Katniss Everdeen: An Epic Hero

An epic hero can be defined in many ways; however, most epic heroes and heroines possess a specific set of characteristics. These characteristics have several components and are often used to determine whether or not one qualifies as an epic hero. The popular novel, The Hunger Games, features a young girl from District 12 named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss faces a daily struggle to keep her family from starving and is forced to take the place of her sister in a selection to compete in the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a televised fight to the death between children aged twelve to eighteen. The competitors are selected by random draw, one male and one female from each of the twelve districts. The last remaining survivor is crowned

a winner and receives food and other riches. This is a competition that certainly changes her life. Katniss Everdeen should be considered an epic heroine as she ventures to dangerous and unknown lands, has her worthiness tested to extreme levels, has a tremendous resurrection, and ends her eventful journey with a triumphant return home.

Katniss Everdeen demonstrates a trait of an epic hero when she is forced to venture into lands dangerous and unfamiliar to her. Her journey begins when her younger sister, Prim, is selected by random draw to compete in the Hunger Games. Without hesitation, Katniss volunteers to take her place. This would have her immediately placed on a train to ride to the Capitol along with her fellow district member, Peeta, and their new mentor, Haymitch. All twenty-four competitors spend many days in training. This is the first unfamiliar environment that Katniss is placed in. She is training to kill the people she is surrounded by, and they are training to do the same to her, which in itself is quite horrifying. The second unfamiliar place that Katniss faces is the Hunger Games arena. Katniss and they other twenty-three competitors have no idea what to expect when it comes to the arena. Each year it is randomized, providing a different challenge for all twenty-four tributes that enter the games each year. Essentially, Katniss is thrown into unknown land and is expected to be able to defend herself as well as survive off of the land. Surrounded by twenty-three well-trained and bloodthirsty competitors, Katniss has quite the challenge to face.

The worthiness of Katniss is tested on numerous different occasions, which is another trait of an epic hero. It begins when she is placed into the arena with the other twenty-three tributes. The amount of mental strength it takes to calibrate and adjust to completely unknown surroundings and environments is incredible. Katniss does this quickly and is able to escape the bloodbath that occurs in the beginning of the Hunger Games. Katniss’s ability to adjust is similar to that of Odysseus from the Odyssey. Odysseus was forced to face creatures like Scylla and Charybdis. This required quick adjustments by Odysseus and his crew to fend off the beasts. Another example where Katniss proved her worth occurred later in the games. She was essentially singled out and hunted down by a large group of powerful allies. Katniss was driven up into a tree where she couldn’t be reached by the other tributes. She spent hours there while the others waited for her to come down at the base of the tree. Katniss waited until the right time to begin cutting down a branch that held a beehive. She cut the branch down onto the group below and watched them panic and sprint away in fear. At this point she could descend from the tree and make her escape. This is similar to Odysseus and his crew spending days held in a cave by Polyphemus. Like Odysseus, who thought of a plan to blind the Cyclops and free his crew, Katniss uses patience and wit to think of a plan to make her escape. These two occurrences show the strength and wit of Katniss, all of which takes place in an area unfamiliar to her and the others.

Another epic hero trait displayed by Katniss was a tremendous resurrection that took place when the Hunger Games was closing in on a finish.

Katniss and her fellow member of District 12, Peeta, make it to the final two tributes remaining. They are encouraged to kill each other, but refuse to do so out of love. Katniss and Peeta agreed to commit suicide together to disobey the rules of the Capitol. This is the nadir, or low point, of Katniss Everdeen. She has been left no option but to kill herself along with her partner. This is where her powerful resurrection takes place. Just before ending their lives, they are stopped by one of the creators of the Hunger Games arena. It is then announced that under the circumstances, they would allow both Peeta and Katniss to be victors of the Hunger Games. This gives a very large sense of relief, and both Peeta and Katniss emerge

victorious.

A fourth epic hero trait displayed by Katniss is her triumphant return home with Peeta.

After accomplishing the impossible and defying the Capitol in the process, she returns home a heroine. Katniss becomes the symbol for uprisings and rebellions, and is looked up to by many. Nobody had accomplished what she had, and it says a lot about Katniss Everdeen as a heroine. In the end, Katniss and Peeta are crowned by President Snow as co-victors of the Hunger Games.

It could be argued that Katniss is not an epic heroine because of the characteristics she does not fulfill. Katniss was not born into royalty, nor was her birth unusual. The progress of Katniss was also never hindered by any woman. Although these characteristics can often play a strong part in an epic hero’s journey, it does not counterbalance the traits that she does fulfill. Katniss possesses too many of the characteristics of an epic hero to make the claim that she does not qualify as one.

Many epic heroes and heroines have specific traits and characteristics that are placed on them. Some modern day heroes and heroines might qualify as an epic hero according to those traits and characteristics. There are many striking similarities to the characteristics and the journey of Katniss and that of many epic heroes. Many modern day heroes can easily qualify as an epic hero, and Katniss Everdeen is without a doubt one of

them.