As a book written in first person, we are obligated to take Katniss's side on everything. Other characters don't get to explain why they do things but Katniss does. We hear what she thinks, why she thinks it and everything else about her we could possibly want to know. We are positioned to stand behind Katniss in all of her choices. One of the largest choices for Katniss is about her love interest. Peeta or Gale?
Early on in the book we see the mutual attraction between Katniss and Gale. We see the similarities between the two and as the go hunting and Katniss explains how Gale taught her to survive and how helped her feed her family. Peeta isn't even a known character at this point and so our hearts side with Gale.
After Peeta is introduced Katniss views Peeta as competition and so, standing behind Katniss, we too view Peeta the same way. Peeta is also an ally to Katniss so we don't dislike him as much as the other tributes especially after he said he loved Katniss in order to make her look more desirable. That is until he sides with the career pack and is hunting Katniss down. Peeta redeems himself when he saves her life after she gets stung by the tracker jackers but is still left in an unusual place as we are confused as to what he is really doing. It isn't until the rule change allowing 2 victors from the same district that we start to really think Peeta and Katniss could be a couple since both could finally survive together. Peeta encourages the idea of them being a couple by his generally happy tone and clever comments he dishes out as Katniss is cleaning him up and this is when his personality really shines through.Chapter 19
"Impulsively, I lean forward and kiss him, stopping his words. This is probably overdue anyway since he's right, we are supposed to be madly in love. It's the first time I've ever kissed a boy, which should make some sot of impression I guess, but all I can register is how unnaturally hot his lips are from the fever. I break away and pull the edge of the sleeping bag up around him. 'Your not going to die. I forbid it. All right?'"
Chapter 19 as a whole really expands on the possibility of Peeta and Katniss ending up together but it is the kiss where the reader is forcefully positioned to start siding with Peeta over Gale. The first time I read this book I was very upset with this scene as I didn't want to pick Peeta over Gale. I disagreed with Katniss's decision to kiss Peeta but after reading the second and third books and seeing the person Gale turns into, rereading this scene has the opposite effect as I had found myself rooting for Peeta even before he was introduced.
I think its interesting that you felt so allied with Peeta. I can definitely see why, Collins makes him a very attractive character in that he is kind and really cares about Katniss, enough so that he would sacrifice himself for her. On the other hand, Gale seemed to me to have been the one Collins wanted readers to side with. I just felt like he was made into the more typical hero, he is strong and tall and has loved Katniss since they were children. It just seemed like Collins wanted us to think they were meant to be. After reading later books though, I do understand why he becomes the less attractive candidate of the two. In the war, he does some seemingly selfish things and he also leaves Katniss.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you chose to elaborate on the romance aspect of the story. For many readers I see why the love triangle intrigues them and why they find it to be one of their favorite parts of the story. I have always been a sucker for a good love story and enjoy reading books and watching movies about them, but for some reason I find myself uninterested in the love story occurring throughout the novels. The aspect of the book that hooked me in and kept me hooked wasn't the romance, but it was what was happening to the people. The sever suppression, idea of revolution, and obviously the hunger games are what intrigued me. To be honest, I was so preoccupied with these events that I didn't really care about the Peeta, Gale, and Katniss until the rule change came into play. It was at that moment that I wanted Katniss and Peeta "to fake it until they made it," and really started to root for them as a couple, even if it was fake. I even almost forgot about Gale during the time, but when I remembered him, it was the first time I became curious about how the love triangle was going to turn out. I guess I just find it interesting how Collins implements such a big love story, but the focus isn't entirely on it. I like how the story isn't centered around the love triangle, but how she uses it to further the other events going on in the book.
ReplyDeleteI am a sucker for anything with a love story in it, so even though throughout all three of these books my feelings of disgust and utter bewilderment as to how someone can come up with such a crazy story was playing constantly in my head, I was drawn to the story of Katniss, Peeta and Gale. I can't really explain why but it drove me crazy the whole series. And then when *spoiler alert* Peeta and Katniss end up together in the end, I still wanted her with Gale. Even though I knew her and Gale would never work well together after all her and Peeta had been through together.
ReplyDeleteThis book does an amazing job at positioning the readers in so many ways and in ways that present themselves based on our own personalities. I like how we side with Katniss and know that her abilities to survive off the earth and be resourceful up our confidence in her. It makes me want to learn how the things she knows 'just in case' I was ever put into a situation where I needed those skills.
When it comes to Peeta, I will always be at a stand still, I understand the attraction and love they have for each other, but I also can see that if their world was different, Katniss would have ended up with Gale. But even then, knowing that Peeta ultimately showed greater strength than Gale, makes a girl want to love Peeta too.
I was immediately intrigued by your blog, especially as if focuses on a minor, but significant part of the novel, that often goes overlooked, the love story. I have not read the other books, so I cannot comment on the development of Gale overtime, but based solely on this novel, I did too immediately root for Gale. Their history and connection we witness first almost forces us to favor Gale. Being in first-person, Katniss's perspective influences our like for Gale, as she is obviously fond of him and all that he has done for her and her family. With that being said, you're blog really enforces the idea that many of us attempt to describe in our blogs about the great significance of the novel being told in first-person. Being from Katniss's first-person view, HER perspective immediately becomes OUR perspective.
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