In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the main character, Katniss, clearly has some trust issues. Katniss’s internal conflict with her past affects her actions and first impressions of people in the present. Throughout the book, Katniss struggles with trusting people after her father dies.
Katniss expects to rely on her mom since her father is not there to take care of the family. Yet, Katniss describes how her mother “didn’t do anything but sit propped up in a chair or, more often, huddled under the blankets on her bed, eyes fixed on some point in the distance” (Collins 26-27). Her mother began to slip away from reality. With her husband gone, it makes sense to why she reacted in that way. As a mother, her responsibilities were to take care of her daughters, Katniss and Primrose, and make sure that the family continued to survive. Instead, Katniss was burdened with the responsibilities and had to take care of the family. She relied on herself and the knowledge that her father gave her about hunting to survive. Because of her past, Katniss struggles with trusting her mother. When Katniss volunteers on Prim’s behalf for the Hunger Games, she has the chance to say goodbye to her mom and sister before leaving to go train and prepare for the games. She shouts at her mom, “You can’t leave again” (Collins 35). She tries to make sure that her mom does not go back to being lifeless like when Katniss’s father died. Katniss says this to her mom in such an aggressive manner to make sure that Prim (her sister) is taken care of now that Katniss will not be able to do so. Because Katniss’s mother broke her trust with her eldest daughter, Katniss shows how her damaged trust with her mother affects her future in the games.
When thrust into the Tribute (a fighter in the Hunger Games) life, Katniss has to trust Haymitch (her mentor) since he is the only person from District 12 who has won the Hunger Games. She has every right to not trust him because he is always drunk and not a very good mentor. When she asks Haymitch advice for the games, he responds with, “Here’s some advice. Stay alive” (Collins 56). This advice does not help Katniss in any way. She hopes to get some input on how she should approach the games, but her first impression of Haymitch does not make her trust him. Throughout the Tributes’ time preparing for the games, Haymitch’s strategy to make Katniss seem likable to the audience makes her feel uncomfortable. She does not feel like herself when Haymitch tells her to act a certain way and pretend to be in love with Peeta (the male Tribute from District 12). Yet, she starts to trust Haymitch when she begins to receive gifts from sponsors (people who bet a specific Tribute will win by aiding them during the games). After all, the only person that would be able to get her sponsors to help her in the games would be Haymitch. Although Katniss’s trust in Haymitch was wary at first, she eventually trusts him at the end of the book. Collins shows how Katniss’s trust in others evolves after the Hunger Games experience.
I definitely agree with you that Katniss’ relationship with her mother causes her to be wary of trusting others. I think her relationship with Haymitch is a good example of her breaking down her barriers to trust others. However, I believe Katniss’ relationship with Rue is a better example of how she begins to break down her wall and depend on others. While Haymith is a character Katniss forces herself to trust for her own chance of survival, her partnership and trust with Rue is voluntary, a defining trait which emphasizes Katniss’ ability to begin to trust someone who could potentially be her enemy. When Katniss first enters the arena, she seems to have the impression that she is completely alone against the other tributes. However, when Rue gives her a signal that there is a tracker jacker nest above her head (Collins 184), Katniss begins to realize that she would benefit by teaming up with someone. Through their partnership, Rue helps Katniss by fixing her stings (288), while Katniss provides Rue with fresh meat (288). Because Katniss breaks down her guard and trusts Rue as her ally, they both reap more benefits than when they were alone. Katniss’ ability to being to trust others like Haymitch and Rue leads to her success in the Hunger Games and forces her to realize that dependence on others can sometimes be for her benefit.
ReplyDeleteI find Katniss’s mother to be a very interesting character in the novel. As you identified, her reaction to the death of Katniss’s father is what forces Katniss to transform from a mostly happy child into an adult with the weight of the world on her shoulders practically overnight. From the way she is written about from the beginning of the novel, she seems like this weak and selfish person that can not take care of herself, let alone her family. However, this perception shifts as we learn more about her. Her career as a healer shows that she is much stronger than Katniss suggests she is initially. Additionally, I think the most surprising fact disclosed about Katniss’s mother in Book 1 is when Peeta tells Katniss about their first day of school. Peeta tells Katniss that on their first day of school his father pointed out Katniss and said, “See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner” (300). While it initially seems that Katniss’s mother is purely selfish and weak, the fact that she married into a much lower social class out of love starkly contrasts that perception. She chose to go hungry and live a very modest life over one that would be much more comfortable. While she did ultimately destroy Katniss’s trust at her weakness upon the death of Katniss’s father, she was truly heartbroken and depressed at the loss of someone she was willing to give up everything for.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Katniss experiences trust issues that stem from the events following her father’s tragic death. Expecting her mother to take over the role of being head of the house, Katniss is instead thrust into the position herself due to her mother’s abandonment with reality. Although Katniss losses trust in her mother, I believe that becoming the head of the household and provider for the family ultimately provides Katniss with the skills needed to survive and win the Hunger Games.
ReplyDeleteHaving to provide for food for her family causes Katniss to follow in her father’s footsteps and become an excellent shot with a bow and arrow. For the tributes in the Hunger Games, food can mean life or death. Katniss realizes this advantage of hers when she and Rue discuss how they are going to fight the careers. Rue tells Katniss that she is strong because “she can shoot” and Katniss responds by telling her that “you can feed yourself. Can they? (206)” Recognizing their advantage, Katniss and Rue decide to destroy the stockpile of food that the careers gathered from the cornucopia knowing that they lack the skills to hunt and gather food themselves since they come from much more well-off districts.
Without having to become the true provider for her family, Katniss likely wouldn’t have developed the skills that keep her alive within the Hunger Games. Due to the lifestyle she was forced to adopt, Katniss unknowingly becomes a self-sufficient person who can survive on her own. Even the people around Katniss recognizes this about her including Peeta’s mother, who tells him, “maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner … she’s a survivor, that one” (90). Although the Katniss loses trust with her mother early in her life, in the end that is what allows Katniss to survive and win the Hunger Games, allowing her to return home to her family.