The Hunger Games Renaissance is upon us and Katniss Everdeen is leading the charge! The famous trilogy by Suzanne Collins dominated the dystopian novel era around the 2010s. This era had a massive surge of interest in dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, and more. The popular genre led to these novels being adapted into movies that were almost, if not equally, as successful as the books.
Of course, there is no denying the cultural impact The Hunger Games series had and continues to have on us. I’m not sure about you, but my social media feed is flooded with clips and moments from the movies. Trust me, I’m not complaining because the movies were masterpieces. And they really remind me that Katniss Everdeen is a badass heroine. So here are a few of those moments where Katniss Everdeen kicked ass.
The Hunger Games
1. Her Evaluation With the Gamemakers
Katniss Everdeen is skilled with a bow and arrow. So when it’s time for her evaluation, she needs to impress the Gamemakers. And when they fail to pay her any attention, she rightfully demands their attention by shooting the apple inside the pig’s mouth. Then she curtsies and says “Thank you for your consideration.” Now, that was a power move! This scene truly shows off how badass and fierce she is. It is probably one of the most memorable scenes from the entire series.
2. The Girl on Fire
Cinna brilliantly designed all of her costumes to incorporate fire and make her stand out to the citizens within the Capitol. The fire dress he made for her interview with Caesar Flickerman and the opening ceremony practically sparked the beginnings of the rebellion. Overall, “the girl on fire” becomes her new identity and represents Katniss’s spirit and compassion as well as the revolution that will burn throughout. It is especially significant since the symbolism of fire repeatedly shows up throughout the series.
3. The Nightlock Berries
When Katniss and Peeta were the last tributes left, they revoked the revision that both tributes from the same district could win. Now, there would only be one victor. Rather than killing each other, they both planned to eat nightlocks which are poisonous berries. This attempt forced Seneca Crane to announce they were both victors despite the rule change. Katniss’s idea with the nightlock berries was an act of rebellion and essentially showed how she was able to outsmart the Gamemakers into once again changing the rules of the game for both of them to survive.
Catching Fire
4. The Seneca Crane Dummy
Katniss is rightfully angry at the fact that she must reenter the games once again for the 3rd Quarter Quell after just surviving the last Hunger Games the previous year. Her outrage as well as the memory of Rue’s death shows during her session with the Gamemakers when she makes a Seneca Crane dummy and hangs it for them to see. It sends a very powerful message to them that just as the tribute’s lives are a matter of life and death in the Capitol’s game, so are theirs.
5. The Mockingjay Dress
Fashion makes powerful statements and Cinna makes sure of it ever since the first book. In Catching Fire, he designs a wedding dress that burns into a stunning mockingjay dress when Katniss spins. It’s a powerful statement and reinforces Katniss as the symbol and center of the rebellion. He sends a message to all of Panem that she is the Mockingjay.
6. Destruction of the Arena’s Force Field
During the 3rd Quarter Quell, Katniss fires an arrow with Beetee’s wire attached to it. The arrow hit the weak spot combined with a lightning strike which ultimately destroys the entire force field around the arena. The destruction led to all the remaining victors at this point being airlifted out of the arena and ending the game.
Also, the fact that Katniss destroyed the force field is pretty badass because President Snow lost power inside the control room. The “Sir, we’ve lost power” line shows that he has lost control of everything, especially the control he thought he had on containing the rebellion.
Mockingjay
7. I’ll Be Your Mockingjay
For Panem to rebel against the Capitol, Katniss must live as she is the Mockingjay, the symbol of rebellion. Katniss agrees to be the Mockingjay but only under certain conditions. Her demands represent how much power she has. However, her conditions are for the sake of others rather than herself. She wants Primrose gets to keep her cat, rescue Peeta, Johanna, and Annie at the earliest opportunity possible, and pardon them from any punishment when rescued. She realizes how important of a role she has for Panem to truly change but still remains selfless, fair, and true to herself in these conditions.
8. Fire Is Catching
After the bombing of a hospital in District 8, Katniss makes a very powerful and impactful speech. She notes that the hospital was filled with unarmed men, women, and children which shows how the Capitol does not care for any citizens within the districts of Panem. They must fight back. She ends her speech with “Fire is catching, and if we burn, you burn with us!”
9. The Death of President Coin
When given the opportunity to kill Snow, Katniss instead aims her arrow at President Coin. She realizes Coin is not so different from Snow which influences her decision to kill her instead. When Coin stepped in as the president, she shared her plans of having a Hunger Games with the children of the Capitol’s citizens who stood by Snow. The future of Panem didn’t look so different from the present if under Coin’s rule. Therefore, Katniss’ arrow did indeed signify the end of tyranny as it prevented Coin’s reign of terror before it could happen.
Not only did Katniss survive the 74th Hunger Games as a victor, but she also led the rebellion against the Capitol as “The Mockingjay.” From the very first moment when she volunteered as tribute in place of her sister during the reaping, she always showcased bravery, compassion, loyalty, and a fiery spirit to spark a change in Panem. Therefore, a marathon of The Hunger Games trilogy is definitely needed to watch the many moments of Katniss’s badassness in action.
And it’s probably even necessary because the prequel movie about Coriolanus Snow before he became President Snow, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, releases on November 17.
But unfortunately, the dystopian genre isn’t as common as it was then. Check out this Bookstr article to learn why exactly the genre faded out.
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