History Characters / TheHungerGamesLiteratureProtagonists

* WeaponOfChoice: What else but a bow?

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the IconOfRebellion. Katniss never set out to become the heroine of the anti-Capitol revolution and only ever wanted to keep her family alive, but volunteering in her sister's place and then surviving the Games with Peeta inspires an uprising among the districts. She goes along with becoming the face of the uprising not because of a desire to free the districts, but because she has no other choice. In the process, she loses almost everything, none of it by her own volition: [[spoiler:her hometown is firebombed to the ground, Peeta is taken from her and tortured until he doesn't recognize her, Prim is killed along with other rebel medics from bombs dropped from a Capitol hovercraft as part of Coin's plot to destroy the people's faith in Snow, and afterwards, Katniss can never bring herself to see Gale again, knowing he created those bombs]].

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the IconOfRebellion. Katniss never set out to become the heroine of the anti-Capitol revolution and only ever wanted to keep her family alive, but volunteering in her sister's place and then surviving the Games with Peeta inspires an uprising among the districts. She goes along with becoming the face of the uprising not because of a desire to free the districts, but because she has no other choice. In the process, she loses so much, none of it by her own volition: [[spoiler:her hometown is firebombed to the ground, Peeta is taken from her and tortured until he doesn't recognize her, Prim is killed along with other rebel medics from bombs dropped from a Capitol hovercraft as part of Coin's plot to destroy the people's faith in Snow, and afterwards, Katniss can never bring herself to see Gale again, knowing he created those bombs]].

* SeldomSeenSpecies: A plant rather than animal version, but most readers probably don't know what katniss is before they read the books.

** She starts out as one due to her father's death and having to be her family's main source of financial support but after the Games it turns UpToEleven.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Already is one after the events of the first book, where she had to kill to survive a DeadlyGame. Then, she goes through [[TraumaCongaLine even worse things]], taking this trope UpToEleven.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the martyr that inspires rebellion against an evil regime. Katniss never set out to become a hero or an IconOfRebellion against the Capitol, but volunteering in her sister's place and then surviving the Games with Peeta inspires an uprising among the districts. She goes along with becoming the face of the uprising not because of a desire to free the districts, but because she has no other choice. In the process, she loses so much, none of it by her own volition: [[spoiler:her hometown is firebombed to the ground, Peeta is taken from her and tortured until he doesn't recognize her, Prim is killed along with other rebel medics from bombs dropped from a Capitol hovercraft as part of Coin's plot to destroy the people's faith in Snow, and afterwards, Katniss can never bring herself to see Gale again, knowing he created those bombs]].

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the martyr that inspires rebellion against an evil regime. Katniss never set out to become an icon of rebellion against the Capitol, but volunteering in her sister's place and then surviving the Games with Peeta inspires an uprising among the districts. She goes along with becoming the face of the uprising not because of a desire to free the districts, but because she has no other choice. In the process, she loses so much, none of it by her own volition: [[spoiler:her hometown is firebombed to the ground, Peeta is taken from her and tortured until he doesn't recognize her, Prim is killed along with other rebel medics from bombs dropped from a Capitol hovercraft as part of Coin's plot to destroy the people's faith in Snow, and afterwards, Katniss can never bring herself to see Gale again, knowing he created those bombs]].

* DeconstructedCharacterArchtype: Of the martyr that inspires rebellion against an evil regime. Katniss never set out to become an icon of rebellion against the Capitol, but volunteering in her sister's place and then surviving the Games with Peeta inspires an uprising among the districts. She goes along with becoming the face of the uprising not because of a desire to free the districts, but because she has no other choice. In the process, she loses so much, none of it by her own volition: [[spoiler:her hometown is firebombed to the ground, Peeta is taken from her and tortured until he doesn't recognize her, Prim is killed along with other rebel medics from bombs dropped from a Capitol hovercraft as part of Coin's plot to destroy the people's faith in Snow, and afterwards, Katniss can never bring herself to see Gale again, knowing he created those bombs]].

* ElementalMotifs: Katniss was strongly associated with fire throughout the series. In addition to her nickname being "The Girl On Fire", she also came from the coal-mining district with a bread-toasting marriage tradition, was attacked with fire by her sponsors in the arena, and even describes herself as having a fire that needed to be tempered by Peeta's calm "dandelion". Her action in the games spawned a literal and metaphorical fire across Panem that lead to the rebellion's resurgence, and her declaration that "fire is catching".

* RoguishPoacher: Illegal hunting to feed starving family and stick it to TheMan? Check.

* HeroicSacrifice: What volunteering for her sister was intended to be, as she knew her chances of getting out of the Games alive were extremely slim. She does make it out, though.
** She also fully tries to make sure Peeta is the one to survive The 75th Games instead of her

* AnOddPlaceToSleep: In "''Mockingjay''" she'll frequently hide away in closets or storage rooms and end up falling asleep.

* CommitmentIssues: She keeps Peeta at arm's length because is determined to never fall in love, get married and have children. The reason is implied to be a combination of not wanting to be a parent on Reaping Day and not wanting to end up like her mother, who broke down completely when her husband died. She does not think the world is suitable to bring children into.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* FirstPersonSmartass: She has her moments.

* HeartbrokenBadass: In "''Mockingjay''" after [[spoiler:Peeta has been hijacked into hating her. She takes the loss of his love so hard that she almost begins to hate him for not loving her anymore.]] Still stays very badass though.

* JeanneDArchetype: A deconstruction. She's an Action Girl from humble origins who stands up to oppression to protect a loved one and becomes a beacon of hope for the rebellion. However, off camera she's actually a pragmatic survivor who never really cared about the rebel cause and is in it solely to protect her family. Later on when she starts having visions it's a result of trauma, drug addiction, and possible brain damage rather than any divine inspiration.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She admits herself that she's not very friendly. There are quite a few times throughout the series where she has angry/rude outbursts. But they are often caused by the various stressful situations she's thrown into and the CrapsackWorld she lives in. Regardless, she still has a kind heart and would sacrifice anything in order to protect the people that she loves.

* RedBaron: Starting in the first book, she's known as the "Girl on Fire" because of her entrance in the Tribute parade. Afterward it becomes "Mockingjay".

** His mother beats him and calls him a "stupid creature". At one point Katniss refers to her as [[WitchWithACapitalB a witch]]. ''Catching Fire'' implies that she also has whipped him, with Katniss being unfamiliar with the sound of a whip but Peeta quickly recognizing it when they hear it.
** His father is described in much better terms, although being a UselessBystanderParent nonetheless. Still, he does allow his deeply traumatized sixteen-year-old son, whose heart has just been broken and who's just had his leg amputated, to leave home and move into a house in a different part of town, all by himself. If nothing else, Papa Mellark is guilty of abuse via emotional (and arguably physical) neglect.

* TheCharmer: His strongest quality is his ability to win over the audience, and even his fellow tributes, with his magnetic personality and ability to improvise with his words. He and interview host Ceasar quickly find jokes and ways to amuse the audience during his interviews.

* DeathOfPersonality: In "''Mockingjay''". Johanna refers to him [[spoiler:post-hijacking]] as "the evil version of" himself.

%%* FakeDefector: When he allies with the careers.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* LivingEmotionalCrutch: To Katniss.

* ActOfTrueLove: Volunteers to be in the Games to save her baby sister in the first book, setting the plot into motion. In the second book she too makes a pact with Haymitch to save Peeta at the cost of her own life. In the third book she [[spoiler:kisses Peeta when he's at the beginning of a hijack-attack, knowing that if it doesn't work he will do his best to kill her. It works, and it's implied that her beginning to show her love for him is a huge part of what makes him recover from the hijacking]].

* AnOddPlaceToSleep: In "''Mockingjay''" she'll frequently hide away in closets or storage rooms and end up falling asleep.

* ArcSymbol: Fire is strongly associated with her throughout the story. Of course, fire usually represents revolutions, even in real life, so it fits.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ArrowsOnFire

* BabiesEverAfter: This was initially planned as part of continuing her and Peeta's ruse for the sake of the Capitol. [[spoiler: When they do have children, it's because they want to.]]
* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: Averted.[[spoiler: Katniss and Peeta have to find their way back together and restore their relationship years ''before'' they have childen together. Rather than making things better, the babies indicate that they're getting there, more like, "now that things are better, we can celebrate with babies". Katniss had sworn never to have children because she could never see them grow up in the [[CrapsackWorld crapsack world]]. Her choosing to have children means that she believes that things are better now.]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Subverted. After the games she finds that her hearing in her left ear is restored. Her skin's perfection, smooth and glowing with no burns, scars or anything. Peeta on the other hand has his lower leg replaced with a metal and plastic device. However, in "''Mockingjay''" neither Katniss nor Peeta are considered important enough for such resources to be spent on them, giving them quality treatment for [[spoiler:their severe burns]] but making no effort to [[spoiler:give them the best skin grafts or remove the burns entirely the way they were able to do with Katniss' burns in the first book]].

* BreakTheCutie: Pretty much the gist of the trilogy. Watch as a young girl is given Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and watch as she's forced to keep on chugging as other characters decide that she's too important to whatever is going on to be allowed to recover from her shell shock, exacerbating it at every given opportunity.

-->'''Finnick''': You can swim, too. Where did you learn that in District Twelve?
-->'''Katniss''': We have a big bathtub.
* DeathSeeker: When she loses [[spoiler:Peeta's love]] in "''Mockingjay''" she makes it her goal to [[spoiler:find and kill president Snow and then die herself.]] Towards the end of the book she tries to [[spoiler:commit suicide by nightlock pill, only to be stopped by Peeta. Then she tries to starve herself to death while in confinement but that doesn't work either. She does get better, but it takes some time and for Peeta to return to Twelve for her to want to live again]].

* HairContrastDuo: Is the bitter, cynical, stoic brunette to Peeta, Madge, and Prim's kinder, more approachable, sweeter blonde.

* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler:Oddly, in spite of everything she and Peeta go through, with both having gone through massive amounts of [[DysfunctionJunction dysfunction junction]], being saddled with tons of psychological trauma from going through the games ''twice,'' losing almost everyone they are close to, participating in and being the figureheads of a revolution that nearly destroys [[CrapsackWorld what little remains of human civilization]], and, in Peeta's case, [[ColdBloodedTorture cold blooded torture]] and [[MindRape mind rape]], she and Peeta still seem to end up this way. In fact, it's heavily implied that the only reason ''either'' of them is still functional is because of the other. The same goes for Haymitch, in a non romantic way.]]

%%* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler:Courtesy of Peeta.]]
%%** [[spoiler:A second one in ''Mockingjay'', with Plutarch getting her off the hook for killing President Coin.]]

* LiterallyLovingThyNeighbor: Falls in love with [[spoiler:Peeta Mellark]] who is her neighbor for about a year.

%%* PregnantBadass: In ''Catching Fire''... or so Peeta would have you believe.

* SelfSacrificeScheme: Her goal in "''Catching Fire''" is to save Peeta at the cost of her own life and she's well aware that by martyring herself she might be of better use to the rebellion than if she lives.
%%* ShellShockedVeteran: Already is one after the events of the first book. Then, she goes through even worse things.

* SingleTargetSexuality: Appears to be this for [[spoiler:Peeta]]. She kisses two boys throughout the series but only feels sexual attraction to one of them, [[spoiler:enters into a committed relationship with him at around the age of eighteen and spends the rest of her life with him.]] While she notes that other men around her (for example Finnick) are attractive she never seems to be sexually drawn to them herself.

%%* SmittenTeenageGirl: The role Katniss plays for the cameras. Of course, her true self is nothing like that.

** His mother beats him and calls him "you stupid creature." At one point Katniss refers to her as a witch. ''Catching Fire'' implies that she also has whipped him, with Katniss being unfamiliar with the sound of a whip but Peeta quickly recognizing it when they hear it.
** His father is described in much better terms, alhough being a UselessBystanderParent nonetheless. Still, he does allow his deeply traumatized sixteen-year-old son, whose heart has just been broken and who's just had his leg amputated, to leave home and move into a house in a different part of town, all by himself. If nothing else, Papa Mellark is guilty of abuse via emotional (and arguably physical) neglect.
* AccidentalMurder: Twice. Picks the nightlock berries that kill Foxface in the first book. In the third he [[spoiler:fights off a member of the star squad, sending him flying into a pod that kills him.]]

* ArtAttacker: Before the Quarter Quell Peeta uses his solo session with the gamemakers to paint an image of Rue covered in flowers, to hold them responsible for her death.

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler:Just don't mention Katniss to him in the third book. And especially don't leave her in the same room with him.]]
* TheBerserker: [[spoiler: Becomes this in "Mockingjay" as he has multiple violent outbursts that causes him to attack friend or foe like the berserkers of the old that flew into a rage and could not tell who they were fighting.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Peeta's kills in the 74th game are a MercyKill and accidentally killing someone who was TooCleverByHalf, not counting any potential kills he had at the Cornucopia. In the 75th game, [[spoiler: Brutus, probably the most dangerous enemy Victor, kills Chaff, and Peeta ''loses his shit'' and kills Brutus in retaliation. This all happens offscreen, so we never get the details of what exactly he did beyond going into a fit of rage.]]

* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: Katniss assumes that since Peeta grew up a merchant kid he doesn't know starvation like she does. She is surprised to find out that he rarely had enough to eat either and that the only bread they got to have was the stale, tasteless bread they could no longer sell.
* CourtlyLove: His affections for Katniss has strong aspects of this. He's deeply in love with her, has no real hope that she'll return his feelings (he thinks she's in love with Gale) yet is still willing to both kill and die for her. He plays the role of lover in public but is remarkably chaste with her in private. Even when she lets him into her bed and sleeps in his arms he never tries to so much as kiss her.

* DidTheyOrDidntThey: In "''Mockingjay''" he and [[spoiler:Katniss have a sex scene that's so discreet it left many wondering if they had sex at all.]]

%%* DisneyDeath: Has one of these on the first day of the Quarter Quell.

* FightingFromTheInside: [[spoiler: After being hijacked by the Capitol, his real self struggles to show through.]]

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: His plan in ''Catching Fire'' is to get Katniss through the Quarter Quell at the expense of his own life, so she can be with her family and even marry Gale.
* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: On a few occasions in the first and third book. It's implied that his crush on Katniss developed into full-blown infatuation when she refused to leave him during the 74th Games even though he was close to dying from sepsis and fully aware that he was TheLoad to her at that point.

* TheLoad: Downplayed example. He ends up not being able to do much after his leg gets injured. He's pretty much helpless, meaning Katniss has to risk her life twice as often to get food and supplies. Even after he heals enough to move around, he's a liability when Katniss fights and even when she ''hunts''--he walks so clumsily that he scares off any prey within earshot. Still, he greatly helps Katniss win over sponsors with the romantic storyline they play up for the audience's benefit, and he ends up [[spoiler:accidentally taking out one of their opponents by leaving out poisoned berries she steals and eats.]]
** He gets an undeserved bad rep for being this in ''Catching Fire'' as well. He displays these traits the first day of [[spoiler:the Quarter Quell - at the Cornucopia (because he can't swim) and when they're fleeing from the poisonous gas (because he's weak after getting severely electrocuted mere hours before, though that was his fault for just casually hacking through the plants and not bothering to be more mindful of his surroundings, so he walked right into the barrier)]], and it's Peeta that ends up startling the monkey mutts into attacking himself, Katniss and Finnick. However the rest of the time he's either [[spoiler: carrying Beetee around the arena, creating a map of the clock, doing all he can to ensure that Katniss survives at the cost of his own life, killing Brutus who is one of their toughest competitors, or generally contributing as much as anyone else in the party.]] He was also the one who made sure himself, Katniss and Haymitch were prepared for [[spoiler:the Quell by forcing the other two to train with him, both physically and survival skills-wise, and meticulously studying their competition to find out what the other victors' strength and weaknesses were.]]

%%* MagneticHero: Practically a poster boy for the trope. President Coin is not too happy that they saved Katniss instead of him, for this very reason.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* MakeOutKids: He and Katniss play this trope up as much as they can during the Victory Tour.

* ManipulativeBastard: He's very good at leading the interviews with Caesar, charming the audience and dropping bombshells designed to make the Capitol sympathetic to himself and Katniss, like revealing he has been in love with Katniss for years or lying and telling them Katniss is pregnant just before the Quarter Quell in hopes they will cancel the games or at the very least pull her out. They don't, but he tried.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* MindRape

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Peeta ''did'' stay to fight it out in the opening bloodbath at the Cornucopia in the 74th Games and apparently did some serious fighting- enough to get some bad cuts and a limp. Whatever he did, the Careers did decide to team up with him after seeing him in action and even ''[[BloodKnight Cato]]'' compliments his skill with a knife.]]

* OneTrueLove: At the end of ''Mockingjay'' Katniss implies that she feels he is this for her, saying that the two of them ending up together "would have happened anyway". He most certainly seems to feel that way about her in return, telling her in ''Catching Fire'' that she is his whole life.
* PunnyName: Peeta the baker. His name is a pun on "pita," a type of bread. Fandom loves to speculate on what his brothers' names are...

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* TokyoRose: [[spoiler:Pressed into this role by the Capitol after being captured]].
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He takes a keen professional interest in bread.

* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Lampshaded and subverted. Peeta is a talented artist thanks to his experience decorating cakes at the bakery, but his skill doesn't seem so useful at first in a situation where people are trying to kill each other. Katniss snarks "If only you could frost someone to death." Turns out [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower Cake Decorating Is An Awesome Power]] when it helps his camouflage skills.

* UptownGuy: A member of the merchant class who's in love with a girl from the Seam. Once they're both victors they're on equal social standing, though.
* YouAreWorthHell: Willingly [[spoiler:goes back into the arena to try and protect Katniss in "''Catching Fire''" even though he still suffers from PTSD and terrible nightmares after surviving the previous one]].

* {{Tyrannicide}}: She kills [[spoiler:President Coin after realising she and Snow were NotSoDifferent]].

* DisappearedDad: Her father died in a mining accident.

%%* MakeOutKids: She and Peeta play this trope up for all it's worth during the Victory Tour.

%%* NotSoStoic: When [[spoiler:Rue, and later Prim, dies]].

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* PluckyGirl

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* InsaneEqualsViolent: [[spoiler:When he's hijacked]].

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* TheSneakyGuy

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* SupremeChef

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* CoolBigSis: To Prim and Rue.

%%* HeroicBSOD: A minor one towards the end of ''Catching Fire'' that starts to resolve during ''Mockingjay'', only to implode and go supernova with [[spoiler:Prim's death]].

%%* IconOfRebellion: The mockingjay pin, and eventually Katniss herself.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ImprobableAimingSkills

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* PullTheIV: Does this so often it could almost be a drinking game.

%%* SaveThisPersonSaveTheWorld: Especially apparent in "''Catching Fire''".

%%* YouAreWorthHell: Regarding Prim and later Peeta.

* FlowerMotifs: Katniss associates him with dandelions.

* ShoutOut: Name serves as one to Bathsheba Everdene from Thomas Hardy's ''Literature/FarFromTheMaddingCrowd''.

* CombatPragmatist: Increasingly becomes this as the novels progress, though moreso during the games.

* JabbaTableManners: During the meal on the train to the Capitol, Effie makes an insensitive comment about the previous year's tributes eating everything with their hands "like a pair of savages." Katniss is so offended by this statement (as the kids in question had been from starving families) that she makes a point of finishing her entire meal with her fingers and wiping her hands on the tablecloth.