of respect, it's not that he felt he "deserved" her.
But that he felt that she shouldn't have treated him like something she was wiping off her shoes. Gale has the same anger, he wants to control Katniss more, asking her if she loves him, Peeta is shown to be kind to others that are not Katniss, it is who he is. Peeta just wanted some respect from Katniss, which is fair considering he was prepared to die twice for her, he never felt he "deserved" her like some object, he only wanted some respect and not to be used like he was.
Thank YOU for your additional responses. I also read the trilogy months ago and still find it a fascinating topic for discussion. I enjoy discussions about topics of interest and enjoy challenging and respectful discussions--so you are definitely giving me a run for my money I am still not convinced about there being that much hope in the ending.
From what I remember there were only sprinkles of hope and the ending was pretty subdued in several ways. You make a good argument about the hopefulness of the ending so I will be checking that out when I re-read the books and will pay attention to the points you mentioned to see how it resonates.
You also make a good argument about the locket. And the more I think about it, the more ways I see it, especially when taking the motivation into consideration. The locket is manipulative! Unless it was never meant to be shown to Katniss, in which we would not be having this part of the discussion at all and it would put Peeta on the path to being a less-manipulative person; but since this is not the case, the motivations and desired results of the locket are many and can be multiple ones at the same time.
She cannot tell him why she will not fulfill the debt. This angers Peeta even more. These are all ways in which Katniss refuses to be manipulated specifically in relation to Peeta. For example: Peeta sharing a bed with her.
She refuses to be manipulated as a person but on the greater scale of things she really only resists being manipulated by the Capitol, by the Rebellion, by Peeta. One of the tragedies of her character is that she still ultimately IS manipulated. This is part of the complexity of her character and one of the things the trilogy makes an indirect statement about.
In response to the example you chose about Peeta sharing a bed with her: How much can you refuse to be manipulated when you are in a mentally and emotionally unstable state and you need comfort and stability and there is a safe, sweet, and trusted male that runs in to your bedroom at the height of your instability? He is only successful in manipulating you because it goes along with your inclination or need to be comforted and reassured?
He is only successful because you chose to let him be successful and because you drew the line at your need his being there for you but not at his need it leading to another kind of intimacy? Peeta manipulates and Katniss resists his manipulations but she still does give in to some of them in ways that are not immediately visible or directly correlated. An example of this is how she feels indebted to Peeta and does in turn save him a couple of times in the arena and looks out for him.
This of course, could also be argued to be due to her loyalty and compassion. Katniss is generally sincere and Peeta is selectively sincere. In part Katniss lets Peeta in and in part Peeta weasles and manipulates his way in. Being manipulated into having children and still finding joy when they are in your arms for the first time are not mutually exclusive. Loving someone or choosing to love someone that you know has a tendency to manipulate you and others and then choosing to resist and at times give in to their manipulations are not mutually exclusive.
Trying to get through life day-to-day, going through the motions, being ready to leave the Earth and still finding pieces of hope in others or in life are not mutually exclusive. Thanks for your response. Although I read the trilogy several months ago, I still find it a fascinating topic for discussion. I find the epilogue hopeful because Katniss uses the word 'joy' to describe the feeling of her daughter in her arms for the first time.
Her fear is based on having everything taken away from her. Indeed, it suggests otherwise or else the fear would be less intense. Katniss's decision not to have children wasn't because she didn't want them per se, but because she was afraid that they would be reaped. My impression of her decision to eventually have them was a combination of factors - Peeta wanted them, the arenas were being dismantled and memorials built, and she had enough confidence in the future to follow her own inclinations in spite of her fears.
Peeta IS manipulative. He knows how to read people - a legacy of having an abusive mother. And that locket is manipulative. It's the motivation that's under question. Why I think he genuinely means for Katniss to accept his gift of her life and a future with Gale, is his reaction to Katniss's acceptance of the pearl.
He's not happy that it's had the opposite effect that he intended. It reminds me of the adage that if you love something, set it free. If it's truly yours, it will come back. Peeta doesn't appear to have planned on that. Throughout the trilogy, Katniss refuses to be manipulated. She continually fights against it, and if she has no choice, she endeavors to do it on her terms.
She doesn't give in to Gale or Peeta, no matter how bad she feels about hurting them, if it's against her own inclinations.
When Peeta's manipulations do succeed it's in accord with Katniss's own inclinations. So while I agree with many of your points, Katniss as the victim of Peeta's inclinations, no matter how benign, just doesn't convince me. Hi Meg, thank you for reading my review and for commenting! While I do not see Katniss' and Peeta's relationship as a happy one, I do agree with you in that the relationship they have at the end of the trilogy is "stripped of illusions and staged scenarios that comprised their early relationship" which allows them to go forward.
It's great that you noted something I didn't include especially since it was such a meaningful moment! I had forgotten about that part when writing the analysis but it is a good piece to think about. Peeta giving Katniss the locket is not necessarily evidence that he had no intention of collecting so much as his giving up hope of collecting. His actions towards Katniss for the rest of Catching Fire are more genuine and less self-interested towards her after giving up this hope.
He frees her of obligations to him but more because there is no hope for him to survive the arena and he thinks that there is no hope for Katniss to return his feelings and thinks that he has nothing to live for. Once he lets go of this hope and is real with Katniss, Katniss is free to be real with Peeta. He frees her of obligations at the end of Catching Fire but then his anger and expectations resurface in Mockingjay.
I've enjoyed reading your review. I don't have such a bleak view of the ending though. I see Katniss having children as hopeful and that Peeta and Katniss's relationship as being a happy one, stripped of illusions and staged scenarios that comprised their early relationship. Katniss hates feeling in dept as evidenced by her inability to get over the bread Peeta tossed to her. So I fully agree with your following statement.
No matter how sweet, kind, and charismatic the male may be, at some point he will come to collect. I note that you didn't include Katniss's 'turnaround' when Peeta gives her the locket. Do you think it's another of Peeta's manipulations to get Katniss on side in order to get her to favour him? Or, as Katniss seems to think, evidence that he had no intention of collecting and frees her of any obligations to him? The more I analyze the trilogy, the more Mockingjay fits. But it still needed so much work before being published.
Mockingjay as it was published had to have been a rough or early draft because there is so much wrong with it and Collins was clearly unfocused, rushed, and not as dedicated. You really have to dig to find the pieces that were done right and have to separate them from the mess that Mockingjay was. I agree that the book did not make its point clear enough; which is a shame because Collins could have finished strong.
I see the problem with moving your work over as it does take a long time for Google to pick things up, even without moving things. I realize that you're not making that now but that's some good traffic. With all the problems with Squidoo it sounds like you will be on to bigger and better things in the spreading of eggs among other baskets.
When I first ventured out into writing online, I considered a personal blog but I realized that I did not have enough time to dedicate to one and I wanted more flexibility in terms of what I could write. Right now HubPages works with what I can invest in terms of time, topics, indexing, etc.
From looking at your hubs, I can tell you will have a lot to write about in whatever basket you decide! I hated everything about Mockingjay on the first read around. The second time, I began to realize that it's then that we see how much Katniss has changed and how she's losing control of her own life. Peeta changes. Johanna changes, and everything is different. The book itself failed in many ways, and I don't feel that it made its point clear enough because it was so rushed.
Moving anything is worthless because it takes too long for Google to pick it up if I do that. Writing for Squidoo right now though is also worthless. They're doing something messed up over there. I was dropped from the Giant Squid program because I don't write recipe lenses, so no.
I'm done with them. There are other ways to split my eggs among other baskets, including a personal blog. After reading your comment, I went on Squidoo to see what kind of posts they had about THG and saw what you were talking about with respect to there being a focus on HG merchandise and selling stuff. And from looking around I agree that there are definitely differences between Squidoo and HubPages. Some people recommend not putting "all eggs in one basket" when it comes to writing online; so if you have the time to diversify your online writing portfolio and if Squidoo is doing well for you, it might be worth keeping vs changing over?
Or you could still bring work over to HP and do one of the options that you mentioned or do both staying on Squidoo and moving some work over to HubPages or another platform. I totally understand about the stats. As of yesterday, I returned to a medium that I strongly dislike Facebook in an effort to bring my hubs to a wider audience. Getting those stats to work is a compromise at times. I don't get to read a lot for enjoyment and THG trilogy was the first thing I have read for enjoyment in a very long time and likely for another long time to come.
There definitely is something unique about the character complexities and that is one of the reasons I like it so much. I love things that make me think, that speak, work on several levels, challenge ideas and encourage discussion, and that are well done which is why THG is my latest enthusiasm.
Peeta is "cute" in the movies but if you look very closely, there is something that seems not quite right about him in the movies but it is harder to put one's finger on and easy to miss, especially without reading the book. Even with reading the book, you still have to put the puzzle together. I did not think Mockingjay gave that much more, in fact I thought it failed as a book. While it failed as a book, one of the things that it got more or less right and that would have been great if it had been further developed and better written were the parts with Peeta.
I started writing most of my Hunger Games material on Squidoo almost a year before The Hunger Games movie came out in theaters. I think I was one of the first, but it seemed later on as though what people wanted in relation to Hunger Games wasn't perspective, but opportunities to buy stuff.
Of course, that was Squidoo and this is Hubpages and I should hope that we all know how they differ by now. I've never brought very much of my book-related material to Hubpages but am beginning to rethink it. Before I do, I either need to clear out this account or make a book-related satellite account though. My stats page on this one is such a mess it makes me want to cry. I read a lot of young adult fiction, but this one is the one that I always come back to because there's something unique about the character complexities, if you look deeply enough to actually examine and explore them.
The book's meant to make you think that's the nature of dystopian fiction and I think that with the movies out now that people aren't taking a deep enough look. Peeta's "cute" in the movies: The books give you so much more, particularly in Mockingjay. I can see where the hub would not change your feelings about their relationship since you shared the perspective I expressed about the characters. I enjoy reading analysis for things that interest me and so when I write, I write thinking that I cannot be the only one haha ;-.
It is hard to know what people will want to read but hopefully with the enthusiasm present for THG people will read it. Thank you once again! Really interesting analysis. I can't say that it changed my feelings about their relationship much, but that's at least in part because I agree with you about both characters.
I've written about them in the past in an effort to write what people want to read, but the expository type of analysis is refreshing and enlightening. Great job! Party Games. Drinking Games. Lawn Games. Creative Writing. Card Games. Magic: The Gathering. Comic Books. Harry Potter. Board Games. Performing Arts. Musical Theater. Circus Arts. Tabletop Gaming. Metal Detecting. Outdoor Hobbies. Model Trains. Welcome to HobbyLark!
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