Katniss Everdeen



Katniss Everdeen is the main character of the Hunger Games Trilogy. After her younger sister, Prim, is chosen to participate in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place as the female tribute from District 12.

Her acts of defiance against The Capitol in the arena led the people of Panem to view her as the face of the rebellion. She later became what was called "The Mockingjay," and led the rebellion to victory against The Capitol, ending a 75-year-long sufferijg.Her birthday is may 8th ,as said in the first book.

Biography
Katniss Everdeen was born on May 8th in District 12 of the nation Panem. She has straight, black hair, usually in a braid down her back, olive skin, and gray eyes. Katniss was close to her father and spent time hunting with him in the woods. There, he taught her about hunting, nature, and how to use a bow and arrow. Katniss's father also taught her how to swim in a pond in the woods. When she was 11 years old, her father died in an explosion underground in the mines where he worked, leaving her to take care of her mother and sister. Katniss says that she still has nightmares about the explosion and the day her father died five years after. She still woke up screaming for him to run and wondering if he would ever come back to her. She resents her mother for succumbing to the depression caused by her husband's death, which left her unable to care for Katniss and her sister, Primrose Everdeen. Even years after her father's death, Katniss didn't forgive her for sinking into depression and leaving her and Prim alone to fend for themselves so young. The district gave a small amount of money to Katniss's family, allowing for a month grieving period before her mother was expected to get a job. When her mother did not get a job, Katniss was thrust into the role of provider and nurturer. She took on this role to avoid allowing her mother to be deemed an unfit mother, which would send herself and Prim to the community home.

A few weeks before May 8th, when Katniss would be able to sign up for tesserae, her family was already starving and she had succumbed to picking from trash cans. One night, when it was raining, she was yelled at by the Baker's wife for looking in their trash can, even though it was empty. Seeing this, the Baker's son, Peeta Mellark, burned two loaves of bread, earning a beating from his mother. When he went outside with the pretense of feeding the burnt loaves to the pigs, he tossed them to Katniss instead and hurried back inside. The following day at school, Katniss caught Peeta watching her and quickly dropped her gaze, which landed on the first dandelion of the year. The sight of the dandelion made her think of the hours spent in the woods with her father, and she started utilizing the skills her father had taught her to find food and trade. She increased her hunting and foraging skills, selling the illegal food at The Hob, the local Black Market where she made most of her living. Katniss could never shake the connection between Peeta Mellark, the bread that gave her hope, and the dandelion that reminded her that she was not doomed.

During her period of hunting alone, when she was twelve, Katniss met Gaale Hawthrone after stumbling across his snares, which had caught a rabbit. At first, he thought that she was going to steal the snares, but after initial coldness, the two became hunting partners and shared their knowledge with one another; Gale teaching Katniss to tie snares, and Katniss sharing her father's herbological knowledge, as well as archery. Katniss eventually gives Gale a bow. Together, the two would trade at the Hob, although their illegal transactions were overlooked by the Peacekeepers, who along with Katniss' family, lived off of her haul. The trust between Gale and Katniss grew to a point where they became extremely close friends and knew each other in and out. They became well known in the Hob and in town for selling freshly hunted meat and wild fruits to everyone from the Peacekeepers to the Mayor to the stores in the Hob.

74th Hunger Games
When she is sixteen, Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games when they call Prim's name during the reaping. The other tributes from her district are Alessa Gray, Alex Primeval Peeta Mellark, the boy who had saved her family from starvation during her mother's depression by sneaking her some bread. Before she leaves for her trip to the Capitol, she goes to the Justice Building to say her final goodbyes to her loved ones. When she says goodbye to her mother and Prim, Prim makes her promise to try to win, so Katniss complies and tells her mother to make a promise that she won't leave Prim alone to take care of herself.

In addition to hunting and foraging, Katniss signed up for tesserae for each of her family members on her birthday each year, providing them with grain and oil. Katniss's underlying motive for doing this was to ensure that Prim would only have her name in the Reaping ball once when the tribute selection for the 74th Hunger Games was to be held.

Prim gives Katniss the mockingjay Pin.Gale tries to give her a final piece of advice but is dragged out before he can finish since his time is up, leaving Katniss to wonder about the thing Gale wanted to say so badly. The district escort, Effie Trinket, takes the four to the train that then proceeds to send them to the Capitol. While on the way to the Capitol, Katniss and Peeta meet their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy.

When Katniss arrives at the Capitol, she gets prepared for the parade through the city streets. She is fussed over by her Prep Team which consists of Octavia, Flavius and Venia. She then meets her stylist, Cinna who comes up with the idea that amazes all of Panem. Cinna dresses her up in a black unitard to represent coal and lights her, Alessa, Alex and Peeta with synthetic fire that does not burn.She goes to the training center to prepare for the games. Haymitch advises her not to show her full skills until the private sessions with the Gamemakers. During her training she and Peeta notice they are being followed by the little girl from District 11.

During the private session, she is angered because the Gamemakers ignore her, and pay more attention to a roast pig which has just arrived since she is from District 12, a district which is not known for producing victors. After she targets the apple in the roasted pig's mouth, she hits the mark, causing the anticipated reactions of shock and bewilderment among the Gamemakers. She scores an 11 for her temper and attitude.

While preparing for interview night, she is stressed out by Haymitch and Effie. Cinna dresses her in a dress covered in jewels that make her look like she is being engulfed by flames when she moves. Cinna gives her advice before she does her interview, being the only one she truly likes and respects. She is interviewed by Caeser Flickerman and she talks about her stay at the Capitol. She becomes something of a celebrity in Panem and is given the advantage of sympathy after Peeta admits to all of Panem that he loves her.

The night before the Games, she is terrified of the horrors that await her in the arena. She goes to the rooftop and talks with Peeta. Peeta tells her that he wants to die as himself and show he is more than just a piece in the Capitol's Games. Katniss is enraged and leaves when he doubts he will win. Cinna dresses Katniss in the 74th Hunger Games standard uniform. While waiting for launch, Katniss and Cinna talk to each other. Cinna tells Katniss that he can't bet on any tributes due to his part in the preperation of the Games, but if he could he would bet on her. Katniss finds confidence in this and the speaker announces the tributes to launch.

Cornucopia Bloodbath
When the Games begin, Katniss gets away from the Cornucopia quickly, getting into a minor tussle with the District 9 over a backpack which ends when the boy is knifed in the back by Clove. That pack was key to survival because it contained: a sleeping bag, an iodine (water purifier) dropper, water bottle, crackers, beef strips and night glasses. Katniss is almost killed in the Cornucopia when Clove aims a knife at her head; she blocks it by using her backpack and earns a good knife as a result.After she escapes the bloodbath she briefly bumps into Foxface but does not attack her,and the two run away in different directions. Over the next few days, Katniss moves further and further away from the Cornucopia, though she is substantially slowed down by a lack of water. She nearly dies of thirst before she finds a small pond to drink from, stumbling into it while she thinks of camouflaging her bright orange backpack, so it wouldn't draw too much attention. The next morning she is awoken by a wall of Gamemaker-made fire, including fireballs that are flung at her.

Winning
By the time 16 tributes are left, Amber, one of the girls from 3 makes an electric trap which breaks them out of the arena, the gamemakers stop the games and they are announced victors.

Physical Appearance
Katniss has straight long black hair, which she normally pulls back into a long braid, olive skin, and gray eyes. She is small in stature and thin for her age as she was generally malnourished because of her district's poverty. She is thus one of the smallest tributes in her Games, but due to her outdoor life, she is strong for her size. She is also known as "the girl on fire" during the Hunger Games; she earns this title from her fierce personality and the outfits created for her by her stylist, Cinna. Katniss is not very image-conscious, to the consternation of Venia, one of her stylists. In the first book, her hearing in her left ear is destroyed because of an explosion caused in the arena, but it is fixed in the Capitol in the end, as are all of her other major and more minor injuries including the erasing of any scars. Before entering the arena the first time, Katniss had many minor scrapes and cuts, and her outward appearance was very much imperfect. However, after she won, they were repaired by the Capitol doctors. Most notable about her appearance and demeanor, however, was the image she unconsciously projected, as noted by her co-tribute Peeta.

Rue

 * "Rue has decided to trust me wholeheartedly. I know this because as soon as the anthem finishes she snuggles against me and falls asleep."
 * ―Katniss Everdeen

Rue, being the smallest tribute, was also the most vulnerable. She reminded Katniss of Prim, who was also small and fragile. Against her better judgment, Katniss allied with Rue. Rue completely trusted Katniss, handing over her life and loyalties to her, because she had the mockingjay pin Prim gave her which reminded Rue of home.

The two form an unshakable bond during the Games, both driven by their determination to live. Katniss comes up with a plan to destroy the food supply of the Career tributes, which ends up successful. However, Rue is captured in a net as she is heading to the designated third clearing to start the fire. Katniss arrives just in time to see Marvel spear Rue in the abdomen. She sends an arrow into his neck and he dies.

Katniss stays with Rue up until she dies, singing her a lullaby because Rue's favorite thing was music, and she requested her to sing. Of course, Katniss couldn't refuse. Katniss sings a song her father taught her to Rue in the the last minutes on her life. Out of vengeance over the unjustified death of an innocent girl, Katniss buries Rue in bright flowers and parts from the scene with one last gesture; the District 12 signal that shows respect and farewell. The Capitol edits this part from the games, as a result. Every call of a mockingjay reminds Katniss of Rue.

Peeta Mellark
Katniss and Peeta's suicide threat.Peeta had originally joined with the Career Tributes, but this was just an act to protect Katniss and lead the Careers farther away from her. Having a not-so-secret crush on Katniss put him in the mind frame of protecting Katniss at all costs. Eventually, he fights Cato, the leader of the Careers, in order for Katniss to escape, and he is wounded terribly.

Personality
Katniss has strong and independent survivalist instincts due to her difficult past and is good at thinking outside the box. She is not socially adept and has a hard time making friends due to the emotional strain on her life which has made her hard and cold. She is more concerned about feeding her family than being social, making her awkward around people. Though Katniss can be rather blunt and cold she has a very vulnerable side which she only shows around her family, and she has a natural maternal instinct as showed when she comforted Prim and helped Rue. She is not very good at acting for the camera and comes across best when she is herself. She is usually very logical except for times when her emotions get in the way.

Katniss has a habit of nail biting when she is nervous or anxious and must consciously stop herself from doing so when around others. After she became a victor she could not think of a good reason to break the habit. However after joining the rebellion she appears to have stopped biting her nails as she does not mention doing so.

Katniss is very strong, stubborn and determined. Often, she will react first and ask questions later. She will do anything to survive. Even when she allied with Rue, she said she hoped that she didn't have to be the one to kill her. Yet when it came to Peeta, she tried her best to figure a way for them both to survive. This independent streak did not go well in the regimented confines of District 13 and Katniss largely did what she wanted and ignored her daily schedule. She had to discipline herself to undergo military training in order to prove that she could be sent into combat, and her unwillingness to take orders was perceived as her greatest weakness. This was targeted during her individual exam, but she was able to realize this and pass.

Even though she can sometimes be a bit self-centered and self-reliant, she does have noble traits, protecting those she loves. For example, caring for Prim, looking out for Rue, or when she shields Gale to keep him from being whipped, even when it means a lash for herself. Katniss has a instinct to protect those who are weak such as Rue, Wiress, and her prep team.

Unlike her younger sister, she is not a natural born healer. She once ran from the house in fright while Prim and her mother cared for a dying man. She even had trouble healing Peeta, being squeamish and reluctant to care for him unclothed. Instead, she is more like her father, being skilled at hunting and gathering.

it is shown that Katniss dislikes being a "pawn", and hates having the weight of Panem on her shoulders.

Her favorite color is green and her favorite food in the Capitol is lamb stew with dried plums.

Skills
Katniss is a highly skilled archer and hunter, which she learned from her father. After meeting Gale, she added fishing and trapping to her skills. She also had to educate herself on the edible, medicinal, and poisonous plant life of District 12 and hunting and gathering on a daily basis has given her a highly skilled sense of woodcraft.

She uses her archery and her daring to score an 11 out of a possible 12 during the pre-games judging. She has some experience with wielding and throwing a knife in order to finish off a wounded prey animal.Later in District 13, she belatedly undergoes military training in order to participate in the fighting against the Capitol and gains enough proficiency with a gun to be selected for a sharpshooter unit, Squad 451.

Katniss is a skilled tree-climber, which has benefited her in hunting and the Games. Additionally, she has a good singing voice, also inherited from her father, although she was reluctant to sing since his death.

Possessions
Katniss has a gold pin depicting a mockingjay, which was given to her by her friend,Madge Undersea. After she wins the Games, it becomes a symbol of rebellion for the Districts against the Capitol, and a symbol of Katniss herself, as her actions were never meant to exist. However, many ignorant Capitol citizens still use it as a symbol of fashion, a remembrance of Katniss's exciting Games. Katniss also receives from Peeta a pearl along with a gold locket engraved with a mockingjay, containing a picture of her mother, her sister Prim, and Gale during the Quarter Quell in Catching Fire. She is later seen throughout Mockingjay keeping the pearl close to her as a prized possession. In Mockingjay Katniss receives a bow and arrows from Beetee. They have mechanical properties, and can be voice activated.

Family
Katniss's only family is Primrose Everdeen and her mother,Mrs Everdeen Her father died in a mine explosion. Katniss would do anything to protect Prim (short for Primrose), even if it means her own death. Her mother suffered extreme depression after the death of her husband, Katniss's father, leaving Katniss to become the head of the family, despite her young age. Mrs. Everdeen is a skilled healer, and Prim is something of an assistant.

Gale Hawthrone and his family are like extended family for her. In Catching Fire, it is revealed that during the Hunger Games, Gale presented himself to the Capitol media as Katniss's cousin, in order to be interviewed about her without detracting from the romance which Katniss and Peeta were presenting to survive the arena. After the 74th Hunger Games conclude, President Snow threatens Katniss with Gale's life if she does not perpetuate this lie, and so she does. As part of this sham romance, Peeta and Katniss become engaged, and Peeta tells a TV interviewer that Katniss is pregnant. It is revealed early in Catching Fire that Gale loves Katniss.

Even though her father is dead, she still misses him dearly. With the possible exception of Prim, there was no one Katniss loved more than her father. He taught her to hunt, swim, and live off the wild, skills that served her well during the games. Katniss inherits a beautiful singing voice from her father, shown when either of them sing the mockingjays stop to listen. He taught her many songs such as "The Hanging Tree" and the lullaby Katniss sang to Rue as she died. But after her father's death, singing reminds her too much of her father so she only does it rarely.

When Katniss's mom heard Katniss singing "The Hanging Tree" she yelled at him for teaching her that, and tells Katniss to forget the song. Katniss runs away to the hide out and of course because she was told to forget the song, she distinctly remembers it. She remembers it a lot, especially after her father's death. Katniss sings the "Hanging Tree" once to Pollux when he wanted her to sing for the mockingjays and a few other times through out the book Mockingjay.

Katniss sings the Meadow Song to her two children, and many times through out the series.

The rebellion drives Katniss's family apart. Prim's death in a bombing devastates Katniss. The trauma leaves her a "mental Avox", unable to speak until her encounter with Snow after his imprisonment. Her mother leaves District 12 permanently, taking a position in another district to build a hospital. Katniss returns home with Haymitch, where she finds that Peeta has also returned, yet Gale has not. Katniss and Peeta rely on each other while recuperating from the war, and rebuild their relationship.

Several years after the end of the rebellion.Katniss and Peeta start a family together. It is assumed they wed. Of their children, who remain unnamed, their first is a girl, who has black hair like her mother, and blue eyes like her father; the second is a boy, with blond hair like his father, and grey eyes like his mother. He is also about 2 years younger than his sister. Their daughter is old enough to understand that Peeta and Katniss played a role in the Hunger Games but their son is not.

Trivia

 * Of all the promotional character posters for the The Hunger Games, Katniss' is the only one facing right.
 * Her favorite color is green.
 * All the tributes she killed were Career Tributes.Katniss.jpg