Katniss Girl On Fire

Since the birth of the RueKat alliance, it was destined for tragedy. Inevitably, either Katniss or Rue would die. Considering the story is in Katniss’s perspective, it’s only assumed that the latter of the two would be the one who becomes another causality to the Capitol. Rue’s death can be associated with the overall injustice of the Hunger Games, but it also symbolizes the last piece of hope that exists, as seen through Katniss’s action. Leading up to the pivotal moment, Katniss has been the most complex character in the story. She suffers many different identity crises throughout the novel. Her personality is describe as being cold and aloof, yet her actions of volunteering for her sister and subconsciously caring for Peeta have contradicted

Once inside the games, Katniss puts on a new mask as a tribute in the Hunger Games abandoning the girl from District 12 and “The Girl on Fire”. However, it’s not until the RueKat alliance is born, that the real personality of Katniss is revealed. Katniss ultimately has nothing to gain from being in an alliance with Rue, although skilled, she is still weaker. So why take on the burden of looking after an arguably weaker player? Because that is what Katniss does, she protects the people who can’t defend themselves. This virtuous trait stems from her time in District 12 when the responsibility of keeping her family alive fell upon her shoulders. The Hunger Games almost killed the girl from District 12 before the murders even started. Katniss only cared about her own survival up until the moment she came into contact with Rue. Furthermore, when Rue’s death finally happened, Katniss was able to drop any image given to her since the reaping and showed the true Katniss Everdeen, the caring, responsible older sister of Prim. The reason why this moment is so extraordinary, is not for the plot or character development, but it exposes something that this story is lacking;