The anniversary of Mockingjay has come back round again and with that, comes a whole lot of heartbreak and sadness. The rebels defeated the Capitol, but at a tremendous cost, with many beloved characters dying and going through emotional torture.
In honour of the 12-year publication anniversary of Mockingjay, let’s look at the most heartbreaking moments in Mockingjay including the deaths of characters whom we can never get back again….
5. Katniss Losing “Both of Them”
After Haymitch revealed to Katniss that Gale had joined the rebels attempting to rescue Peeta from the Capitol, Katniss broke down completely, asking Haymitch if she had “lost both of them tonight”. The vulnerability and sadness in Katniss at that moment was truly heartbreaking and fans got to see just how much she cared about both of them. While she had always been clear that both Peeta and Gale meant a lot to her, her utter devastation at that moment was heartwrenching.
4. The Hanging Tree
While the scene with the district citizens blowing up the dam whilst singing ‘The Hanging Tree’ was a scene exclusive to the movies, it was equally heartbreaking to watch and read (a less detailed version) in the book. The district citizens knew that they were going to die, but they went to blow up the dam anyway and sacrificed their lives in the hopes that blowing up the dam would enable the rebels to defeat the Capitol Peacekeepers.
3. Gale’s Departure
Gale’s departure was very anticlimactic, but considering he was Katniss’s best friend throughout the entire series, it was very sad that he up and left, just when her sister had died. Even though it was possible that Gale was responsible for Prim’s death, his departure was still seriously sad, especially when he and Katniss weren’t even friends at the end of the book, not even after the epilogue of fifteen years later.
2. Prim’s Death
Prim’s death was one of the saddest in the entire series. In the first book, Katniss described Prim as the one person in the world she was sure she loved. Prim was also the catalyst for Katniss volunteering for the Games in the first place, so her death was the true breaking point for Katniss. I still wish she had lived….
1. Finnick’s Death
It’s difficult to tell who’s death is sadder’s: Prim’s or Finnick’s. While Finnick was older than Prim and died a soldier’s death, he had an unborn son who never even saw him and a slightly insane wife who loved him more than anything. Readers don’t even know if Finnick knew that Annie was pregnant when he died. Despite seeming like one of the shallowest and most haughty characters at the time of his introduction in Catching Fire, Finnick proved to be one of the most loyal and noble characters in the entire series.
These moments may be sad, but they are equally incredibly powerful moments that make Mockingjay such a good book and a great end to The Hunger Games series. At least it’s not the last time we’ll see and read about the world of Panem, seeing as The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes the movie is coming out on November 23, 2024….
Until we get more content from Suzanne Collins (who knows, she may write a sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!), check out our articles about the upcoming movie here and stay tuned for more news about the acclaimed author!