Hunger Games ': Katniss' Saving Sisters

The main focus of her survival is the main plot point of the book, her sacrificing herself for her sister by volunteering for the Hunger Games in her spot. Her sister, Prim, plays a huge part in Katniss’ survival because Katniss is motivated to return home safely after promising her sister that she would survive in the Games. Her relationship with her sister is one of the most emotional parts of this book, because almost everyone has someone close to them that are willing to sacrifice everything for. The magazine article by Jeannine Atkins called "Saving Sisters: Little Women, the Hunger Games, and Frozen” talks about exactly how close Katniss and Prim were along with other famous works that deal with sisters. Atkins stats that “The first sentence of The Hunger Games ("When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold") sets Prim's absence as a chill where there was once warmth. The sisters' relationship comes first.” In the book, Katniss talks about how much closer she is to her sister than she is her mom. This absence is scary for Katniss, especially since it was the day of the Reaping. Saying that “The sisters’ relationship comes first” (Atkins), shows how much Katniss cares for her, even though

her actions of volunteering for the Hunger Games emphasizes this love she has for Prim. Atkins continues to describe their love by saying “Through her actions in the Games, Katniss is striving to save her district, but it's her devotion to her sister that drives that quest”, which means that Katniss survives for the main purpose of seeing her sister again, because what’s the point in sacrificing herself for her sister if she does not ever see her again?
During her endeavors inside of the actual Hunger Games, Katniss survives and fights for other people in her life, mainly Rue and Peeta. These two tributes became the only two allies Katniss will ever have inside of the Hunger Games, and both succeeded in keeping her alive, even though Katniss failed to do the same to Rue. Rue and Katniss did many things together in the Hunger Games. For example, Rue helped warn Katniss of the tracker jacker nest in the tree, which Katniss was able to use to her advantage. Plus they both helped destroy the Careers’ supplies, but the destroyed supplies have a short lived victory, as Rue was killed shortly after. The article by Atkins says that “in the arena, Rue becomes a sister-stand-in—though Katniss can't save her.” Throughout the little time they spent together, Katniss can’t help but to compare Rue to her sister, mainly because of how young and innocent they both are. Rue was captured and impaled by a spear, and Katniss was successful in shooting the tribute that killed Rue. Back to the article by Atkins, she says that “For Katniss, the death of Rue renews her resolve to survive. She'd promised Prim that she'd try to make it through the games, but vows to Rue that she will win.” This is a very important quote for the theme of survival, because she told Prim she would attempt to survive in the Games, but when Rue dies, Katniss promises Rue that she would win, motivating her to last.
Another person she survives with is Peeta, her fellow District 12 tribute. When she sees him first in the Games, he is working with the Careers, who are dedicated to hunting down Katniss. This is his way of surviving, working with the strongest of the strong, pretending he will lead them to Katniss, and in the whole tracker jacker incident, escapes. He only barely escapes with a gaping sword wound, forcing him to camouflage himself and try to wait out the Games. This is when Katniss finds him after they make the announcement that “both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive” (Collins, 244). Upon hearing this Katniss thinks “Besides, it just makes sense to protect each other. And in my case – being one of the star-crossed lovers from District 12 – it’s an absolute requirement if I want any more help from sympathetic sponsors.” (Collins, 247). This quote still implies that she is desperate for the sponsors to help her survive. Their relationship takes a romantic turn during the next couple of days surviving together, affecting the rest of the book series. Their love is an on and off type of thing through the book series, but it was mainly there for their survival of the Games. In the second movie, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, President Snow tells them “While you and Peeta are on tour, you need to smile, you need to be grateful, but above all, you need to madly end it all in love. You think you can manage that?” This is a threat, because if the world finds out they were faking being in love just to survive and bend the rules, the Capital would probably be in so much trouble by the people. There love is something that has kept them together through the book series, and it has helped draw a lot of attention to themselves during the Hunger Games, keeping them alive through thick and thin. Another good quote to describe their relationship in the first book is an internal thought that Katniss had, which she thinks, “And while I was talking, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don't want him to die. And it's not about the sponsors. And it's not about what will happen when we get home. And it's not just that I don't want to be alone. It's him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread.” This means that even though she faked her love for Peeta to survive the Hunger Games, she eventually develops feelings for him.
In conclusion, Katniss survived and fought through many things for many reasons throughout The Hunger Games.

She helped keep herself alive with the help of Rue and Peeta inside of the games, and Cinna for making a name for her, letting her get more famous with sponsors. She would have probably never have survived the Hunger Games without their help. She fought to save and return to her sister who was waiting home. Survival is a very important theme in The Hunger Games. Katniss lived through the Games, but not without flaws. She ended up losing hearing in one of her ears, but it was a small price to pay for being one of the only surviving District 12 tribute, besides Haymitch, her mentor, and Peeta, who survives with her. Her survival story is incredible and

inspiring.