Blog Post: Katniss

I just reread The Hunger Games trilogy and am shocked by the drastic change in Katniss' character.  Like most people, I agree that character change is an important component of a good book/series...but Katniss really is something else (and not really in a positive way.)  Perhaps I can sum up my thoughts about the change in Katniss' character from The Hunger Games to Mockingjay: kick-ass to lunatic.  Granted, she definitely went through terrifying ordears, but I felt like she was she turned into a completely different person in Mockingjay.  I mean, she voted "yes" to hosting another Hunger Game using the children of Panem near the end of Mockingjay.  That isn't the Katniss I fell in love with--this is a cold-blooded girl.

So, here I present you, the three stages of Katniss Everdeen:

Katniss #1: The Girl on Fire

I fell in love with Katniss' character in The Hunger Games right from the beginning.  She loved her family more, had a strong sense of morals and was also an independent girl.  Her motives for her actions were all pure.  Words that describe her: loyal, determined, strong, caring, compassionate, kick-ass, and confident.

Katniss #2: The Girl Surrounded by Fire

She's still pretty kick-butt at the beginning of Catching Fire. Her feelings about Peeta are a tad confused, but I totally get that.  But once the Quarter Quell starts, it seems as if she isn't as independent as she was in the first book.  She does go a bit crazy near the end of book 2, but nothing overly dramatic yet.  Words that describe her: In love, makes less choices (seems to blindly follow directions and then acts surprised when she finds out she's been used as a pawn), leads with heart.

Katniss #3: The Girl Consumed by Fire

Right from the starts of reading Mockingjay, I know that Katniss has become a bit unstable emotionally.    But I had hope for her--I kept on waiting for her to regain her usual personality and inner strength.  It never happened, to my disappointment   I hated how Katniss became dependent on drugs to keep her sane, I hated how she couldn't seem to make any choices 90% of the time and I hated how she became little more than a figurehead for the rebels.  She's little more than a puppet at this point with short bursts of life every now and then.  But most of all, what disturbed me was the vegence she decided to take out on the Capitol by voting "yes" to sending the Capitol's children into another Hunger Games when the rebels take over control the country.  Words to describe her: weak, crazy, unstable and unfeeling.

I hope I haven't offended anyone with my personal opinions of Katniss Evrdeen through the years.  Like I said before, I really looked up to Katniss in book one, but by book three, I was thinking to myself: Who is this girl??? 

With that said, hope everyone enjoyed Catching Fire the movie!  If you haven't watched it yet, I strongly recommend you to!