CHAPTER 1

 The book begins with Katniss outside in the woods. She's thinking so hard that she can't even move.
 Starting today she has to go on a Victory Tour to celebrate the Hunger Games, and she's dreading it.
 The Capitol is making her do it; she doesn't have a choice. Once again, she has to be a part of the Capitol's media
manipulation machine.
 Katniss would rather put all of her memories of the Hunger Games behind her. She tries to distract herself by hunting
for Gale's family. Katniss' family is rich because she won the last Games, so they don't need the extra food, but Gale's
does.
 Gale has to work in the mines now, and Katniss can barely stand the thought of going into them.
 She misses the old times with Gale and thinks about how their relationship has changed.
 Katniss hunts well and returns through the fence to District 12. (Remember, the Districts are fenced off from the
surrounding land, and hunting is illegal.)
 Her family has been moved to a new house in the Victor's Village, but Katniss stops at their old shack to change out of
her hunting clothes. She pauses to regret the old life that's now out of her reach.
 She feeds her sister's cat, Buttercup, and heads home to Victor's Village. First, Katniss stops at Gale's house and gives
them the game she caught. Gale's mother, Hazelle, is very appreciative. Their family's been through hard times. Gale
had to enter his name in the Hunger Games lottery extra times in exchange for getting more shares of government
rations – that's called getting "tesserae."
 Katniss offers to take Hazelle's little boy hunting, and Hazelle makes a reference to Gale and Katniss' special friendship.
Katniss thinks again how the Games have changed her relationship with Gale, since during the Games she and Peeta
had to pretend to be in love in order to win.
 Katniss leaves Hazelle's and goes by the Hob to buy some things on the way home. She even buys alcohol for her
Games mentor, Haymitch. Haymitch is a mean drunk, but he saved Katniss' life, and Peeta's too, by helping them
through the Games.
 Katniss runs into people she knows: Head Peacekeeper Cray, who's mean; another Peacekeeper named Darius, who's a
nice guy; and Greasy Sae, who's in charge of the Hob. Everyone knows Katniss has to go take part in this media tour.
 Part of the Capitol's manipulation has been marketing Gale as her cousin, to avoid confusion with the Katniss-Peeta
love story.
 Katniss heads home. Only the victors and their families live in this part of town, which means it's pretty deserted.
 Katniss goes to fetch Haymitch for the tour. She has to rouse him from a drunken stupor, which is always pretty darn
hard.
 Peeta enters and shares some bread with them. (Remember from The Hunger Games that Peeta's family runs the
bakery.)
 Katniss mentions that the three of them all have to distract themselves somehow.
 Haymitch reminds the other two that they have to act like they're in love, even though they feel all awkward.
 Katniss heads home and meets her mother there. Something feels wrong. Her mom's acting weird.
 Finally, Katniss realizes President Snow is in her house.

 How we cite the quotes:

(Chapter.Paragraph)
 Quote 1
 Not only are we in the districts forced to remember the iron grip of the Capitol's power each year, we are forced to
celebrate it. And this year, I am one of the stars of the show. I will have to travel from district to district, to stand before
the cheering crowds who secretly loathe me, to look down into the faces of the families whose children I have killed.
(1.3)
 This Capitol values the appearance of admiration rather than admiration itself. The admiration the people show for the
"stars of the show," their "cheering," is all false. They don't really admire the winners of the Games; they are "secretly
loath[ing]" all of it.
 Chapter 1
 Admiration
 Quote 2
 Although they never mention it, I owe the people who frequent the Hob. Gale told me that Greasy Sae, the old woman
who serves up soup, started a collection to sponsor Peeta and me during the Games. It was supposed to be just a Hob
thing, but a lot of other people heard about it and chipped in. I don't know exactly how much it was, and the price of
any gift in the arena was exorbitant. But for all I know, it made the difference between my life and death. (1.22)
 Katniss doesn't even know what she "owe[s] the people" of the Hob, but she knows it's something. The people of
District 12 have so little to give, but they manage to give nonetheless. This is incredibly meaningful to Katniss. During
their first Hunger Games she and Peeta depended on kindnesses that, while they appeared small, were "exorbitant" in
cost.
 Chapter 1
  Loyalty
 Quote 3
 But that was before the Games. Before my fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark, announced he was madly in love with me. Our
romance became a key strategy for our survival in the arena. Only it wasn't just a strategy for Peeta. I'm not sure what
it was for me. [...] My chest tightens as I think about how, on the Victory Tour, Peeta and I will have to present
ourselves as lovers again. (1.17)
 In the arena, nothing is what it seems. Katniss and Peeta made it out alive by performing a love affair, which was "a key
strategy for [their] survival." What makes things more complicated is that, for Peeta, "it wasn't just a strategy"; he's
really in love with her. With this ambiguity and forced pretense of a romance, it becomes even harder for Katniss to
know what's real and what's not.
 Chapter 1
 Manipulation

Quote 4
It's just one more part of the lie the Capitol has concocted. When Peeta and I made it into the final eight in the Hunger Games,
they sent reporters to do personal stories about us. When they asked about my friends, everyone directed them to Gale. But it
wouldn't do, what with the romance I was playing out in the arena, to have my best friend be Gale. [...] So some genius made
him my cousin. (1.37)
The Games have turned Katniss' life inside out. Everything has to fit neatly into a box and form a simple, exciting narrative for
the media. In the arena, Katniss and Peeta's narrative became a romance against all odds, and nothing could be permitted to get
in the way of that storyline. Somewhat ironically, the Capitol's media worked <em>for</em> Katniss by helping perpetuate the
idea of that romance, which is what ended up keeping her alive.
Chapter 1

Manipulation

Quote 5
Peeta keeps all of us in fresh baked goods. I hunt. He bakes. Haymitch drinks. We have our own ways to stay busy, to keep
thoughts of our time as contestants in the Hunger Games at bay. (1.55)
There are many kinds of courage. It takes one kind to be a competitor in the arena and fight for your life. It takes another to be a
mentor for the competitors, win sponsors for them, and try to keep them alive. And it takes yet another kind of courage to deal
with the aftermath, to make peace with the memories and the experience and move on. In their "own ways," Katniss, Haymitch,
and Peeta all have to keep the experience they went through at a distance, so that they can go on living.
Chapter 1

Courage

Quote 6
There will be others waiting, too. A staff to cater to my every need on the long train trip. A prep team to beautify me for public
appearances. My stylist and friend, Cinna, who designed the gorgeous outfits that first made the audience take notice of me in
the Hunger Games. (1.2)
From the first page of <em>Catching Fire</em>, appearances are important for keeping characters alive and maintaining the
manipulative system set up by the Capitol. In order to survive in that system, you have to look the part and pretend that
everything is okay.
Chapter 1

Appearances

Quote 7
If it were up to me, I would try to forget the Hunger Games entirely. Never speak of them. Pretend they were nothing but a bad
dream. But the Victory Tour makes that impossible. (1.3)
Usually winners enjoy the glory and recognition that comes with taking first place. Given the nature of this competition, though,
which involves killing innocent teens in order to win, Katniss finds no joy or glory in what she has done – only relief that she
made it through alive.
Chapter 1

Competition

Quote 8
[Haymitch is] surly, violent, and drunk most of the time. But he did his job – more than his job – because for the first time in
history, two tributes were allowed to win. So no matter who Haymitch is, I owe him, too. And that's for always. (1.24)
In the first <em>Hunger Games </em>book, few characters thought Haymitch would be a good mentor or that he would really
be able to help Katniss and Peeta. Yet he turned out to be a great mentor by keeping them both alive – a hat trick that would
have seemed impossible to anyone. Of course, Katniss and Peeta stayed alive because of their own smarts and manipulation
too, but that doesn't mean they "owe" Haymitch any less.
Chapter 1

Competition

CHAPTER 2

 Katniss is weirded out by President Snow being in her house, to say the least.
 She's worried she's in "serious trouble" (2.18). He appears like a snake to her.
 They agree to have a straightforward conversation. He makes it clear that if she doesn't cooperate, everyone she loves
will be in danger.
 He says the stunt she and Peeta pulled in the arena during the last Games made things difficult. The Gamemaker who
let them both live through it has been executed.
 Snow says not everyone believed Katniss was in love with Peeta, and that she seems to have been taken for a rebel. He
is concerned that other people of the districts will also rebel, following her example.
 He acts like he cares about the country, but Katniss knows it's not true.
 Her mother brings them tea and cookies, which Peeta made.
 Snow emphasizes how dangerous Katniss is to the country. She asks him why he doesn't just have her killed, and he
says it wouldn't make things any better; she'd look like a martyr for the cause.
 Snow makes it clear he knows Katniss was pretending to be in love with Peeta and threatens Gale's life.
 Katniss realizes how little private time she's had since winning the Games. District 12 has been full of cameras. It sounds
like she's been observed even in the woods, which she'd thought of as her private sanctuary.
 When she first returned from the Games, she went out to the woods and Gale finally met her. They had an emotional
reunion and he kissed her – just once.
 Afterwards, they never mentioned it, and Katniss thought no one knew about it.
 Katniss tries to assure Snow that she and Peeta are still in love, and she'll make everyone on the tour believe it.
 Snow says she has to make him believe her, and that he knows about her and Gale. Then he leaves.

Quote 1
All I was doing was trying to keep Peeta and myself alive. Any act of rebellion was purely coincidental. But when the Capitol
decrees that only one tribute can live and you have the audacity to challenge it, I guess that's a rebellion in itself. My only
defense was pretending that I was driven insane by a passionate love for Peeta. So we were both allowed to live. (2.4)
Katniss didn't realize the ramifications of her actions during her first Hunger Games. She just wanted to "keep Peeta and
[her]self alive." That was as far ahead as she could see. But what she didn't realize was that by saving herself and Peeta, she
made it seem as though she was a rebel working against the Capitol. And inciting a rebellion is the best way to piss off the
Capitol.
Chapter 2

Warfare

President Snow > Katniss Everdeen

Quote 2
"In several of [the districts], people viewed your little trick with the berries as an act of defiance, not an act of love. And if a girl
from District Twelve of all places can defy the Capitol and walk away unharmed, what is to stop them from doing the same?" he
says. "What is to prevent, say, an uprising?" (2.19)
Here Katniss begins to realize what she's started, as Snow warns her that her actions, made in an innocent attempt to survive
the Games, have far-reaching consequences. Instead of getting to retreat into obscurity, she may have inspired other people to
start rebelling too. If so, the implication from Snow is that she'll have a heavy price to pay.
Chapter 2

Warfare

Katniss Everdeen > President Snow

Quote 3
"I didn't mean to start any uprisings," I tell him.

"I believe you. It doesn't matter. Your stylist turned out to be prophetic in his wardrobe choice. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who
was on fire, you have provided a spark that, left unattended, may grow to an inferno that destroys Panem," he says. (2.30-31)
Snow says it's appearances that matter, not intentions. Katniss "didn't mean" to inspire a rebellion, but she did, and she'll get
blamed for it. Snow calls her the "spark" that could explode their world and says that Cinna knew she had it in her.
Chapter 2

Appearances

President Snow

Quote 4
"I have a problem, Miss Everdeen," says President Snow. "A problem that began the moment you pulled out those poisonous
berries in the arena."

That was the moment when I guessed that if the Gamemakers had to choose between watching Peeta and me commit suicide –
which would mean having no victor – and letting us both live, they would take the latter. (2.13-14)
Katniss is good at short-term strategy. She's fast, too – she thinks on her feet. At the climax of the last book, she came up with
this plan on the spot to save both her life and Peeta's, and it worked. But she's a warrior, not a politician. She was so focused on
saving their lives in the arena that she didn't think ahead to what problems they might face once they got out.
Chapter 2

Competition

CHAPTER 3

How It All Goes Down

 After Snow leaves, Katniss is stunned. She worries about Snow's threats and how to convince him that she's in love with
Peeta. The problem is, she's not really sure how much she does love Peeta – romantically, that is.
 She doesn't want her mother to suspect anything, so she pretends everything is fine.
 Katniss has always had a strained relationship with her mother. Ever since she was 11, when her dad died, she was the
one who had to protect the family. She's working on making things better.
 Katniss takes a bath and strategizes. She realizes she can't talk with Gale, Peeta, or Cinna about what's happened. Just
Haymitch.
 She thinks back to a time when her father was alive, and how he taught her to swim.
 She has a moment of peace, then her prep team shows up to get her ready for the tour.
 Venia, Octavia, and Flavius fuss over her, saying she's let herself go, then they work to make her pretty for the tour.
 While they work on her, they jabber about the Quarter Quell, a souped-up version of the Hunger Games that happens
every 25 years. It’s a kind of awful anniversary. The Quell is coming up shortly and Katniss will have to be a mentor to
some other poor sap who's a tribute.
 At the last Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes had to compete. That was the Games Haymitch won.
 The team keeps fussing over Katniss. They have Katniss' mother show them a particular braided hairstyle they're going
to use.
 Then Katniss gets to meet with Cinna, whom she loves and trusts. He's helping her pretend she's learning how to design
clothes, since every victor needs to have some kind of interesting career.
 Cinna helps her dress, then Katniss' media director, Effie, arrives to arrange the filming, which they start right away.
 Katniss sees her sister Prim out of the corner of her eye and has a flashback to the last Games, when the little
girl Rue died.
 Then the team dresses Katniss in warm clothes and she puts on the mockingjay pin her friend Madge gave her.
  Then the Victory Tour begins. Katniss and Peeta blissfully run to each other in the snow and kiss as passionately as they
can. All of this is filmed, of course.
 They make their way to a train to take them on the tour. Haymitch has to go too.
 That night Katniss goes to meet with Haymitch. He's been drinking but is still lucid. They go outside for some privacy.
 She says she needs his help to get through it all. He says she'll have to put on a show for the rest of her life. She a victor,
and that means she can't slip into oblivion; she's always going to have to pretend to be in love with Peeta.
 Katniss realizes just how much playacting is ahead of her.
 Haymitch Abernathy > Katniss Everdeen

 Quote 1
 "Even if you pull if off, they'll be back in another few months to take us all to the Games. You and Peeta, you'll be
mentors now, every year from here on out. And every year they'll revisit the romance and broadcast the details of your
private life, and you'll never, ever be able to do anything but live happily ever after with that boy." (3.73)

 Here Haymitch helps Katniss realize exactly what she sentenced herself to with her Games strategy. Sure, pretending to
be in love got her and Peeta through the Games – that was kind of a miracle in itself. But in order for the strategy to
continue to work, they have to keep up the charade for as long as the Capitol watches over them. In other words,
forever.

 Chapter 3
 Appearances

CHAPTER 4

 Haymitch tries to console Katniss, then they retreat to their rooms.

 Katniss thinks about what Haymitch said and how she has to really, really act like she's in love with Peeta – forever.
 She thinks ahead to a life with Peeta and worries that any children they have would end up in the arena too.
 She feels trapped and spends the night trying to strategize about any possible way to get out.
 Then she has to go to breakfast before they make their initial appearance in District 11. Katniss and Effie are the only
ones at breakfast. It's all just feeling forced and depressing.
 Then the prep team works on Katniss some more.
 Everyone gathers for lunch, but Katniss isn't hungry. They make an unscheduled stop and Katniss snaps at Effie, who's
getting on her nerves.
 She goes outside for a break and Peeta comes to join her. They apologize to one another and start trying to get to know
each other again. Katniss doesn't mention her worries about Snow.
 Then Peeta shows her the paintings he's been working on, which depict the truth of what happened during the Games.
Katniss can barely look at them, but Peeta says he has to make them because he can't stop thinking about what
happened.
 They arrive in District 11. It seems more fertile than 12, but also more closed off. It seems way bigger than 12, too.
 Peeta and Katniss have to get ready for their event. After they're dressed, Effie tells them the plan for the day: they will
give speeches at the Justice Building.
 Soon their convoy arrives, and Peeta and Katniss are taken out in front of a large crowd, along with the district's mayor.
 People clap for them and Katniss gets ready to do some acting. It's harder than she thought to see the families
of Thresh and Rue, District 11 tributes who died in the arena. Peeta helps her get through the speeches they are
required to make.
 Then Peeta shocks everyone by saying he and Katniss owe the District 11 tributes so much that they will donate some
of their arena winnings to Thresh and Rue's families every year, forever.
 Katniss is so impressed that she kisses Peeta.
 They are given flowers and a plaque. The ceremony's almost over, but then Katniss locks eyes with one of Rue's sisters
and realizes she still has to do something to show her regret for Rue's death.
 She speaks impulsively and gives her thanks to both Thresh and Rue. She says she sees Rue all around her in the world.
 An old man whistles the special sign – the mockingjay theme Rue sang in the arena – and then the entire crowd salutes
Katniss.
 Katniss thinks she should feel overcome with sadness, but instead she's afraid. This looks like she's inciting rebellion
again, but that's not what she meant to do.
 She tries to undo what just happened, but she doesn't know how. She and Peeta are rushed offstage. They pause
because they left the flowers behind. But then they see something they weren't supposed to: the man who whistled is
executed on the spot.

Quote 4
I can't let President Snow condemn me to this. Even if it means taking my own life. Before that, though, I'd try to run away.
What would they do if I simply vanished? Disappeared into the woods and never came out? Could I even manage to take
everyone I love with me, start a new life deep in the wild? Highly unlikely but not impossible. (4.4)
No matter how bad it gets, Katniss won't let someone else have the last word. She's determined to escape somehow. She'd even
face death if she could do so on her own terms. Katniss simply refuses to give up; if something's "not impossible," she'll take a
shot at it.
Chapter 4

Courage

Quote 1
Every person in the crowd presses the three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips and extends them to me. It's our
sign from District 12, the last good-bye I gave Rue in the arena.
If I hadn't spoken to President Snow, this gesture might move me to tears. But with his recent orders to calm the districts fresh
in my ears, it fills me with dread. What will he think of this very public salute to the girl who defied the Capitol? (4.87-88)
Getting accolades isn't always a positive thing, as Katniss finds out. Here she's being saluted for her bravery and her work in the
arena. But to an outside eye, like Snow's, this "salute" is seen as a threat. While Katniss didn't ask for any recognition, it makes
her look like she's starting a rebellion, and the realization of this fact "fills [her] with dread."
Chapter 4

Admiration

Quote 2
Instead he [Peeta] speaks in his simple, winning style about Thresh and Rue making it to the final eight, about how they both
kept me alive – thereby keeping him alive – and about how this is a debt we can never repay. [...] "It can no way replace your
losses, but as a token of our thanks we'd like for each of the tributes' families from District Eleven to receive one month of our
winnings every year for the duration of our lives." (4.75)
As winners of the Games, both Peeta and Katniss make no secret of who they owe or how much. Here Peeta shows he's just as
brave as Katniss by ignoring the rules in order to honor their debt. In another passage, Katniss explains exactly how brave
Peeta's actions are, saying she can't even begin to guess at what their repercussions might be. In a way, it doesn't matter; Peeta
has at least recognized and stated the debt they owe.
Chapter 4

Loyalty

Quote 3
It's true that Peeta froze me out after I confessed that my love for him during the Games was something of an act. But I don't
hold that against him. In the arena, I'd played that romance angle for all it was worth. There had been times when I didn't
honestly know how I felt about him. I still don't really. (4.31)
In the arena, Katniss fully intended to manipulate her audience in order to get sponsors and make it out alive. What she didn't
realize was how much she was manipulating Peeta as well. She thought he was in on the trick, but in fact she was leading him
on. Poor Peeta.
Chapter 4

Manipulation

CHAPTER 5

 Peeta and Katniss barely have time to react to the man's death. They are rushed out of the room to join their media
team, who don't know what's just happened.
 They hear more shooting, but Peeta lies and says nothing's happening.
 Haymitch draws Peeta and Katniss aside so they can have an open, honest chat. They hide at the top of the Justice
Building.
 Katniss explains to Peeta what's happening, her meeting with President Snow, and how they are still in danger, even
outside of the arena.
 Peeta is upset and says he has to be included in what she knows – he's part of this and can't be left out.
  He's sad because now he realizes the gift he tried to give Thresh and Rue's families will probably just result in tragedy
for them – he had no idea.
 They argue some more and Katniss realizes that, back in the arena, when Haymitch had to pick only one of them to
help, he selected Katniss.
 Peeta storms out.
 Haymitch says he had to choose one of them and thought Katniss had a better shot.
 Then they have to regroup, get ready for a dinner, and put on smiles for the cameras.
 It's not clear who knows what about the punishments that have been inflicted on the people in 11. It seems like Effie
doesn't, but Cinna might.
 As Peeta and Katniss prepare to enter another important event, they make up. He asks her if she just kissed Gale one
time and she says yes, only once.
 Then Katniss and Peeta go to media event after event, acting like they're in totally love.
 Katniss thinks things are hopeless. In some of the places they visit, it seems like the people are on the verge of
rebellion. Pretending to be in love won't stop it.
 She and Peeta start to depend on each other more and more, just as they did in the arena.
 The visits to Districts 1 and 2 are really hard. The pressure is building.
 When their media tour gets to the Capitol, Katniss has the idea that Peeta should propose marriage to her in front of all
the cameras. That should prove to everyone they're really in love, right?
 Peeta is sad because that's not how he wanted it to happen. He always wanted them to get married for real, because
they were truly in love. But he does it at their next big interview, conducted by Caesar Flickerman. It seems like the PR
stunt is a big success.
 President Snow is there and he even hugs Katniss (gross). When they embrace, she can sense that he's still not satisfied.
 Peeta Mellark

 Quote 1
 "This has to stop. Right now. This – this – game you two play, where you tell each other secrets but keep them from me
like I'm too inconsequential or stupid or weak to handle them." (5.13)

 Layers of games run throughout the book. Everyone's running a game on somebody else. Even Katniss, Peeta, and
Haymitch, who are supposed to be allies, have secrets from one another. As Peeta rightfully points out, Haymitch and
Katniss have been keeping him out of the loop at a time when they should have trusted him more than ever.

 Chapter 5
 Manipulation

CHAPTER 6

 Katniss realizes she can't win, which almost feels good. At least she knows.
 She immediately begins plotting an escape for her family and loved ones, which she will start as soon as they get back
to her home district. First, though, she has to finish the media tour.
 She finishes up the interview with as much good cheer as she can muster.
 Then they head to an amazing party, full of incredible looking food.
 Katniss is super hungry and Peeta thinks she's acting a little weird.
 Many of the people at the party have her mockingjay symbol on, but Katniss doubts it means to them what it means to
her. It's probably just the latest Capitol fashion trend.
 Katniss eats as much as she can.
 The prep team tries to convince her and Peeta to drink some liquid that will make them vomit so they can drink more,
but she and Peeta refuse. It all seems wasteful compared to the little they have in 12.
 She and Peeta dance, talking about what a strange place the Capitol is. Peeta says maybe they should help a rebellion,
but it's too dangerous to keep talking about it at the party.
 A man named Plutarch Heavensbee comes up to dance with Katniss. He's the new Head Gamemaker.
 He tells her that he's getting ready for the Quarter Quell.
 Then he makes a big point of showing her his watch and telling her what time it is (almost 12 p.m.). Katniss watches as
the image of a mockingjay appears on the watch face, then vanishes.
 Plutarch says he's going to a meeting but not to tell anyone. He says they'll meet again at the next Games, then leaves.
 Katniss thinks that was weird and can't figure out why he made such a big deal about the watch.
 Effie says it's time to leave, so they pick up Haymitch and go back to the train, along with their prep team.
 Peeta and Katniss have been spending their night sleeping in the same bed, to help wad off their awful nightmares. The
next day Peeta tells Katniss that, remarkably, she didn't have any nightmares. She tells him about a dream she had,
where a mockingjay turned into Rue.
  He says his nightmares are about not being able to find Katniss.
 This makes Katniss feel guilty; his feelings for her are so genuine and simple, while her feelings are just messy.
 The train takes them back to District 12, their last media stop and their home. They are just in time for the Harvest
Festival, which will be celebrated at the mayor's house.
 Katniss goes off on a tangent about her friendship with the mayor's daughter, Madge. It was Madge who gave her that
mockingjay pin so long ago.
 Katniss is looking for Madge at the party when she stops to watch an emergency broadcast on a private TV. It's not
something Katniss should be seeing.
 It turns out the people of District 8 are beginning to rebel.

CHAPTER 7

 Katniss leaves a special sign for Gale (some gifts) at their usual meeting place out in the woods. She needs to talk to him
about what she saw at the mayor's house.
 She thinks back to what happened right after she saw the program. She ran into the mayor and played dumb, like she
hadn't seen anything. Then she went looking for Madge.
 Katniss asked if Madge wanted the mockingjay pin back, and Madge said no, even though it's a family heirloom.
 Katniss explained that everyone in the Capitol was wearing mockingjays, which is ironic, since the mockingjays evolved
from a special kind of animatronic weapon (jabberjays) the Capitol created. It's like they broke free from the Capitol's
control.
 The mockingjay is taking on special meaning for Katniss, as something that survives and outstrips the Capitol's
expectations.
 Katniss snaps back to the present, where she's waiting for Gale at an old house deep in the heart of the forest. They
haven't seen each other since she got back from the tour. Maybe he's avoiding her. We wouldn't really blame him,
considering Katniss' very public engagement to Peeta.
 She makes a fire. Soon Gale shows up. He's holding the gifts and looks upset.
 Katniss wastes no time in explaining what's happening and how Snow's threatened Gale.
 They seem to make up a little and Katniss fills Gale in on the whole thing. She proposes running away and, to her
surprise, he agrees.
 Gale is so happy and says he loves her, but Katniss can't say it back. She explains that she has to concentrate on staying
alive first.
 This upsets Gale, but he deals with it.
 Until, that is, he realizes that Katniss' running-away plan isn't about just them and their families – it includes Peeta and
Haymitch.
 Gale pushes Katniss to choose between him and Peeta, but she won't.
 Suddenly Katniss slips and mentions the problems in District 8. Gale makes her tell him everything.
 Katniss blames herself for the deaths and destruction to come, but Gale says she's an inspiration and that there should
be a rebellion.
 They argue. Gale says Katniss could lead a rebellion. When she's not willing to, he storms out, rejecting her gifts.
 Alone, Katniss tries to strategize. Maybe Gale's mother will help him see reason.
 Katniss flashes back to her talk with Snow, how he reminded her of the way she fought to save her own life.
 The day's coming to an end, and Katniss has to get back to the district. She seeks out Peeta on her way home, having
decided to ask him about running away.
 Just like Gale, Peeta says he'll go, but asks whether his rival will be coming too. Unlike Gale, Peeta says he thinks Katniss
will chicken out.
 Then they hear a strange noise coming from the town center.
 Peeta figures out what's going on and tries to keep Katniss away, but she fights her way through the crowd. There she
sees Gale chained to a post, being whipped by the new Head Peacekeeper.
 Gale Hawthorne > Katniss Everdeen

 Quote 1
 "What about the other families, Katniss? The ones who can't run away? Don't you see? It can't be about just
saving us anymore. Not if the rebellion's begun!" Gale shakes his head, not hiding his disgust with me. "You could do so
much." He throws Cinna's gloves at my feet. "I changed my mind. I don't want anything they made in the Capitol." And
he's gone. (7.80)

 It's Gale who helps Katniss realize that this problem is bigger than she is, and the solution has to be bigger than her
small idea of running away. This isn't just a matter of getting small groups of people out from under the Capitol's
dictatorship. It's about getting everyone out. "The rebellion's begun," which means that a full-scale war is on the
horizon.
  Chapter 7
 Warfare
 Gale Hawthorne > Katniss Everdeen

 Quote 2
 "Safe to do what?" he says in a gentler tone. "Starve? Work like slaves? Send their kids to the reaping? You haven't hurt
people – you've given them an opportunity. They just have to be brave enough to take it. There's already been talk in
the mines. People who want to fight. Don't you see? It's happening! It's finally happening! " (7.74)

 Gale tries to tell Katniss that any impending uprising isn't her fault – people have been waiting for "an opportunity" to
strike back at the Capitol. This would have happened sooner or later; Katniss has just sped things along. The real
question is whether the masses are "brave enough" to act when they have the chance.

 Chapter 7
 Courage

CHAPTER 8

 Although she's too late, Katniss jumps in to try to protect Gale. She gets slashed brutally across the face for her pains.
 She calls out to the man who's beating Gale to stop, but he's about to whip her again. The man, who she doesn't know,
is strong and vicious.
 Haymitch arrives in the nick of time to rescue her and threatens the man, saying that if he doesn't stop hitting Katniss,
he'll call the Capitol.
 While this is happening, Katniss notices her friend Darius has been beaten and is knocked out.
 The strange man says Gale was hunting illegally and must be punished.
 Peeta and other townsfolk back Katniss and Haymitch up, lying about how they usually punish poachers.
 The man, who's the new Head Peacekeeper, leaves after making other threats, and the crowd disperses. Katniss can't
help Darius, who's taken away with the other Peacekeepers.
 She and the few people left help Gale, who's in really bad shape, by taking him to her mother's for medical care.
 On the way there, Katniss learns what happened. Gale usually sold his hunting finds to the Head Peacekeeper, Cray. But
today Cray wasn't there, so Gale got caught with contraband by the new Head Peacekeeper, who punished him. When
Darius tried to intervene, the new Head Peacekeeper bashed him in the head.
 They get to Katniss' house, and her mother and Prim immediately get to work trying to fix Gale.
 It takes a long time, as he has been so badly beaten. Katniss is in pain too, and they don't have nearly enough
medication.
 Katniss freaks out and starts yelling. While she calms down, Peeta tells Haymitch about the plan to run away.
 There's a sound at the door. Everyone cowers, expecting the worst, but it's just Katniss' friend Madge with some pain
medicine that belongs to her mother.
 It's powerful medicine made in the Capitol, and it seems to help Gale feel better.
 Everyone else leaves and Katniss sits with Gale. She kisses him again.
 Katniss criticizes herself and the kind of person she is. She doesn't know who she is any more.
 She thinks about how, even though she's left the arena, the Games are still going on. She's still fighting to survive.

Quote 1
Bundled against the cold, my face free of makeup, my braid tucked carelessly under my coat, it wouldn't be easy to identify me
as the victor of the last Hunger Games. [...] But Haymitch has been showing up on television for years, and he'd be difficult to
forget. (8.6)
With status and recognition comes power, even in limited ways. Haymitch trades on his reputation and recognition to intervene
in Gale's beating. Because he's "been showing up on television for years," he has authority; he's someone powerful because he's
well known. That's enough to protect Gale and Katniss, at least for a little while.
Chapter 8

Admiration

Quote 2
I'm filled with awe, as I always am, as I watch her transform from a woman who calls me to kill a spider to a woman immune to
fear. When a sick or dying person is brought to her . . . this is the only time I think my mother knows who she is. (8.39)
Katniss has a rocky relationship with her mother. She mentally abandoned her children when they were small and forced Katniss
into taking responsibility for the family. In many situations Katniss' mother is afraid of even the tiniest thing. Yet when she's in
the healing zone, she's "immune to fear." She can care for other people and even save their lives. This is pretty much the
opposite of Katniss, who falls to pieces when a person she knows is hurt.
Chapter 8

Admiration

Quote 3
Because I'm selfish. I'm a coward. I'm the kind of girl who, when she might actually be of use, would run to stay alive and leave
those who couldn't follow to suffer and die. This is the girl Gale met in the woods today.
No wonder I won the Games. No decent person ever does. (8.82-83)
Katniss criticizes herself harshly for what she sees as a lack of courage, saying she's both "selfish" and "a coward." She berates
herself for not being "decent" or good, the proof being that she won the Games. If she were really good, unselfish, and decent,
she would have lost the Games, which are designed to reward the strong, strategic, and selfish.
Chapter 8

Courage

Haymitch Abernathy

Quote 4
Haymitch ignores him and pulls me to my feet roughly. "Oh, excellent." His hand locks under my chin, lifting it. "She's got a
photo shoot next week modeling wedding dresses. What am I supposed to tell her stylist?" (8.5)
Here Haymitch uses the importance of Katniss' appearance as an argument for why the new Head Peacekeeper should stop
beating her. The way Haymitch explains it, it doesn't matter what Katniss has done or not done to deserve a beating. What
matters is her presence at "a photo shoot next week" where she has to look the part "modeling wedding dresses." Of course,
Haymitch is using appearances as an excuse to save Katniss, but in a way, her life does depend on her looking the part.
Chapter 8

Appearances

CHAPTER 9

 Peeta wakes Katniss up. She has fallen asleep holding Gale's hand. They scheme about the plan to run away, exchanging
important looks but saying little.
 He tells her to go to bed, which she does, but has terrible nightmares about being back in the arena.
 A huge blizzard hits District 12. Katniss hopes this will give them all time to strategize.
 She takes stock of the new situation. She's afraid but also brave. She's worried about what will happen to her and her
family, but realizes they've already been damaged. In a certain sense, she has little to lose now.
 Katniss has to keep fighting – in memory of Rue, and in honor of her sister and all the little ones out there who need her
help.
 She bathes and thinks about what's happening in District 8. In some ways, she decides, Peeta would be a better
rebellion-leader than she would. He's great at public speaking and at inspiring people.
 Katniss meets her family and Gale. Her mother gives them a special medicine made of snow for their wounds.
 Katniss is forced once again to think about her feelings for Gale.
 She finds out Peeta went home, so she calls him. They make an appointment to talk, along with Haymitch, when the
blizzard passes. This takes two days.
 Then Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch meet in a safe place outdoors. Katniss says they shouldn't run away anymore, they
should help lead the rebellion.
 Haymitch says that's absurd; she and Peeta should get married ASAP. They can't fight the Capitol.
 As they disperse, they realize that the new Head Peacekeeper, Thread, has already started turning 12 into a police
state. Armed guards are everywhere. They'll have even less freedom than before. The old Hob, where they exchanged
black market goods, is burning to the ground.
 Haymitch's solution to every problem is simply to get drunk, so he goes off to try to find a drink.
 Peeta and Katniss pay a visit to Gale's home. His mother's there and says no one is using her business because they're
afraid to associate with her family after Gale's actions. Gale's sister Posy has the measles. The mines, where Gale
usually works, have also been shut down.
  Katniss wants to help the people of the Hob, but Peeta says there's nothing they can do.
 Time goes by, and the situation in 12 only grows more dire. There's no work and not enough food to go around.
 Gale heals enough to return home. His little brother, Rory, has committed to tesserae, which means entering the
drawing for the Games extra times, so their family can get more food.
 Katniss finds a way to help Gale's family by setting Hazelle up as Haymitch's housekeeper. Haymitch is in a bad way,
though, because liquor supplies to the district have been cut off.
 Their freedoms are curtailed more and more.
 Wedding dresses from the Capitol arrive for Katniss to look at. This freaks her out so much that she heads to the woods
on her own, ignoring the danger.
 She sneaks through the fence around the perimeter and heads to the house where she and Gale met. It's too late to
turn back when she realizes there's a person there in a Peacekeeper suit. Katniss is about to shoot her when the woman
shows her a mockingjay sign on some bread.

CHAPTER 10

 At first Katniss doesn't understand the symbol. The strange woman tries to explain it, but then she's joined by another
woman.
 Katniss forces them to explain themselves.
 The two women are dressed like Peacekeepers, but they're in disguise. One of them is injured. They introduce
themselves as Twill and Bonnie. They know who she is, and explain that they are traveling to District 13.
 Katniss scoffs because 13 doesn't exist. Or so she thinks.
 Katniss decides to trust them, because she has bad memories about what's happened to other refugees.
 They take refuge inside the house in the woods, where Katniss often hides, and tell her more of their story.
 Twill and Bonnie reveal that they came from District 8, where cloth is made and resources are super scarce. Katniss
gives them some of her extra food. Bonnie reminds her of Rue (from The Hunger Games).
 Then Twill and Bonnie explain what's been going on in 8. Almost as soon as the previous Games ended, a rebellion
started there, but no one outside 8 knows about it. Twill was actually Bonnie's teacher before they both starting
working at a uniform-making factory. Bonnie had been helping Twill hide two uniforms so Twill and her husband could
escape from 8 and tell people in other districts what was going on there.
 After Katniss and Peeta's visit to District 8 on the media tour, the district rebelled. For a moment it seemed like it would
work, but then the Capitol's forces moved in and punished everyone harshly.
 Bonnie's family and Twill's husband died when the Capitol bombed the factory where they worked. Bonnie and Twill
only escaped because they were at the school. They gathered their courage, used the uniforms, and escaped.
 Katniss asks why they're going to 13, and they explain that the Capitol is hiding information about 13. They think it
wasn't destroyed and that the people there, who have weapons capabilities, are hiding and planning something.
 They can tell because the video the Capitol always shows about how they destroyed District 13 is run on a loop. Plus it's
the same super-old footage used year after year. Bonnie and Twill are convinced that 13 has been rebuilt.
 Katniss is intrigued, but still doubtful. She helps Bonnie and Twill anyway by teaching them some rudimentary survival
skills and giving them some supplies. She explains the situation in 12, then leaves.
 She doesn't believe 13 is really out there, though.
 On her way home Katniss wonders about the mockingjay sign and is concerned that Snow might be manipulating her.
She's not sure how much she might have to do with this potential rebellion.
 She's about to go under the deactivated electric fence that separates the area where she hunts from District 12 when
she realizes it's turned on and dangerous

Quote 1
As the Peacekeepers fell, weapons were appropriated for the rebels. There was hope that this had not been an act of madness,
that in some way, if they could get the word out to other districts, an actual overthrow of the government in the Capitol might
be possible. (10.44)
As Snow indicated, war is brewing in Panem, and this is one of Katniss' first tastes of it. The people are desperate enough to try
to attack the Peacekeepers as a first step to "an actual overthrow of the government." What worries Katniss is that she may be
getting both the credit and the blame for this potential rebellion, and she didn't ask for any of it.
Chapter 10

Warfare

Quote 2
They recognize me. Of course they recognize me. My face is uncovered and I'm standing here outside of District 12 pointing an
arrow at them. Who else would I be? (10.10)
As a Games victor, Katniss is both more protected and more endangered than a normal person. People throughout Panem know
what she looks like, and if she's "pointing an arrow" it's even more obvious who she is. Hunting by arrow is one of her defining
skills as a victor.
Chapter 10

Appearances

CHAPTER 11

 Katniss finds it hard not to freak out as she pulls away from the fence. She feels targeted and needs a strategy. Maybe
she's being watched. This has happened before, but she never felt so urgent about it.
 She can't be caught outside the fence and needs a plan. She can't crawl underneath it, so she'll have to get high enough
to jump over it.
 She climbs a huge tree and jumps to the other side. She can tell she has hurt her foot, but she's not sure how bad it is.
 When she gets home, two Peacekeepers are there. Katniss has to think fast to come up with a reason why she hasn't
been home. She can tell they know what really happened.
 Katniss lies that she was following some bad directions that Prim gave her, and Prim backs her up. Peeta and Haymitch
help, and the story seems to be somewhat persuasive.
 The Peacekeepers inform her that the fence is going to be on constantly from now on, and then they leave.
 Peeta pushes Katniss to explain her injury. She can't say too much.
 Her family and Peeta take care of her.
 The next day, Katniss is too worn out to do much. She just reviews the situation in her head. She thinks about Bonnie
and Twill and Snow.
 Peeta visits her over the next week and the two of them work on a special book about herbs and their properties.
Katniss is recording her knowledge about the local wild plant life and Peeta is illustrating it.
 She learns more about him and they both feel relaxed.
 Katniss also pays attention to the TV programs to see if she can spot what Bonnie and Twill told her about.
 She realizes that there is something fishy about the footage of District 13.

Quote 1
I thought no one saw me sneak under the fence, but who knows? There are always eyes for hire. [...] Could there be surveillance
cameras? (11.3)
It's hard to know whom to trust, either inside or outside the arena. Even when Katniss thinks nobody's watching her, she can't
be sure. As she explains, "[t]here are always eyes for hire." If she puts her trust in the wrong person, it could result in her death.
It's hard to be sure who she can count on to be loyal to her.
Chapter 11

Loyalty

Quote 2
"Fine. Somebody else can arrange to get the stupid goat knocked up," I say, which makes them laugh more. And I think, this is
why they've made it this far, Haymitch and Peeta. Nothing throws them. (11.34)
Sometimes the competition in the arena has seemed like it was about being the best fighter, the cleverest strategist, or the
luckiest individual. Here Katniss realizes another important element is rolling with the punches. You never know when that
ability will be called upon, and she admires Haymitch and Peeta for it.
Chapter 11

Competition

CHAPTER 12

 The problem of District 13 worries Katniss, but there's nothing she can do about it.
 Months pass and it's basically spring by the time Katniss' prep team arrives to help her get ready for a pre-wedding
photo shoot.
  At one point Octavia complains that seafood from District 4 isn't available. Octavia gives a lame reason for the seafood
shortage, but Katniss sees right through it. She is convinced that this means there's trouble in District 4, and that the
Capitol is hushing it up.
 Katniss attempts some delicate questioning. She thinks it's possible that the people in District 3 are also stirring up
unrest against the Capitol.
 Cinna and Effie arrive to help put on Katniss' makeup before her photo shoot.
 Katniss poses for hours and then everybody leaves. She's left with her family, feeling absolutely wrung out.
 That night she has terrible dreams.
 The next day she wants to decompress by talking with a trusted ally, but she's not sure whom to turn to. She settles on
Haymitch and fills him in as quickly as she can.
 He has news, too. Between the two of them, they think about half of Panem is ready for rebellion.
 Haymitch gloomily says that 12 shouldn't rebel; otherwise they could end up like 13. He doesn't buy the possibility that
13 has secretly rebuilt itself.
 Later that day, they find out they have to watch a special program on TV that night, by government order.
 Prim says it'll be the wedding shoot. Katniss worries about what this will mean for Gale.
 There's a whole program about people getting to vote on which dress Katniss will wear for her wedding.
 After the program, the announcer, Caesar Flickerman, explains that the next Hunger Games will be the 75th. That's a
special anniversary marked by a Quarter Quell, to reinforce the whole purpose of the Games.
 Snow appears to explain what will happen at this Quell. At the first Quell, the districts had to select their own tributes
through an election process. At the second, twice as many tributes had to go.
 Snow has to open a little card to explain this Quell, since the form of it is (supposedly) a surprise to everyone. He reads
out that in this third Quell, the tributes will be people who have emerged victorious from previous Games.
 Katniss' family catches on to this bad news more quickly than she does. Even though she just survived the Hunger
Games, now she's going to be thrown into the arena all over again.

Quote 1
[Snow] reads, "On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot
overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors." [...]

I am going back into the arena. (12.46, 49)

Talk about the worst news ever. Getting through one Games is bad enough; even if you survive, the trauma you endured would
haunt you for the rest of your life. Just when Katniss thinks she's relatively safe (although she's been marked by Snow and the
Capitol as a potential threat), she is "going back into the arena." She will have to do it all over again.
Chapter 12

Competition

CHAPTER 13

 Katniss has a visceral reaction to the terrible news and runs outside. She heads for the woods, but that's forbidden, so
she ends up in the Victor's Village alone.
 She has a hysterical fit.
 This is the one fate she never saw coming, despite all the awful things she anticipated in her future.
 She's reliving the moment where Snow read out the terrible news that's just changed her life. She's positive this wasn't
the original plan, but a change meant to punish her specifically.
 If the few people who've made it through the previous Games die, the districts will have no one to inspire or guide
them.
 Katniss realizes with horror that, in order to save her own life, she'll have to kill Peeta or Haymitch.
 She has to go to the arena (there's no other female victors from 12 to choose between) and worries that Peeta will
volunteer as the male tribute, in order to protect her.
 She goes to find Haymitch, who's totally wasted. They commiserate, and she drinks too.
 Haymitch reveals that Peeta will blackmail him into trading places. No matter what, Peeta will head to the arena
because he loves Katniss.
 Katniss feels horribly guilty.
 They make a deal: during the last Games, Haymitch was ultimately on Katniss' side. This time, she wants them both to
be on Peeta's side and to try to save his life.
 She goes home, where Gale meets her. He says they should still try to run away, but she says they can't. Then she
blacks out.
  The next day she has a wicked hangover.
 She bathes and goes back to bed. Her mother and Prim come to console, but she just breaks down again.
 Later that day, Katniss finally pulls herself together. She goes to see Haymitch again, and this time Peeta joins them.
 Peeta says he's keeping the two of them from getting their hands on any more alcohol. He has urgency and clarity and
is determined that someone from their district will win this Quell. To do so, they'll need to be in control of all the
mental power they possess.
 They start training in earnest, watching previous Games, discussing strategies, and figuring out who their potential
opponents are. They also start working out, hard.
 Haymitch can't really keep up, but Katniss and Peeta feel somewhat better about things when they're training.
 Their families and friends rally around them. Gale gives them instruction in making snares.
 Gale pushes Katniss to think about what would happen to their relationship if Peeta were out of the picture, but she
refuses. She wants to have a serious talk with Gale, but it doesn't work out.
 Before she knows it, the time of the reaping arrives. It's really just a formality: Katniss is chosen as the female victor
(she's the only choice), then Haymitch. But then Peeta steps in and Haymitch is out, pushed back into the role of
mentor once again.
 Then they're whisked away to the Capitol, with no time to talk to the people they love, and on their way back to start
the Games all over again.

Quote 1
I knew it. In this way, Peeta's not hard to predict. While I was wallowing around on the floor of that cellar, thinking only of
myself, he was here, thinking only of me. Shame isn't a strong enough word for what I feel. (13.21)
Peeta's loyalty to Katniss is unwavering. When the news comes that they have to go back to the arena, Peeta instantly starts
"thinking only of [Katniss]," springing into action on her behalf. In a way, this seems almost too selfless. Katniss, for her part, has
a pretty normal reaction: freaking out on her own behalf. Most of us would probably do the same thing.
Chapter 13

Loyalty

Katniss Everdeen

Quote 2
"Okay, I figured out what I'm asking," I say. "If it is Peeta and me in the Games, this time we try to keep him alive."

Something flickers across his bloodshot eyes. Pain.

"Like you said, it's going to be bad no matter how you slice it. And whatever Peeta wants, it's his turn to be saved. We both owe
him that." My voice takes on a pleading tone. "Besides, the Capitol hates me so much, I'm as good as dead now. He still might
have a chance. [...]" (13.27-29)
Katniss hasn't instantly flipped her courage switch on like Peeta did after hearing about the new Games. But just a few hours
later she's as ready to sacrifice her life for Peeta's as he's ready to sacrifice his life for hers. We could interpret the last part of
what she says in two ways. Is she calculatingly using this "pleading tone" to bring up her inability to survive in order to convince
Haymitch why he should work with her to save Peeta? Or is it easier for her to sacrifice herself because she believes she's in so
much danger anyway?
Chapter 13

Courage

Peeta Mellark > Katniss Everdeen

Quote 3
"The point is that two of us are coming home from the Capitol. One mentor and one victor," says Peeta. "Effie's sending me
recordings of all the living victors. We're going to watch their Games and learn everything we can about how they fight. We're
going to put on weight and get strong. We're going to start acting like Careers. And one of us is going to be victor again whether
you two like it or not!" (13.58)
Peeta's courage here is galvanizing: it gives Haymitch and Katniss courage too. Now it's Peeta who's the driving and encouraging
force. He's courageous enough to be part of a team even though he knows that means he might not survive. In fact, he's
planning to die, in order to save Katniss' life.
Chapter 13

Courage