The Hunger Games Teenage Representation Katniss Katniss Everdeen is a teenage girl who lives in District 12, a very

y dirty and poor region in the country of Panem. She's a volunteer tribute in Panem's annual Hunger Games, having taken the place of her younger sister in an act of heroic self-sacrifice. Ever since the death of her father in a tragic coal mining accident, Katniss took on the role of her family's head of household. While Katniss's mother was unable to cope with the loss, falling into a deep depression, Katniss stayed focused and took charge. Filling her father's shoes, she became the chief cook and bottlewasher, bringing home the food and income that would save the family from starvation. Katniss is the stalwart rock of her family. Hunting, foraging, and providing for her mother and sister Prim are at the very core of her identity. While Katniss's role as a provider originated within the context of her family, Katniss is a strong provider in the arena as well. Her protective instincts extend to her ally from District 11, the young girl named Rue. The two shared food, clothing, and companionship. While her alliance with Rue is sadly short-lived, Katniss will also act as provider and protector of another tribute, her accompany from District 12, Peeta Mellark. The daughter of a coal miner, Katniss is a far more skilled hunter and tracker than Peeta, who is the son of a baker. When the games are near the end, Katniss showed that she would risk her life against the other tributes in order to bring Peeta the only medicine that can bring him back from the edge of death. Katniss sees herself primarily as someone who others can depend upon, both in and out of the arena. Whether she's in the woods of District 12 or the Gamemaker's arena, Katniss is concerned with one thing: how to stay alive. This, of course, makes her a fierce competitor. She can hunt, fish, trap, and fight. Katniss doesn't get attached to people very easily, or to things. Warm, fuzzy emotions are a luxury that she just can't afford. Because she is only focused on the day-to-day work of living, Katniss isn't terribly sentimental, a characteristic that sets her apart from many other girl heroines (just think of Bella from Twilight and compare them) and from Peeta himself. She has no great love for the family cat, Buttercup, for example. To Katniss, Buttercup isn't a cute and fuzzy playmate, but simply another mouth to feed. This would explain, why in the film she always has a disgusted look on her face when Buttercup is around. As the girl tribute from District 12, Katniss is thrust into the spotlight when she hits the Capitol. Cameras are on her every move at every minute; unfortunately, though, she's not funny or charming or even particularly telegenic. As Haymitch puts it, whenever she opens her mouth, she comes across as "sullen and hostile". She's like a Panem version of Kristen Stewart. So, Katniss must learn the importance of public image, celebrity, and creating a persona. With the help of her stylist, Cinna, she'll wear a series of spectacular gowns with which she'll be able to woo and wow the crowds at the Opening Ceremonies. Likewise, by following Haymitch's coaching and advice, she learns to manipulate the at home audiences of the Hunger Games by playing up the supposed romance plot with her co-tribute Peeta. Once she's made into Peeta's object of love, she secures a powerful place in the hearts of the audience.

Katniss becomes a pro at playing the game of celebrity, and at playing the audiences and sponsors of the Hunger Games. But she'll also learn that the distinctions between what's real and what's not can sometimes blur.

Peeta When Peeta Mellark is selected as the tribute for District 12, all we really know about him is that he's a baker's son, a little bit emotional and that Katniss really wishes he hadn't been the one chosen as her co-tribute for the Hunger Games. Peeta's character serves, at times, as a contrast to Katniss's. Whereas she is a provider and a survivor, Peeta is just the opposite: he's not much of an outdoorsman, is in touch with his soft side, and comes from a world very different from Katniss's. (His family, while they end up eating stale bread, never goes hungry: they are of the more privileged merchant class.) As such, Peeta's character helps develop many of the movies major themes: love, hope, class, and identity. Peeta's been in love with Katniss ever since he first saw her back in grade school and heard her singing a catchy valley song. He's the one who instigated the whole romance plot by confessing his feelings for Katniss on camera to the nation. As for Peeta, he truly believes in the part he is acting. Peeta is way into all of the kissing and cuddling and love talk. His ongoing affections make him a symbol of the hopeless romantic, a role he plays exceedingly well both on and off camera. His feelings for Katniss capture the audience's heart, attesting to the power of romance and its attendant narratives. Peeta's family lives in District 12, but they are not coal miners. Rather, Peeta's family, his sweet father and unpalatable mother are bakers. His parents' occupation puts Peeta one step up above Katniss on the class ladder (though still far below the citizens of the Capitol). This might seem to be a rather small difference, but Peeta's class perspective very much shapes the way he sees the world. Peeta has, perhaps, a different view of political matters than Katniss and Gale. Peeta's relationship to Katniss is very important for the film, his character is also significant in that he is one of the tributes who considers what his identity means in the scope of the Hunger Games. As he tells Katniss as the Games approach, he doesn't just want to be a pawn in the Capitol's game. He wants to "die as himself". For Peeta, it is important that the Capitol knows that they don't own him. Much of Peeta's reflection on himself has to do with the fact that, unlike Katniss, he is not of the survivalist mindset. Instead, Peeta contemplates the Big Questions. This all makes Katniss feel kind of small. Peeta has no duties or obligations to his self-sufficient family (the survival of others doesn't depend on his own), he has the time and resources for self-reflection.

Gale Gale is Katniss's hunting partner and closest friend from District 12. The two characters have a good deal in common, from their backgrounds, to their family situations, to their shared harsh opinions on Panem's government. There's also some romantic tension simmering beneath the surface, but for now it has yet to come to a full boil. Katniss's relationship with Gale is often contrasted with the friendly or romantic playacting she performs with Peeta. Gale is mostly absent in the film and appears mainly in Katniss's many flashbacks or during the period of the Hunger Games itself. He sometimes serves as a reminder of home or the unwanted voice of conscience. Though Katniss hasn't allowed her feelings for Gale to fully develop, it's clear that they are present. And it is definitely the same the other way around, you can tell this by the face he pulls when he notices Katniss and Peeta kissing when they are in the cave in the Hunger Games. Gale mentions the subject of running away together, but Katniss sees this as something that, given their duties to each of their families, is impossible. So she doesn't stop to wonder whether it is a lack of feelings, or simply circumstances, that keeps them apart. References to Gale's character remind the viewer that Katniss is actually capable of authentic emotion, friendship, love, and all of that good stuff and not only emotion, but actual genuine happiness.

Cato Cato, from District 2, is the strongest and most threatening male tribute in the Hunger Games. He is Katniss's main competition. Cato is a Career Tribute from one of the wealthiest districts in Panem, who has trained his whole life for the glory of the Games. For him, the Hunger Games are not so much a death sentence as a shot at eternal fame. As such, Cato is a character who is associated with power, strength, wealth, and brutality. Cato suffers a particularly slow and agonizing death at the hands of the Gamemakers' pack of mutant dogs. The Gamemakers refuse to step in and end his suffering and instead further dehumanize him by playing up the entertainment value of his death. His death signals that even the wealthiest tributes are no match against the Gamemakers' cruelty. His loss in the Games makes us ask what kind of strength it really takes to win the Hunger Games. Tall, strong, muscular, and good-looking, the monstrous boy from District 2 has no restraint when it comes to killing, and is thought to be the most dangerous tribute in the game. He uses all the weapons he can get his hands on. He can easily choke anyone within seconds of getting his hands on their throats, and he proves this raw, physical power by grabbing another tribute (the boy from District 3) and snapping his neck almost instantly. He is one of the most feared tributes in the Games, but is considered the second strongest tribute. This reputation is solidified after supposedly killing the huge Thresh. Defiant and stupidly brave, Cato never gives in. After Katniss blows up the supplies, he unleashes another side of him, a side that convinces Katniss he is not completely sane. Determined to win, he does everything he can to achieve his goal. Cato is bloodthirsty and he does not care who he kills in the process, whose lives are spent, as long as he comes out alive. Like Clove, Marvel and Glimmer he truly hates Katniss either because of her 11 in training, her taunting them in the tree, or the tracker jacker incident. He expresses this when he says that when they find her he will kill her his own way. He later shows compassion and humanity when Clove is killed, and in the film, by giving a speech at the end about being a pawn in the Capitol's games. Despite his deadly nature, Cato seems to be at least partially loyal to his friends and allies. When his partner from District 2, Clove, is at the mercy of the dangerous District 11 tribute, Thresh, he rushes to her aid, having been searching for Katniss and Peeta. When he arrives, he begs her to stay alive, but he is too late. Cato is genuinely saddened by her death, and in another fit of rage, he chases down Thresh to avenge her death. At the time, they could have used the same deal as Katniss and Peeta and both have been crowned victors. Cato isn't very thorough during the Games which is displayed when he slashed Peeta in his leg, a place that should have killed him but it didn't, and when he possibly stabbed the District 8 female, but then had to have someone to return when her cannon wasn't released. His arrogance seemed to cost him dearly in the games.

Clove Clove was the female representative from District 2 in the 74th Hunger Games, and an expert at knife throwing. Although she was smaller than most of the other tributes, she was highly feared because of her knife-throwing techniques, an area she is dominant in, and seems never to miss a target. She pursues the Games with a sadistic personality, never upset at the prospect of another death on her hands. Clove was strong, sadistic, arrogant, violent, dangerous and powerful. Clove is also slightly unhinged, which makes her a feared opponent. She has a strong hatred for Katniss due to her high score given by the Gamemakers. When she captures Katniss at the Feast, she joyfully says she was going to make it a slow and torturous death. Clove was also intelligent, supporting Marvel in his idea to keep Peeta alive to get to Katniss, and is smart enough to go to the lake to heal her tracker jacker wounds, and was also instinctive enough to go back to the Cornucopia instead of chasing Katniss. She was raised with the Career mindset. Clove had a large selection of knives that were attached to the inside of her jacket. The weapons gave Clove a big advantage because of her skill with knives as shown in both the training center and during the Games.

Thresh Thresh was reaped into the 74th Hunger Games, along with the female tribute from his district, Rue. Viewed as the physically strongest tribute in the entire Games, the Career Tributes attempted to recruit him for their alliance during the training sessions, but he refused to join them. In the Hunger Games, Thresh only had one known tactic; to occupy a portion of the arena and to seldom leave its boundaries. Thresh is seen participating in the Cornucopia bloodbath. Thresh chose to enter a field of wheat that was as tall as Peeta's shoulders, seeing the area as both a threat and a source of food, shelter and safety. He saw it as a place of safety particularly because it resembled his home District 11. Thresh shows mercy towards Katniss when they met in the arena, even at a time when he had the advantage in terms of combat, as he believed that he owed her for being in alliance with and avenging Rue, the female tribute from his district. Through this action, Thresh is shown as having a certain degree of honour and dignity. By attempting to avenge Rue, Thresh also showed a side of kindness, which, in this case, is directed towards an innocent twelve-year-old girl. Another aspect of Thresh's personality is that he is vengeful. Other of Thresh's actions that reveal his personality include his choice of solitude throughout the duration of the Games, demonstrating his preference to work alone. Thresh was one of the main competitors in the Hunger Games. Being as strong and huge as he was, it was obvious from when you first saw him, Thresh would pose a problem if you were to face him. He commanded respect and was feared by virtually everyone in the arena, even the whole Career pack. Being from District 11, his knowledge of plants helped him in the field, where no one else dared to go, and it became a hide-out as well as a potential food source. Katniss herself had thought that if she were a sponsor, Thresh would be who she would sponsor. He was defiantly someone not to be underestimated. Thresh's physical aptitude was often complimented by Katniss. It is also revealed in training that when the Career Tributes asked him to join their pack, he refused, probably knowing they would eventually have to betray one another.

Marvel Marvel presumably volunteered for the 74th Hunger Games, along with his district partner Glimmer. As a Career Tribute, Marvel was strong and ruthless, yet overconfident. It is also mentioned by Katniss that he might have not been the smartest. Katniss thought Marvel as "arrogant" after finding a pack of dried fruit on him following Rue's death, due to the fact that he had bountiful resources with the career's supplies. During training in the film, he saw Peeta's weakness and viewed him as a "meal" until Peeta's true strength was revealed, leaving him and the other Careers surprised. While the District 3 female was on the Gauntlets, she was tripped and he, along with the rest of the Careers, laughed. He showed great skill at fighting and throwing with a spear, which made him deadly at a distance. Marvel showed the same arrogance as many of his fellow careers, but lacked the ruthless discipline of Cato and Clove (probably because they were from District 2, which contributes heavily to the Capitol's military); however, unlike his fellow tribute Glimmer he was well-trained in his weapon of choice.

Glimmer Glimmer was born in the luxurious District 1, one of the wealthier districts. She presumably spent most of her life training for the games. Glimmer showed little consideration in choosing her weapon at the Cornucopia. However, it is not known if the bow would have been her first choice as a weapon, or if she had taken any other weapon from the Cornucopia. During the bloodbath in the film, Glimmer used a dagger to stab the District 6 female to death. For the rest of the games up until her death, she utilized a bow and arrow which Katniss would later take from her corpse and use for the remainder of the games up until her victory. Katniss described Glimmer as "incompetent" when using the bow. She used her looks to her advantage, getting many sponsors with her looks. Glimmer was not to be underestimated. Being one of the Career Tributes, she had a good chance of survival and was ready to fight. In the film portrayal, during her private session with the Gamemakers, Glimmer most likely showed the Gamemakers her archery and knife skills.

Foxface Foxface was the female tribute from District 5 in the 74th Hunger Games. During the training session, she tested her knowledge of plants in a matching test. Like Peeta, Foxface ran away from the Cornucopia bloodbath when she entered the arena as she had no weapons or supplies to help her. After this Katniss and Foxface run into and knock each other over. However, instead of fighting, the two of them scramble away, running off in different directions with scared expressions. Foxface proved to be one of the smartest, trickiest, and most clever tribute in the Games. She demonstrated this several times throughout the film by doing various things, such as stealing supplies from other tributes, letting herself to become a forgettable tribute in order to not draw attention to herself, and she could find things that others didn't look hard enough for. Foxface was careful not to make enemies or even to make herself noticed. Remarkably, she managed to get through to the final four tributes without making a single kill, showing either her morals, luck, or her intelligence. Foxface hid in the Cornucopia, waiting for the others to come. She didn't waste time with a battle, she ran up, snatched her bag, and quickly evacuated the area. No one would follow her in fear of not getting their own bags, containing something they "desperately needed," taken away by another tribute. Katniss was also jealous of her plan, how strategic and risky it was, and how it trapped the other tributes. She demonstrated the attribute of being wily, when she deciphers a path through the explosives to reach the Careers' pyramid of food and supplies, making sure to take enough to survive, but not so much that it would be noticed by the others when they arrived back at their camp. She was independent, always working alone and was sly, elusive, and probably untrustworthy. Foxface avoided confronting the other tributes and kept a reasonable distance between her and anyone else. She intelligently observed other tributes from afar, which allowed her to understand their plans. She took an unnoticeable amount of food from others without their knowledge, and was careful when she was in the Careers' camp, for she knew that it contained mines. She was clever enough to trace a path through the mines where she could step without being blown to pieces. She had no alliances with other tributes and kept completely to herself.