so anyway are you team peeta or team gale

I didn't realise until I was older that Katniss likely has PTSD due to her horrible childhood, long before the Games. She has difficulty trusting people, which is why she thinks that Peeta is lying when he says that he's in love with her, experiences frequent night terrors, anger, impulsiveness, and fails to relate to other people.

I remember reading Mockingjay and being floored by how psychologically damaged Katniss was, and the bravery of Susan Collins to write a main protagonist with such intense mental trauma. Katniss’s perspective can sometimes be jarring to read because she’s so unhinged. She constantly contemplates suicide and cannot seek inner peace no matter how hard she tries. I remember the last chapter of the book, Katniss rots away in a chair, unwilling to eat, sleep or do anything. It’s a rather depressing ending but so integral to Katniss’s arc and the overall message of the story. There are no winners in war. Katniss had to sacrifice her sanity and innocence for the sake of revolution. It’s rather sad really.

Holy fuck, now realizing this, on one hand, Yes Peeta is a genuinely kind and selfless guy, but also, the explanation behind his great skill on knowing how people works and manipulation was probably stemmed from abuse 💀you don't exactly get to avoid getting hit by your parent by being rash or rude. That's what allowed Peeta to survive - he has to learn how other people tick to know how to act and what to say next. Damn.

Your point about adults failing her made me think of Haymitch and how he was probably the most reliable adult in her life despite being a trauma-addled drunk because he understood her, empathized with her, and did everything he could to save her despite both of them clashing. And it's sort of poetic.

While Katniss likely has PTSD due to her tough childhood, Prim doesn't, since while their grieving mother checked out emotionally, leaving no one for Katniss, Prim always had her older sister. Also, I wish that they'd delved more into Finnick being forced to prostitute himself to save his family.

I think the mockingjay movies were the worst when it came to showing us how traumatized katniss really was. She was borderline suicidal and kept being sedated because of her panic attacks. I think the movies focused more on the “action” rather than where she was at that point mentally which is what coin and the other adults in 13 took advantage of - her unstable mental health

“The odds were in Catos favor with his privilege and it didn’t matter, the odds were in prims favor and it didn’t matter” (her only having her name in the reaping once) was so important

I feel like the ballad of songbirds and snakes had this same problem. The characters of both Katniss and Coriolanus are too complex to condense into a two and a half hour movie, especially without narration or internal monologue.

I think Jennifer did an incredible job as Katniss. She’s quiet but not timid. You can’t read her expressions, she never attempted to be a spectacle or “put on a brave face” she’s raw and strong something we rarely see especially among female characters. The casting was perfect.

As much as I love the books and the movies, the Mockingjay ending (the movie) was extremely disappointing to me. In the books she has most of her hair missing because of the fire, she had insane burnt scars all over her body, she was suicidal, she had spent weeks in an empty room in the Capitol awaiting her trial, she was completely broken. In the movie her skin was porcelain clean, her hair gorgeous and shiny, and her suicidal-depressive state was just presented as walking sadly around the mansion. Then she returned to 12 and the movie made her trauma look like it disappeared within days. All it took was one pretty spring day and a walk to the woods. I was ready to cry my eyes out but I was so disappointed instead. Still loving the series, but yeah, the ending minimalized her trauma to almost zero.

It's interesting how Lucy Gray Baird is essentially the anti-Katniss; she has almost no combat or survival skills that would help her in the games but is immensely charming and charismatic.

I actually LOVE the book ending. I lived a bit as a kid in and near a war zone. Oddly, the Hinger Games and it’s ending is one of the best depictions of the end result of war, for the survivors - you do your best to live and move forward, but you forever carry those scars. Anytime I see someone joyfully calling for violence, it just…hits. I know there are times where it’s necessary, but I want people to understand what they’re asking for when they call for it. And this book series does a devastatingly good job of showing that.

honestly, the fact that katniss never wanted to be the symbol for the rebellion makes it so much more realistic to me. imagine you’re a teen and the future of your country depends solely on you??? everybody watching you and looking at you for hope?? I would FOLD.

Another thing the movies missed was Katniss’ olive skin and Peeta’s disability. Katniss looked different than Prim due to her darker complexion which the movies didn’t represent. Peeta had a metal leg after Katniss saved him. Both these features would’ve been needed in the movies as they add to the characters! Wished we saw that :(

One thing the movies added that I LOVED was the expansion of Effie’s role. I’m so glad they included her in the District 13 arc

Mockingjay is already a difficult book to adapt with its controversial ending, and they decided to split it into 2 films despite stretching out the emotional beats. I hated the ending on first read because all the trauma Katniss went through was for nothing. It did trigger me to reread the entire thing again right away, which made me realize that that's the point. All of Katniss trauma has been for nothing because that's how it is in society. While there was rebellion and hope, the shiny filter has also been taken off by the end, leaving just the harsh reality of war and angry, traumatized people.

i always thought of the name peeta being similar to the name peter. peter means rock/stone and peeta is very steady and grounds katniss when shes worried/ scared/ or sad. also a gale is a burst of wind and a hawthorn is a bush that has tons of thorns on it. small animals often hide under them but they get cut up when a gust of wind messes with the branches. I think that this shows how gale wants to protect but its in his nature to hurt people because hes too angry inside.

Katniss’s trauma was so overlooked and mishandled in the movies. They glossed over too much

i truly don't feel like "team gale" was ever really a choice. i'm not a fan of how the movies played up the love triangle stuff because to me, in the books, it was always sort of obvious that the obvious ending was peeta. i love gale as a character, i hate how people don't understand him or villainize him, it's truly frustrating interacting with the fandom who tend to preach the idea of "they're all children" and "nuance" and then don't extend that hand to gale. really amazing video, you hit all the points! i look forward to any other videos you post!

It’s been almost a decade since I read the books but I can recall feeling awful after finishing Mockingjay. Realizing that Katniss never “won” anything in a sense, not coming out stronger or better, but survived with so much damage that she’d still have even years later absolutely wrecked me in 7th grade.

This is one of the best essays on Katniss's psychology I've ever seen.

katniss was always an incredibly deep character and her main goal of protecting prim made me cry on my most recent binge of the series. she spent years trying to keep prim safe and innocent, had to become more aggressive to survive, joined the hunger games which led to her becoming the mockingjay; all for her hard work to be thrown away as prim was killed right in front of her.

The ending of Mockingjay completely destroyed me. I remember reading it as a teen and feeling traumatised for days myself. I just couldn't accept what had happened and felt so deeply with what Katniss was going through. Even now, when I think back to how I felt reading it, it's such a strong painful feeling. The writing of all three books really puts you in Katniss' shoes and in her world, you feel what she feels so deeply.And you feel so let down, robbed, destroyed, and almost beyond repair in the same way that Katniss does. The book does an excellent job of conveying the finality and irreparability of injustice. Both Katniss and Peeta deserved so much better. I so deeply wished Prim had survived.

As someone who can relate to some of Katniss trauma (although her trauma is much more severe), the protecting of a younger sibling can be a way of coping, its like nurturing a light and hope like you said, and it can help to distract from inner turmoil and latch on to a purpose. Obviously the protectiveness also comes from genuine love but i think trauma also comes to play in some way for Katniss.

I’m really happy to see this video because in the hunger games fandom, we have this conversation a lot, who’s the most traumatized? Everybody always says it’s some combination of Finnick, Joanna, Haymitch, and Peeta. It always makes me sad how nobody ever considers Katniss’s trauma for even a second. She is such a kind person, and she cares about others even when they don’t care about her. Child neglect in her past means that she can’t fathom that other people would love and want to care for her. She has humongous abandonment issues and she doesn’t understand how to express her feelings correctly. She disregards her feelings and hurts herself so entirely to help people who treat her terribly, especially during Mockingjay. She beats herself up about every single death that she may be responsible for, and she spends most of the books believing that she is the worst person when she is so good. This one line from the movie always makes me so mad. It’s when Haymitch says “in a million lifetimes you could never deserve that boy.” I think that Madge, Peeta, Rue, and Primrose are the only people who come even close to deserving her.

I often think about the epilogue and how it really wasn't, to me, a happy ending... She still carried damage... The movies really didn't deliver that for me

This was a really good video. I like that you mentioned Katniss' feelings towards Gale were complicated. People like to say it was never going to be Gale, and Gale was always "the worst", but I feel like this take is a disservice to the quality of Susanne's writing. Gale, just like Peeta and Katniss is a product of trauma. Gale is angry and hurt and as the saying goes "hurt people, hurt people". Was Gale right in his thinking? No, I'm not condoning war crimes. HOWEVER, starving, being the provider for your family from a young age, watching children get slaughtered annually, etc. would not make you the soundest thinker. Just as you said, Katniss IS like Gale. Except unlike Katniss, Gale didn't have anyone other than Katniss. Once Katniss was exposed to more people, she was able to work on her anger. Peeta gave Katniss emotional support. Effie showed her that Capitol citizens aren't pure evil, some are just oblivious. Haymitch showed her tough love and nuances of life in Panem. Cinna showed the fatherly love and protective spirit she needed. Even Boggs had a hand in helping her. All these people helped her from letting that angry traumatized person get worse. Gale is like the guy that never left his dead end town. And gets involved in all the wrong things because he feels like those are his only options. And the moment Gale gets support its people that want to harness his anger for their bidding. Also not saying Gale didn't voluntarily do the things he did. But just saying if you see an angry person punching the air, the last thing you need to do it give them a bomb. And that’s what I feel Coin and Plutarch did. I just feel Gale deserves a lot more depth than people tend to give him.

Honestly the way Katniss was so traumatized repeatedly and lost so much but still in the end wanted to live and remember is so inspiring. I think a lot of people who have ptsd or cptsd like myself are so terrified of having kids or living "normal or happy" that we don't consider it an option because we're too damaged or broken and we'll mess it up.

Katniss not only has PTSD, she has almost textbook complex PTSD (CPTSD) as well as parentification trauma. As someone who has been in a constant, traumatic environment instead of a single event or series of events, Katniss shows many of the symptoms of CPTSD; difficulty controlling her emotions, avoiding friendships and relationships, and experiencing dissociative symptoms such as depersonalization or derealization. Even before the games she was in a constant loop of trauma, the Games only compounded that. She experienced parentification at age 11 when she had to take on the role of mother and father. Prior to this she struggled, but had stability in her home. But losing her father is the turning point for everything. Because of her parentification trauma Katniss hasn't been able to develop a clear sense of her own needs and feelings. She finds it hard to trust others or to form healthy intimate relationships. It isn't until the epilogue that she has had any opportunity to heal from both of these things. Peeta offers her the support needed to start that healing, something that Gale would not be able to do. Suzanne Collins was able to weave Katiniss's trauma into every fiber of her personality in a way that feels organic. Unless you are looking for it and have the emotional maturity to see it she comes off only as harsh and angry. Rereading the series as an adult I am able to see the patterns of this and it makes me even more impressed with how much Collins was able to pour into her characters.

Katniss’s trust issues make sense when you consider that her mother, who was supposed to care for her, emotionally abandoned her.

“a sacrifice is a debt unpaid, not a gift for her” this is a relatable feeling

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen is easily one of the greatest casting choices of all time. On par with Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. Just irreplaceable, can't imagine anyone else as Katniss other than Jennifer

She goes through the games all for her sister goes through the trauma of killing other kids only for her sister to die from an explosion in front of her because of the women she was fight for… she volunteers for her sister not to die only for her to die during the revolution.

I'm so happy with this video, i feel like a lot of people reduce these books and Katniss herself to a "love triangle" too much (mind you, the promotion of the movies kinda fell on that too) but both the books and Katniss are greatly written in my opinion and i need more analysis of them like this! Thanks for this

I think a huge point to her decision of the triangle was how the boys evolved into the third book. Gale’s quest for more revenge actually got Prim killed with that one bomb that wounds then goes off again when people come to help. Peeta was brainwashed but despite this was trying his best. It also is interesting how at the very end, finally losing Prim was the thing that actually made her do a crazy rebellious plan to earn Coins trust then shoot her instead of Snow because she would have been just as bad and made the reverse Hunger Games.

Would also like to point out that Katniss saying that singing isn’t used to survive is super interesting given Lucy Gray Bairds use of singing as a tactic to will people over!

How can you have forgotten how devastating the Mockingjay book is? The entire book is Katniss going from a bad situation, to an even worse one. She spends most of the book in the hospital. It's so incredibly dark and it's my favorite, at least of the 3 original books.

I know this video is supposed to be about the first book only, but one of my favorite parts in Mockingjay is the conversation Katniss overhears between Gale and Peeta. Because Peeta is still hijacked at this point but it really showcases where each of the characters' mindset was. While Peeta and Katniss are concerned about how they're going to survive this situation and finish the war, Gale is still primarily concerned with who Katniss is going to end up with. Mockingjay really highlights the absolute trauma that Katniss and Peeta were left with after the Games and in the events following all of that. And while they're all teenagers who had to grow up too fast, Katniss and Peeta are worried about bigger things than their love life. Which showcases how Gale just truly didn't understand Katniss even after everything they went through.

I think part of it, too, is that Katniss is the first person to resist the capital successfully on national television. The viewers in the districts, see her as an ordinary person, not a superhero. It gives them hope, because if she can beat the capital, maybe they can. Snow told (Heavensbee? Crane?) that hope is the most dangerous thing of all.

I think ultimately the Hunger Games is an example of how different mediums are better suited at different things. As you said, the books are able to better delve into character POVs in ways that a film medium simply isn’t ever going to be able to with the same level of depth. In the same vein though, I think the films are able to create visuals in powerfully resonating ways that imagining it from page itself might not be able to really convey.

I had honestly forgotten how traumatic and depressing Mockingjay was, especially towards the last few chapters. I just remember being in a sad state for about a week after finishing the book, and only being able to pin my dissatisfaction with the ending on the fact that Prim was killed. Now that I'm older, I realize that Suzanne Collins just wanted to portray the brutality of war and its lingering effects as realistically as possible. And yes, while the books were extremely good, I do think the movies actually did a wonderful job honoring the source material with the constraints of making feature films palatable enough for a young audience. Far too many stories don't get the same treatment when being adapted for the silver screen.

I just read ballad of songbirds and snakes and reread the hunger games- something that frustrates me about their respective movie adaptations is the lack of food shown! we’re with katniss and snow for nearly every meal they have, and witness how much of their thoughts revolve around finding food and worrying about having enough. the mental calculations they do reveal so much about their motivations and it’s lost in the movie. this could also be an interesting conversation surrounding the hierarchy of needs- where katniss is trying to fulfill her physiological and safety needs, snow is trying to fulfill those as well as his esteem needs. he knows what it’s like to have enough food and wants to solely focus on bettering his social standing. he’s worried about his family having enough money to eat… to live up to the snow name. there’s so much to say about that book and so much to analyze, and I feel like people aren’t doing it! lol. thanks for this video, it was great!

I never made the connection between “Peeta” and “Pita” (bread). I always associated it with a colloquial pronunciation of “Peter”, meaning “rock”… because Peeta was (other than when he was hijacked) in many ways Katniss’ rock in the storm. Who knows, maybe Collins meant it to have a double-meaning?

I always thought it to be remarkable that Katniss was kind of popular at school and in 12 in general. Peeta tells her that everyone kind of looked up to her or envied her, because of her hunting skills, her fearlessness of going and trading at the hob and her relationship to (handsome and older) Gale. Love how she won't further think about it , although surprised by the info, because it would just be a waste of recourses: her time and braincells lol she rationalizes the people in 12 being nice to her by saying they respected her father or liked Prim ( the hob willing to trade, peetas father, I mean even his mother respected Katniss before the games etc.) She just can't see herself in their eyes and never will. I think the only person who really gets her 'twisted' nature is Haymitch, still he loves her because Katniss really... isn't wicked at all. Her straight up oblivion to her popularity makes her even more attractive imo, like that otherworldly, 'out of reach' type of girl. It's kind of sad though because she doesn't intend to be that way, it seems she's just naturally intriguing, it's an important part of what kept her alive but also what pushed her into the leader path full of loss and trauma.

I'm only halfway through this video and already awed by your observations and analysis. Katniss is an incredibly complex and layered character and this essay explores her characterisation wonderfully.

While I love these movies with my entire heart, it is pretty hard to express the internal complexity of a character who’s depth is shown a lot in her inner monologue 😭😭😭 I think they did a fantastic job though, love the channel

I know this was only talked about for a split second, but I think the names of the characters actually make a lot of sense. Their names have a lot of cultural/regional references and some characters are named after something that describes who they are as a character and possibly their fate. It makes sense that they wouldn’t have what we would call “traditional names.” The hunger games is set in a futuristic dystopian society that has long been separated from the world we currently know, so the way they name children is different, especially because people in the districts most likely do not have resources like a baby name book. So to look for names, they look at what is around them and their culture. Katniss, living in the poorest and one of the most rural districts (12), is named after a plant. This plant is important because it provides a source of food for those who are starving. Her father even says this “as long as you can find yourself you will never go hungry.” Her sister’s name is Primrose, which is also a plant. Peeta is named after bread; his parents are bakers. While this name may be sorta odd to us, it makes sense in this context. The bread they make provides them a living and meals. (It’s safe to assume his brothers also have bread or grain like names, or names that are earthy or old) Gale is defined as “a very strong wind” but I did some research and there is a plant called “sweet gale” that can be found in North America, especially in the north and northeast, which is close to where 12 is located. Many other names throughout the series supports this idea. Rue, Thresh, Cedar, and Chaff, the tributes from district 11 in the 74th and 75th games all have names that are significant to their district and the culture that surrounds it. Rue= a type of plant Thresh= a type of bird (thrush) or the act of separating grain from (a plant). Seeder= could be the type of tree (cedar) or a machine used to seed fields. Chaff= either husks of corn or chopped hay/straw that is used as fodder We can also see this with the tributes of district 1: Glimmer, Marvel, Cashmere, and Gloss. All of these names are fancy sounding names, reflecting their district’s production of luxury goods. Even the Capitol had its own culture around names, even if it wasn’t explicitly stated. Many capitol-born characters have these eccentric names that reflect the eccentric lives they live, and if it’s not about their eccentric lives, it is about their status. Coriolanus Snow, Tigris, Effie Trinket, Clemensia Dovecote, Flavius, Caesar Flickerman, etc. There are some names that don’t fit this exact naming trend, but these names are “old sounding” names that may have been passed down family names, or names found in books that may still exist. (I don’t know if books are uncommon in the districts, I didn’t find any info about it lol. These names include Johanna, Annie, Alma, Mags. Anyway, I think the names in the series are very fitting and reflect the separate cultures that have formed due to the strict separation of these groups of people. It’s also really cool to think about. I really liked your video and thought it had really good commentary on Katniss’s character!

the same with tbosas, we lose context for snow's character too, like how the mockingjays were disgusting to him because its "unnatural" and he didnt like the idea of something district and something capitol coming together

understanding how traumatized katniss was changed my understanding of her character so much as a child. but also, viewing her through an autistic lense also changed a lot for me

Reading these comments as an adult not only makes me realise how mentally unstable and ptsd coded Katniss was, but also myself as a teen. I was around 12-14 when i read all the books, i related so hard to Katniss... little did i know i was also c-PTSD. Edits; spelling

I remember bawling my eyes out and gasping for air as a kid when I got to Rue’s death in the book. Seeing the movie scene still makes me tear up.

Yes - all of this. While I'm glad they didn't use a Twilight-esque voiceover to make Katniss's thoughts known, her inner world is almost completely cut out (along with tons of seemingly minute but world building details). Her sarcasm, cynicism, protectiveness, and empathy rounds her out instead of her either being a blank slate or a poor archetype.

I think the movies did their best to portray the complexity of Katniss and other characters motivations. I think it would really depend on the viewers age and understanding of certain topic. I remember when I first watched I couldn’t really understand some of it but I knew I liked 😂 but I recently rewatched it and I understood everything (symbolism, why she didn’t want to be friends with Gale, why she killed coin, etc.)which made the film more impactful.

This was genuinely the best analysis on Katniss and her two romantic relationships that I have ever watched. I've never seen anyone explain so succinctly why Peeta was, indeed, the correct choice, and your reflection on their relationship helped me realize what I myself might truly need in a partner. Thank you.

Honestly Peeta was so broken by the end of it, I did not know how they pulled off the romance.

I recently found out I have CPTSD, and rewatching the movies I have a new perspective. Katniss really speaks to me as a character, I feel her pain and I understand why she is the way she is. It's funny that a lot of what you said the movie doesn't portray enough, I still felt it from her character given my personal context on trauma.

I always thought of Gale as both a destructive force of nature as well as flighty like a bird and reminding her of her father

I cannot tell how fast I CONSUMED this book series right after I first saw the first trailer for the first movie. And to this day, it is still one of my favorite book series for young adults/teenagers. The movie adaptation was really good considering what we were having by the time about book adaptations, and im really glad it exists. Also, i will always be team Peeta, he is absolutely wholesome and IMO Katniss is really far from deserving him, even by the end.

istg i got flashbacks of tht brief period of time people were trying to decide on shipnames and katniss/peeta was peeniss before they landed on everlark

I find it annoying how a lot of people don’t like katniss’ character, because they think she’s simply a character that’s “not like most girls”. When in fact she’s actually quite a well written and human character. I’ve never read the books but even through the moves I think Jennifer Lawrence did her character extremely well and I was able to pick up character details.

this was an amazing video. i saw the movie when it came out (all of them) but hadn't read the book until last year. the book was so amazing (haven't gotten to mockingjay yet) and i loved it a lot more than the movie, and i loved the movie. it was the only movie that had a lot of death in it that i would watch over and over when i was younger. one thing that really got me was when katniss volunteers and her family comes in to say goodbye, she doesn't even say goodbye to them. instead, she is giving them orders in case she doesn't comeback. she is planning for their survival when this is her last chance to ever see them again. i think the only reason she hugged prim was because prim was inconsolable. and i think the best thing about the world in relation to katniss' character is that, even if katniss volunteers for her now, prim could just be in the games after this. i thought it was a really good scene haha

I have always felt that if you haven’t read the books you don’t fully understand what is happening. Especially to Katniss. I feel the same way about a ballad of songbirds and snakes. Without that inner monologue you can’t fully understand why they are acting the way they are.

the audacity Sarah J. Maas had to take Katniss's backstory for Feyre and she's still so surface level basic

This video made me want to read the books. I always felt like I wasn't gonna like them because of the action packed scenes in the film but they seem to touch on a lot of emotional aspects based on your point of view. Loved the video!

I will forever shout from the hills that Catching Fire is the greatest book to film adaptation of all time. It's SO to the book. The script is lifted straight from the book with VERY few changes. But yes, Katniss was never going to be a perfect film heroine because of how internally calculating she is in the book. But I guess that gives us access to seeing how the Capitol saw her more than how she saw herself. Both medias played to their strengths and I think that's why it's such a successful series.

About Peeta's name - my assumption while reading the books was that Peeta was supposed to be named Peter, but he lives in a society that does not value literacy, so all that's left is the vague sound of the name. His parents might not have known that the name means "rock" but that's what Peeta turns out to be, whereas Gale is a storm through and through

Katniss was always going to be a difficult character to adapt to the silver screen because of how cerebral she is, but I do think it was possible; however, I don’t think the movies accomplished that, and the reason is pretty obvious. So much of Katniss’s psyche is a twisted ball of creeping dread and anxiety that gnaws her from the inside out. An adaptation that managed to capture that feeling of creeping dread would’ve been a lot better at portraying her, but the movies focus a lot more on the action, and her character suffers as a result.

Yes she starts with the trauma of abandonment basically where she had to get parentified to survive and save her family. Not to this extreme extent but I relate to this and I related so hard during these books with her. Like I felt it could have been me. It was do uncanny. My sister was born just a few years prior to me reading these and I was kinda playing a role of a mom towards her in a lot of ways - I felt that love and dedication to her safety when I read Katniss’ to Prim. So oh my god I think I had to pause reading for a day when Prim died. I was so inconsolable. Seriously. It was like “SHE DID ALL THIS ONLY FOR HER SISTER TO DIE, like what is the point of all of this crap???? What was the POINT.” I was so upset 😅 I think I kind of projected that whole thing into myself Anyway, I always loved how devastatingly the story and Katniss were written. Btw I also lost my father to war and my mother and I had to move to a different country away from war. So that also created this uncanny connection.

Finally some good analysis! There are hundreds of KZfaqrs who have “analysis channels” where they only spout their opinions without any proper analysis. Thank you for such a great video! And if you’d like, I would love an analysis of Katniss trauma in the last book, especially since everyone glosses over how she became catatonic after killing coin, like she walked it off or something, when it is crucial that a 17 year old whose life depends on survival tries to kill herself by not eating.

You really explained the complexity of her character well. I feel like such well written teen female characters are very far in between.

I can’t even tell you how much I loved this video. one of my favourite things in the world is the psychology behind books and well written characters. it’s almost magic when you are able to see it and find the reason behind their every action in your mind. it’s soooo interesting and beautiful. I never quite understood every corner of Katniss, so truly thank you so much

I feel so extremely validated by this video essay -- you've pointed out things about Katniss that I've always believed and have always been kinda disappointed that no one ever really seems to talk about. Thank you for this~ great job!

I love Katniss. She had to step up before even going to the Games, and her strength is her shield, but it's also her burden. She didn't choose to be the figurehead of a revolution, she just wanted her sister safe. Great video!

I'm just here procrastinating from my work and uni projects, but this was SUCH a good video essay. You really quite beautifully and in detail put into words waht I was feeling and thinking when I'd read the books. The story is very intricate and the movies are great, but there were some moments in them that I did not understand no matter how many times I watched them - not until I read the books. You can see so much more character in ... the characters.., and you get all the reasoning / backstory for them. Thank you for this analysis, 's very interesting and educational. And well-made!

I do have one thing that I think the movies did better than the books. I never understood why Katniss said yes to a new hunger games until rewatching the movies

This is one of my favorite stories, and this video really makes me apreciate it even more. I really love how you analice the story and make really good conclucions about it. Thank you

I watch a lot of these breakdowns from different content creators because, as a writer, I love to see how audiences interpret ideas. This is my research as an author. That being said, I have to said this breakdown is one of the better ones I've watched (and I've watched many). Not only do you have a great speaking voice, but you dive deeper than surface value. I really think you should keep going with these Hunger Games analysis. There is A LOT to unpack in this entire series. Sussanne Collins is one of my favorite writers. I think I've read this series at least 3 times and watched the movies 3 times as much. Keep up the good work! You have a new subscriber in me! 😀

you are so well spoken, easily just became one of my favorite essayist with this video! i can’t wait to watch all of your stuff & what’s to come ♥️♥️

This was the most insightful, thorough, and thought-provoking analysis I've seen of one of my all-time favorite book series. I have craved something like this ever since I first read them more than a decade ago. I've never been able to fully explain why these books are so much more than the typical YA dystopia, but you nailed it. Thank you, and I look forward to watching more of your videos!

FINALLY SOMEONE ACTUALLY GETS THESE BOOKS

i absolutely love the way you articulate these video essays they truly hook me in !

i know is very out of nowhere, but i wanted to say how much i LOVE your videos! someway you're always talking about something i have so much interest for and you still speak in such a smart and direct way, you're one of the best channels i've seen!! much love and success for you💗💗

So glad that the hunger games resurgence has come with more character analysis videos like these! I live for any commentary about this series, especially character studies. Thank you!

I just wrote about this for a school project and it’s so nice to see someone else talking about it! Great video as usual

you're insanely talented, i love your videos so much. every word, every visual, everything.

Wonderful video essay. Thank you for putting the time together to write this!

Such a great analysis. loved the way you explained the themes. Thank you for a great video essay ❤

This is crazy, this is literally been the most interesting video i've ever seen in a deep-dive essay on KZfaq. The time of dedication and information researched and found between the lines of characters is literally amazing. Thank you SO much for making this.

this whole book series is so well written, it deserves to be remade into a tv show with possibly multiple seasons. & this time they need to show katniss' darker skin tone & peeta's prosthetic leg!

It's a bit deeper than that. Katniss doesn't choose Peeta. She loves Gale. She could have easily spent her life with him, and probably would have if not for the games. The only thing in their way is the fact she doesn't want kids and he does.. a physical relationship means children and she can't bear the thought of watching them suffer or possibly wind up in the games. She is thrown into the situation with Peeta against her will, but realizes it's the only way to get an edge in the game. She is totally resentful of this. She feels guilt and obligation when she finds out he fed her on purpose and suffered for it, and does her best to protect him in a combination of repayment for his actions, but more importantly the knowledge that their perceived relationship may be the only way she can survive, and therefore get back to her sister. She is the one that saves him, and that continues through the rest of the series. After the first game she has no feelings for him at all except bitterness because she is now trapped in a lie she cannot get out of because she is being watched constantly. It would risk both of their lives and the lives of her family if the public/Capital realized they were not a couple. She sacrifices her own safety for Gale and shows him her feelings, including the physical affection which she is terrified of, after the whipping when she realizes she could have lost him. When the second games are announced she basically gives up hope, and tells everyone to protect Peeta because she knows Snow wants HER dead and that is the only reason Peeta is in danger again. She feels even more guilt and obligation when Peeta sacrifices himself in the second game to ensure she is saved and more importantly Gale and her sister are saved. She feels like she has to get him back to repay him, and all of her actions at this point are to achieve that goal including becoming the Mockingjay. When she finally does get him back and realizes he hates her she gives up on him, but eventually falls back into the need to take care of him because his damage is her fault, a fact she is reminded of by everyone around her, including Peeta himself. At this point she has given up on anything other than killing Snow. After the final battle she finds out Gale was directly or indirectly responsible for the death of her sister, which she could never ever forgive, and he is basically dead to her. She finds out the rebellion was manipulating her to their own ends. Without her sister she has nothing and is an empty shell. She doesn't even care about Snow anymore. Her last action with intent is to take out Coin which she fully intends to follow with her own death. In the end she winds up alone and in seclusion, and intends to stay that way.. but Peeta seeks her out yet again and she accepts it because he is the only person left alive who actually cares about her and can deal with her damage. She tells him she loves him, because it makes him happy. She gives him children to make him happy. She is still making it up to him. She is utterly broken and I really think the only thing keeping her alive is having him to take care of.

Begging and pleading for more hunger games video, this slayed

No you're so right about Peeta's and Gayle's names. They ick me out so much. Great video!!!

I read the books a decade ago and Katniss never left my mind. Upon listening to the audiobooks this year I was in a pool of tears. The end of Mockingjay where Katniss has lost everything was devastating to THE CORE. This is a horrifying cautionary tale.

BLESSING US WITH A VIDEO & it being HUNGER GAMES !! especially with everything in the world rn, this could not come at a perfect time 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

THANK U FOR DOING THE HUNGER GAMES! Could you analyze the fashion next?

this is such a good analysis the video is so well made and easy to understand but still complex thank you legend

I love these vids❤. I think meeting Rue changed Katniss for life too. I remember reading that vividly in the books like “She was like Prim but not Prim. Prim was safe back in District 12. Rue was here and dying.” It was like she just realized tributes die, when a tribute became close to her other than Peeta.

I think it would have been a good addition to the movies to have her do an interview throughout the movies. Especially the first one, since she's alone for most of it, we really just get action sequences with weird effects. Doing an interview/action style movie, a bit like a documentary could have been great. And interview catniss would be old catniss from after the revolution (when she's processed a part of her trauma... could even bith with a psychiatrist or Natalie dormer's character)

I remember having to watch the movies and read the books because my friend group was obsessed with them, peer presure and being a teen etc. And it was so weird because my friends only talked about the romance, were obsessed with it and after reading the books I was like "am I missing something? this girl is depressed in absurd levels, not even the ending was happy holy shit"