Peeta vs Gale: A Look in Panem’s Future

By chapter 2 in the first book, you should have seen it coming. That moment when Collins mentioned ‘the first dandelion of the year’ right after Katniss avoided looking at Peeta. You know, when she thought of the hours spent in the woods and then a bell rang in her head. She knew exactly how they were going to survive. That is a BIG deal. She was almost dead and was hoping to die. This moment made her hesitate to kill Peeta and was quite panicked when Effie picked him in The Reaping. This little bread tossing moment made her trust him.

Also it was her first connection with a person and decided that Peeta=dandelion=hope.

Meanwhile in Mockingjay, Gale had this prophecy. “Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without.”

Very clever. She survived because of hope and hope is dandelion and dandelion is Peeta.

It’s funny how Gale wished that he could have volunteered in the First Games. He didn’t, of course because he had more important things to do; welfare of his family, Katniss’s family, etc. Let’s just imagine him volunteering for a second. Is there any chance that they would alter the course of the Games? Would they still have 2 victors? There’s a big chance that Gale and Katniss would be a strong ally from the very beginning. They might win too given the particular skills that they developed through out the years; trapping and hunting. Still this won’t change the fact that the nightlock berries were in abundance in the arena, Katniss might figure the same trick to save both of them. She’s smart and we know that she won’t be able to kill Gale.

There would be some problems there. Can you detect it?

Firstly Katniss won’t realize the big picture. She had a conversation on the roof with Peeta and he planted a seed in her thoughts about not wanting to be a piece in the Games. She might not meet Rue (who probably would be killed by the Careers anyway but her death would have gone unnoticed, insignificant, meaningless just like other tributes) because Katniss was in a stronger position. Rue’s death (in the book) was important because it made Katniss realized that Peeta’s words made sense. With an ally like Gale, she’d just kill without remorse and focused on going back home, to Prim. In the mean time, she’ll hate the Capitol more by the minute.

Then assuming that Snow went through the same road and put them both in the Quarter Quell, we can see that they would kill others, just like the first Games. They’re strong but they might have Finnick and the rest as allies and later rescued to District 13. It’s obvious that at this point Coin won’t resist keeping her nose out from their business.

Say Gale was kidnapped by the Capitol (it’s very unlikely but can we just imagine?) and was hijacked and sent back to District 13. Will he get better? We will never know. I think he’d be worse than Peeta and if we could replace Peeta with him, he would be the guy that will be by Katniss’s side. We can say that he would not try and invent bombs or ensnare a mountain. That’s just not his style. He will not even agree to any kind of violence and would serve as a better speaker to move the crowd.

Maybe. If he step up, put aside his timid self and open up to the crowd but I doubt it. He’d be the baker at District 13 or maybe won’t even make it there since all of his family couldn’t. He’d just die like the 90% population of District 12. His unrequited love burned with his ashes.

Too many probabilities! All bad ones!

Panem surely have uprisings because two rebels won the first Games but in the end, it’s Coin that would win. Unfortunately, Prim would live and so does revenge in their fiery hearts. They will agree on the next Hunger Games exclusively using Capitol’s children and the history repeats itself. This, of course will trigger another revolution in the future because it’s never fair to punish people with such barbaric act. The war would never ends.

And as for Katniss, there’s a possibility that she will end up alone, drunk as a skunk, unable to sleep due to recurring bad dreams. She won’t be able to forgive herself with all that killing. She never did. Even if she end up with Gale, it would be more of friends but there is no way in her right mind that she would have children with him. She even said it ‘was just a mistake’ in Catching Fire.

She would never be happy with Gale. There was too much hatred, blood and fire. Keep in mind from the very beginning that this book will not have a pretty ending but with Gale, the very reason the writer writing this kind of book is not being satisfied.

More war? More killing? More hatred? This will not do.

End of our long imagination. Back to the books.

Apart of me thinks that Gale wished to volunteer because he saw how much pain Peeta was in and that somehow got Katniss’s attention. Remember he used to make her felt guilty with this excuse? He is willing to be in such position of pain in exchange for Katniss’s love. He was even jealous when he saw Peeta’s antics, as if Peeta did that on purpose. I don’t think he ever understand the kind of love that Katniss and Peeta shared.

Who else would put Katniss first? Nobody had treated her the way he did, not even her own mother, not even Gale. Peeta won’t think twice to achieve this objective. He lied on national television, tortured, lost his mind. Everything he did was for Katniss. He even wanted Gale to be with Katniss, sacrificing his life and love at the same time. Do you know how much pain he was in, never been loved by anyone at all? Not even by his own mother? And who else would put Peeta first? No one except Katniss. Can you imagine how it must feel? He was angry at first and more frustrated by her determination. He thought that it was his job to die since he thought no one needed him. Both are committed to be dead just to put the other first. She is willing to be the Mockingjay to save Peeta. And why would you put yourself in such a position? Why die for another person without anything in return? All they knew that they had to protect each other, while awake or sleeping. I can think of no one more deserving of each other but those two.

Katniss subsconsciously thought that it was Peeta she always knew would be a great parent and vice versa. Why would you freak out at having baby with a guy while quietly enjoy pretending to be pregnant with another’s?

Because the boy with the bread gave her hope and she made it through the rain.

Can’t you see?

Chapter 1 – Part 3

Moving on with Chapter 1.

In the first book, The Hunger Games, Gale has suggested to Katniss that they could have ran away (was it in an indirect way saying that he loves her and wants to spend his life with her? Was it for the safety of their families? Or both?) and in Catching Fire vice versa (Snow was not convinced of the romance and Katniss could not think of anything else better than running away) which did not help in any way possible. In both situations they would end up dead or being turned into Avoxes. They are brave hunters and survivors but choosing to avoid the big theme was in no way guarantees their safety. They must know deep down inside that this is not going to work, not in the long run.

The story would be much shorter and Panem would always be oppressed by the Snow’s regime. Gale cannot provide the spark though he has the full strength of the wind to blow it. Pun intended.

Strangely, Peeta, the boy with the bread, (who is a whiz with fire. He coaxed fire out of damp branches and even Katniss can’t do that although curiously she is the Girl on Fire) the one that had no knowledge of hunting or killing, started the ball rolling by confessing his tragic love story on national television which resulted to a chain of very strange consequences, rules changed and uprisings included. He didn’t even expect to live by the end of The 74th Hunger Games, didn’t expect to win the girl in Catching Fire (Everything: his life, his love, his future, that’s what he gave Katniss and expected nothing in return) and went crazy in Mockingjay (he lost his most prized possession: his mind.) He lost his entire family, half of his leg, his identity but he provided a spark that liberated Panem. Without his love, nothing of the sort would happen. Can you imagine such power? This is the price he had paid for being in love.

I know Gale too, is in love with Katniss. It would be unfair to compare the levels of love professed by the two men since we know so little of Gale. Glimpses of this and that (stolen kiss, whipping, hunting flashbacks) doesn’t provide us with the full detailed story. I know they had a lot of happy moments and she remembered it fondly. They were quite a team, soul mates perhaps at the start of the story.

Maybe some people like to be loved like this, like Gale did. I have to admit that his love is quite superficial, to me. Some people might disagree. He admitted kissing girls (I see that as bragging) around District 12 and only felt something after Darius flirted with Katniss (competitive edge) and later see Peeta as a competitor too. He expected Katniss to love him back, got upset when she mentioned Peeta and scraped the plan he told Katniss 100% he was in. I am very annoyed when he started to guilt-trip Katniss with the talk of his pain and how that’s the only way that Katniss would pay any attention to him. Peeta had far worse incidents and did not come up with such excuse, rather encouraged them to be together. He was never a threat to anyone until he was hijacked.

Gale’s love is strong but wind and fire is not a good combination.

Don’t get me wrong. Both men are strong and smart in very different ways. Gale knows how to hunt, kill, good with traps and snares and a fine soldier, very much like Katniss herself. Peeta on the other hand is very domesticated but he’s kind, warm, has the ability to think straight in the midst of chaos and understood the big picture.

But the author had Katniss included in a big plan. The two men in her life represented the past and future of Panem and she chose the future. It could never worked for Gale however hard she tried.

The kids issue came up early and Katniss clearly stated that she doesn’t want any. Her constant reasoning was the Games. She seemed adamant that love is weakness. She sees her mother as a victim of it. She reinforced the idea of not having children with Gale (while pretending to be pregnant with Peeta’s child and had no problem with it). She even said that it was ‘a mistake’ if she and Gale had children but convinced that Peeta would definitely be a better parent. Since Peeta cannot procreate alone, it’s quite safe to assume his choice had always included Katniss. Peeta, on the other hand thought Katniss would be a great mother seeing her fierce love with her sibling and how she protects Prim anyway she could. In a way they both obviously admire the qualities that the other has and see the full potential he/she could grow into. Her little imagination in Catching Fire brought the reality in the Epilogue. I think she never subconsciously considered Gale as her romantic partner.

In the first book, The Hunger Games, Katniss made it clear that she doesn’t have anything romantic between her and Gale. But towards the end she was not very consistent with her affirmation in the first chapter. Not that I don’t trust her but she’s very slow in processing feelings or meanings. I think she was not ready to like Peeta or to feel something towards him but she did anyway despite all of her reminding herself not to.

Since the triangle theme came up only after she met Peeta (not Darius, though we can safely say that he liked her), I think she tried to set her mind against Peeta. The topic might not come up if Effie reaped someone else. She might go hunting merrily for years later until confronted by the love topic when she’s older. Marrying Gale or ending up with him is the right thing to do (everybody expected her to do that, it’s the norm) but she was caught by surprised when she couldn’t after Peeta declared his love. It made her look weak, she said.

Since debt is Katniss’s favourite subject I think this is one of her reasons to try and choose Gale. They’re best friends and had been through a lot. Both have experienced lost, both born rebels, survivors, main family breadwinners though not having enough food. Their family knew each other and they’re used to each other’s rhythm until she volunteered for Prim. Although many people would claimed that she fell in love with Peeta in Catching Fire or by the end of the Quarter Quell, I think she had set her eyes on him since they were eleven, when he tossed her that burned bread.

As a person who treats any relationship as a transaction (Gale and her has a symbiotic kind of relationship, both benefit from the other) she cannot comprehend kindness and that focused her attention to him, subconsciously. She had wondered why since then. If we examine her relationship with Gale, she actually didn’t trust him immediately. It took her months to return a smile. They weren’t even in a life and death situation, not even in a competition and there were plenty of preys abound in the woods. What took her so long to trust Gale? Was it because he’s a stranger? But the funny thing with Peeta was that he was also a stranger and a very treacherous one at it, too but she has a strong instinct to trust him. Although they’re in a game to fight to the death, she has to remind herself to not trust him again and again.

Many times that she caught herself surprised with her actions towards Peeta. The obvious one is the kind warning before the private session, other times how she subconsciously look at Peeta though regretting it almost immediately. Note that they were actually joking when they met in the train at Haymitch’s expense. She smiled. She warmed up to him a lot faster when she knew very well that he can spin a very convincing lie, planning a strategy ahead and this was before Haymitch ordered them to be friends. She told him about the Avox and counted her debts owed to the boy with the bread. I don’t think she ever meant debts. That was the moments that pulled her heart towards him.

I think she has a special spot for him since they were young, that day when she was sprawled under the apple tree waiting to die and that was what she meant by ‘it would have happened anyway.’ It has always been him.

It has always been the boy with the bread.

Chapter 1 – Part 3

Moving on with Chapter 1.

In the first book, The Hunger Games, Gale has suggested to Katniss that they could have ran away (was it in an indirect way saying that he loves her and wants to spend his life with her? Was it for the safety of their families? Or both?) and in Catching Fire vice versa (Snow was not convinced of the romance and Katniss could not think of anything else better than running away) which did not help in any way possible. In both situations they would end up dead or being turned into Avoxes. They are brave hunters and survivors but choosing to avoid the big theme was in no way guarantees their safety.

The story would be much shorter and Panem would always be oppressed by the Snow’s regime. Gale cannot provide the spark though he has the full strength of the wind to blow it.

Strangely, Peeta, the boy with the bread, (who is a whiz with fire. He coaxed fire out of damp branch and even Katniss can’t do that although she is the Girl on Fire) the one that had no knowledge of hunting or killing, started the ball rolling by confessing his tragic love story on national television which resulted to a chain of very strange consequences, uprisings included. He didn’t even expect to live in The Hunger Games, didn’t expect to win the girl in Catching Fire and went crazy in Mockingjay. This is the price he paid for being in love. 

I know Gale too, is in love with Katniss. It would be unfair to compare the levels of love professed by the two men since we know so little of Gale. Glimpses of this and that (stolen kiss, whipping, hunting flashbacks) doesn’t provide us with the full detailed story. I know they had a lot of happy moments and she remembered it fondly.

Both men are strong and smart in very different ways. Gale knows how to hunt, kill, good with traps and snares and a fine soldier, very much like Katniss herself. Peeta on the other hand is very domesticated but he’s kind, warm, has the ability to think straight in the midst of chaos and understood the big picture.

The kids issue came up early and Katniss clearly stated that she doesn’t want any. Her constant reasoning was the Games. She reinforced the idea in Catching Fire while considering Gale. She even said that it was ‘a mistake’ if she and Gale had children but convinced that Peeta would definitely be better parent. Since Peeta cannot procreate alone, it’s quite safe to assume his choice had always been Katniss. Peeta, on the other hand thought Katniss would be a great mother seeing her fierce love with her sibling and how she protects her anyway she could. In a way they both see the full potential the other could grow into. Her little imagination in Catching Fire brought the reality in the Epilogue. I think she never subconsciously considered Gale as her romantic partner.

In the first book, The Hunger Games, Katniss made it clear that she doesn’t have anything romantic between her and Gale. But towards the end she was not very consistent with her affirmation in the first chapter. Not that I don’t trust her but she’s very slow in processing feelings or meanings. I think she was not ready to like Peeta or to feel something towards him but she did anyway despite all of her reminding herself not to.

Since the triangle theme came up only after she met Peeta (not Darius, though we can safely say that he liked her), I think she tried to set her mind against him. The topic might not come up if Effie reaped someone else. She might go hunting merrily for years later until confronted by the love topic when she’s older. Marrying Gale or ending up with him is the right thing to do (everybody expected her to do that, it’s the norm) but she was caught by surprised when she couldn’t after Peeta declared his love. Since debt is Katniss’s favourite subject I think this is one of her reasons to choose Gale. They’re best friends and had been through a lot. Both have experienced lost, both born rebels, survivors, main family breadwinners though not having enough food. Their family knew each other and they’re used to each other’s rhythm until she volunteered for Prim. Although many people would claimed that she fell in love with Peeta in Catching Fire or by the end of the Quarter Quell, I think she had set her eyes on him since they were eleven, when he tossed her that burned bread.

As a person who treats any relationship as a transaction (Gale and her has a symbiotic kind of relationship, both benefit from the other) she cannot comprehend kindness and that focused her attention to him, subconsciously. She had wondered why since then. If we examine her relationship with Gale, she actually didn’t trust him immediately. It took her months to return a smile. They weren’t even in a life and death situation, not even in a competition and there were plenty of preys abound in the woods. What took her so long to trust Gale? Was it because he’s a stranger? But the funny thing with Peeta was that he was also a stranger and a very treacherous one at it, too. They’re in a game to fight to the death and she has to remind herself to not trust him again and again.

Many times that she caught herself surprised with her actions towards Peeta. The obvious one is the kind warning before the private session, other times how she subconsciously look at Peeta though regretting in almost immediately. Note that they were actually joking when they met in the train at Haymitch’s expense. She smiled. She warmed up to him a lot faster when she knew very well that he can spin a very convincing lie, planning a strategy and this is before Haymitch ordered them to be friends. She told him about the Avox and counted her debts owed to the boy with the bread. I don’t think she ever meant debts. That was the moments that pulled her heart towards him.

I think she has a special spot for him since they were young, that day when she was sprawled under the apple tree waiting to die and that was what she meant by ‘it would have happened anyway.’ It has always been him.

It has always been Peeta.

The Skimpy Layers of The Hunger Games

I admit it. I am going crazy trying to figure out the meaning associated with the anecdotes, symbols and colors in the simple book that I was carrying for weeks. I think I read it more than I should. It seems feeble and not worth the time consumed but I just had to figure it out.

Oh, for those who haven’t completed The Hunger Games trilogy, please feel free to divert to other post.

So I check several pages. One, a Biology-Character Analysis, another long explanation from A ll Girls Are Weird and from Hogwarts Professor who has some creepy ideas about the formulation of the trilogy. I might agree with some but the rest are just random speculations, like the Zombie Apocalypse (not offense. Those were good findings)

So I should start with the basics.

As mentioned by the writer, the trilogy was based from an Ancient Greek myth. The man responsible was Theseus and his battle with the Minotaur formed the base of the Hunger Games.

In one of the versions ‘When King Minos had heard of what befell his son, he ordered the Cretan fleet to set sail for Athens. Minos asked Aegeus for his son’s assassins, and if they were to be handed to him, the town would be spared. However, not knowing who the assassins were, King Aegeus surrendered the whole town to Minos’ mercy. His retribution was that, at the end of every Great Year (seven solar years), the seven most courageous youths and the seven most beautiful maidens were to board a boat and be sent as tribute to Crete, never to be seen again.’

The star of the book is a powerful character called Katniss Everdeen. The name was ridiculed by many but it seems natural when you realized that Katniss (an aquatic plant), also known as ‘sagittaria’ (which co-relates to the zodiac and constellation Sagittarius, the Archer) also known as ‘arrowhead’, a tuber of which the generic name means ‘belonging to an arrow’ indirectly explains why Katniss is an exceptional hunter, archer and has a strong affinity towards water.

Peeta Mellark is her accomplice, ally, friend and lover. In the book the name mentioned after Katniss’ best friend, Gale Hawthorne but his character and their relationship proved to be the most essential for the coming plot and the journey towards the end.

Gale, as the name suggested is in fact one of the forces of nature; strong wind. The character carries the same weight as the name suggested. Strong, unhinged and deadly. He is Katniss’ best friend. The harmony of the relationship disrupted when Katniss volunteered as one of the tributes in the 75th Hunger Games, alongside with another local acquaintance, Peeta Mellark.

Peeta, a son of the local baker is the youngest of 3 brothers. He was in the same class with Katniss and has been in love with her all his miserable life but never interacted until the fated day of The Reaping. They were of a different class where Katniss lives in the Seam, known as a place for poor family and coal miners wherelse Peeta, lives in town and belonged in the merchant class. The class also separated by facial characteristics (Blond, pale skin and blue eyes community is the rich merchant class and dark hair, grey eyes and olive skin being poor people from the Seam.) As the name suggested (pita bread), bread is the key for survival in District 12 where all the key characters live. The rest of the supporting characters are scattered all over Panem.

The name, Peeta (pita) coincides with the name of the country, Panem which is ‘bread’ in Latin.

Peeta, also coincide with Peter, derived from Latin, ‘Petra’ which gives the meaning rock, or stone. As described by Katniss, he’s rock solid and stable. He has great talent with art, words and compassionate.

It’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?

If we can take some time to notice subtle hints from the author, we might put more value to the mentioned book.

As the category ‘Young Adult Fiction’ might suggest, there would be some conflict and tug-of-love that will follow. Cheesy love story, as mentioned by a lot of people. I am suggesting that the love interests: Gale and Peeta are in reality 2 paths of which Katniss must choose to free Panem from the claws of Capitol. Some Tumblr posts surfaced with the same suggestions.

Take the relationship of Katniss and Gale for instance. It’s fueled by survival and trust. He is almost her soulmate in the beginning. They mirrored each other. But all they ever manage to plan was running away, twice (it didn’t happen though), which will not have any desired effect whatsoever in their past, present and future. While it’s completely the opposite with Peeta. Although she did not realize it, the relationship with Peeta was in direct defiance with the Capitol since he decided that his life purpose was to protect Katniss. When Katniss realize that she also doesn’t want to be a part of the Games, that’s it. After Rue’s death (the lullaby singing and flower tucking), Thresh refusing to kill her and the berries. That was all it took to set the motion in the districts. An uprising that later snowballed to a revolution.

We must not fail to understand that The Hunger Games has been the ultimate tool for the Capitol to arouse fear in the 12 Districts of Panem, to keep them under control. All of the tributes are expected to kill one another and the last one standing is the winner. So it is a slap in the face of the Gamemakers when their strategy to humiliate, torture and bully the children of the people who revolted against them in the Dark Days backfired. Refusing to   play the Games is a spark, accepted as a bold act of defiance against the Capitol nationwide and that is when the love triangle gets complicated.

Many wondered why the charater Rue died. Well she has to, and I tell you why. Let us start by considering Rue, the tribute we knew from district 11. Isn’t it a coincidence that rue is also a yellow flower, as evening primrose (referring to Primrose Everdeen)? Katniss mentioned that their similar characteristics and sometimes she confused of which one of the girls is her biggest priority. Dandelion, her hope and rebirth symbol is also a yellow flower. The flower that gave her the courage to survive, the day after receiving the gift of bread from Peeta (who is a blond – can we consider that yellow too?) Yellow is sunshine, warmth.

Also, rue is another word for a kind of herb, a magic plant of which Hermes gave to Odysseus. One of the magical properties listed was to cure blindness. As you might notice now, the author cleverly use the number three. 3 books, 3 chapters, Peeta’s heart stopped 3 times altogether, 3 ‘something’ stirring kisses with Peeta, etc. In Rue’s tragic case, she actually ‘cured’ Katniss’ blindness. She told her about the glasses that made her see in the darkness (for her to see her way in the Games), she told her that Peeta’s act was not for the camera (Katniss was not convinced, but it’s an advice to see her life as it is) and when Rue died (Katniss finally understood what Peeta said on the roof, she realized that Panem should not bow for the Capitol anymore and decided to do something to humiliate the Gamemakers.)

Although a lot of people has different opinion about the ending. Some feminist say Katniss could have ended up alone or with Gale but you just cannot ignore the littered hints by the author. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from New York University and I believe that everything was put there intentionally.

I am not Team Katniss or Team Peeta or Team Gale or Team Seneca Crane’s Beard or Team Buttercup, just a simple reader trying to figure out the layers put by Ms. Collins.

Though Katniss is a practical, strong, impulsive, etc. We may add she is also lacking in reading social cues, manipulative, doesn’t trust people easily and doesn’t have the capability to make peace with herself with all the killing she did and witnessed, resulting in nightmares. She is quite an emotionally dependent person and in constant need of a human contact/touch. Personally I don’t think she could do it alone.

Katniss could not have ended with Gale because she is not the same person when she entered the arena. She changed but he remained the same vengeful person and paid the bitter price. They no longer share the same idea or values (towards the end) and he knew that he can never face Katniss after Prim’s death.

As for Peeta, she first started comparing most of his actions to her father’s. The way his protective arms stretched around her and she never felt safe since the death of her father, the way he catches her hands and kisses it like her father did to her mother and how Peeta made her realize that she stopped singing after her father was gone. He even helps with the family book. Although Gale and Katniss’ father shared the same hobby/job which is hunting, she never narrated anything that relates the two men. Just both their fathers died in the same blast, she just smiles when they both hunting in the wood and told Gale that she doesn’t want any children.

The book doesn’t mention if she told Peeta that she doesn’t want any children. She always knew that if anyone that could have been a parent, that would be Peeta, right after he told her that she would be a great mother. She even took the time to wonder about Peeta’s child in a world without the Games where the Capitol is gone playing in the Meadows listening to the song she sung to Rue’s death. All these happened years later.

It was quite obvious that she would not end up with anyone else but Peeta.

Lastly in the epilogue you should read that both children of Katniss and Peeta bear the resemblance of the parents. Cute. Note that Katniss’s father and mother came from different social class too and the two siblings (Katniss and Primrose) bear the noticeable trace of separate class while the children, of which both parents coming from the same separate class have mixed characteristics saying that by ending The Hunger Games and that includes the unjust system of tessarae, there is no longer separation between the Seam and Merchant class of District 12. Of course it could be genetics but I refuse to believe it is.

The latest discussion of Hogwarts Professor about Panem Saga can be found here (my reference above was written pre-Mockingjay). Credit to author himself.

More analysis can be found here and the one that I like most is from Rachel Schneider and Atrossbooks.