Katniss 'Approach To The Innermost Cave'

Stage 7: Approach to the Innermost Cave

This part of the journey begins when Rue dies. Katniss tried to save her and failed. She shares her struggle when she shares, "Rue's death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us. But here, even more strongly than at home, I feel my impotence. “There's no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there?” (Collins 1364). This part of the journey continues when she finds Peeta inured. Katniss constantly risks her life to get resources to help bring Peeta back to health. Katniss is willing to go through all of this trouble because Peeta is her friend and she knows that his survival is crucial to her winning the games, and returning to her district. Protecting

the weak, even if it puts her at risk, is also what fuels her. She even continues to put others first when she is badly burned. Katniss and Peeta rest in a cave when he is injured and needs medicine to fix his cut. She explains, "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 back 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 (Collins 1869)." Katniss is beginning to realize that victory will eventually be found in her ability to draw upon others and stand up to fight injustice together.

Stage 8: Ordeal
The ordeal in this story occurs throughout but gets more obvious when Katniss and Peeta have to work together to fight the wolflike mutations sent by the game masters. According to Campbell, the ordeal occurs when the hero “faces the possibility of death (Vogler).” They work together to defeat the mutations but soon encounter another problem. Cato is still alive, and he tries to kill them both. At this time, both tributes are under the impression that both will be allowed to win. Working as a team, Katniss and Peeta, outsmart Cato and kill him. With only Katniss and Peeta left, the gamekeepers changed the rules yet again. There could only be one victor. Katniss does not want to be played by President Snow or the gamemaster. She knows how toxic the berries are, and that the berries will kill them both. They decide that if they only want one victor then they will give them no victors. This act displeases the Capitol. “It’s the Capitol. They didn’t like our student with the berries (Collins 2141).” With Katniss and Peeta both going to eat the berries, the gamemaster, Claudius Templesmith, stops the games because their needed to be a victor to keep peace in Panem.

Stage 9: Reward
Katniss’ reward for winning the Hunger Games is that she gets to live a life of peace and wealth. Katniss is awarded a new home in Victor’s Village, and gives Prim and her mother a better life. Vogler states that “ the hero now takes possession of the treasure (Vogler).” While the Victor’s Village rewards were tangible, and made the life of her family better, they were not a huge motivator for Katniss. Most felt that winning would change who she was. Peeta shared this sentiment when he said, “Anyway, if we make it back, you won’t be a girl from the Seam, you’ll be a girl from the Victor’s Village (Collins 1756).” For Katniss, the only reward that counted was that she got to save her sister’s life, and they both get to live to see another day. This reward came with a cost because when Katniss and Peeta both won it started a revolution in Panem. Being the victors of the Hunger Games comes with much celebration but the winners are never really get true glory. They end up being very famous, but they are never free. It is hard to enjoy rewards like that.

Stage 10: The Road Back
Katniss and Peeta head back to District 12.Vogler said “ the hero is not out of the woods yet (Vogler).” The game organizers are furious that something as small as trying to eat a few berries can ruin the games. President Snow, Panem’s ruler, executes the game master that ended the games, and Peeta and Katniss have no idea of what the have just done. They later find out that the games never end. Every year Katniss and Peeta are going to get dragged to the Capitol for every Hunger Games. They find out that everybody in the Capitol wants to know what is going on between Katniss and Peeta. They try to fool the Capitol into thinking that they were willing to both die because they were in love, and couldn’t live without each other. They get very good at playing, it is like the games never ended. Katniss shares this when she says, “The audience goes berserk. Whether he knows or not, Petta is, as usual, playing the crowd exactly right (Collins 2076).” Everyone in the Capitol, except for President Snow, believes the ruse that they are truly in love with each other. It is a strategy they need to survive.

Stage 11: Resurrection
This is the part of the hero’s journey where he/she meets their biggest ordeal and sometimes death.

Vogler states that “ The hero emerges from the special world, transformed by his/her experience (Vogler).” Katniss almost kills herself eating the berries. This part of the story is very tense and dramatic. “I spread out my fingers, and the dark berries glisten in the sun. I give Peeta’s hand one last squeeze as a signal, as a goodbye, and we begin counting. “One.” Maybe I’m wrong. “Two.” Maybe they don’t care if we both die. “Three!” It’s too late to change my mind. I lift my hand to my mouth, taking one last look at the world. The berries have just passed my lips when the trumpets begin to blare (Collins 1987).” The scene with the dogs and Cato could also be included in this category because it changes the relationship between the characters. Katniss fought for her and Peeta’s life against the dogs. And Cato could’ve killed Peeta if Katniss didn’t shoot Cato’s hand with an arrow. Katniss and Peeta then find out that the gamemaster changed the rules, so there could only be one victor. Katniss suggested that they both eat the berries and give the capitol no victors. They put the berries in their mouths and the game master instantly ended the games making them both victors. Katniss and Peeta then have to fake that they ate the berries because they couldn’t live without each other. Eventually Katniss becomes pretty fond of

Peeta.

Stage 12: Return with the Elixir
Katniss and Peeta return to District 12.

Vogler states that “ The hero comes back to the ordinary world, but the adventure would be meaningless unless he/she brought back the elixir, treasure, or some lesson from the special world (Vogler).” They bring back hope to their district and the rest of Panem. The elixir that Katniss returns with is the knowledge and drive to change Panem. Katniss and Peeta winning the hunger games started a revolution in Panem.They return with the knowledge of the hunger games which they plan to teach to future competitors from district 12. Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch are all mentors for District 12. Their rebellious actions in the games may seem small, but they started a whole new rebellion on a much larger

scale.

Katniss Everdeen is a prime example of the hero analyzed by Joseph Campbell. She exemplifies the characteristics he defines and her journey mirrors the stages he teaches. The spirit of Katniss Everdeen prevails over injustice as she struggles to protect the weak. In the world today, she is an example of “going against the man” who many feel is government and what is behind all that is wrong about our society. The “special world” that Katniss emerges from, as Campbell puts it, is a blown out of proportion version of our own society. Her hero story is an exaggeration of society’s fight against “the man” but her story works.

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. London: Scholastic, 2010. iBooks.

Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. Warner Home Video, 2012. iTunes.

Vogler, Christopher. "A Practical Guide to Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces." Storytech Literary Consulting. Storytech, Inc, 1985. Web. 20 Aug. 2015.