The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Analysis of Katniss’ Strengths and Weaknesses

Life and death situations are held in the most inconvenient moments, whether it be planned or just a coincidence. In the young adult novel “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins; the main character Katniss finds herself rooting for her life against 23 other tributes in a game of death for the entertainment of others. At only the age of 16, Katniss makes herself the most attractive physically, with her skills and looks and mentally with manipulative ideas.

Katniss Everdeen lives in a dystopian society partitioned by the wealthy and deprived sections of the society. Living District 12, Katniss faced hardships in every form from a young age, making her mature than those in their teenage years. With her father’s death in a mining accident, Katniss had to assume the role of being the head of her family, a family of three including her. Katniss’s mother, shocked after her husband’s death, turned into a quiet person with no passion for earning for her daughters and helping in keeping them safe. Out of fear of being put in a community home, Katniss assumed the role of her father. The accident that led to Katniss’s father’s death resulted in a small amount of money offered to them as compensation for their loss from the district. However, it did not last long. Before long, Katniss had to find an alternative to feed her family.

So the story steps foot into the life of Katniss Everdeen, the audacious younging who volunteered to take her youngest sister Prim’s spot in the cruel games. Having a starting point of poor life to entering days and days of big meals and comfortable areas, being driven by sponsors throughout the process of readiness. Although Katniss does have the strengths incorporated with cunning and adaptability, her kindness comes to a sense to hunt her down like no other.

To begin with, cunning is the most entailed for survival because Katniss is opened to ideas for herself wellbeing during the games whether it is cruel to others or not. Cunning holds the meaning of cleverness which demonstrates useful in her fights against the other tributes. For example, Katniss was in need to rest up in a tree for better protection, when it came to the awareness that the careers have found her hiding spot and were prepared for action once she steps foot to the ground. But Katniss knew that wouldn’t be the plan after she discovered the hive of Tracker Jackers right above her head. She worked her way to the branch quick, with her only weapon, a knife. This evidence includes, “…back forth, back forth…the knife cuts through, I shove the branch…the nest burst open like an egg…swarms of tracker jackers in the air.” This demonstrates her expeditious reflex on her cunning idea of cutting the branch to chase and trap the careers below. In addition to that, Katniss and her fellow ally, Rue, set up approximately 3 fireplaces away from her camp area to grab the attention of the other tributes, while she sought for Peeta. Quoted, “He’s pointing up to the woods, far beyond me, and without turning I know that Rue must have set the first campfire”. This further shows that being put with a clever mindset, will give you the idea of new survival including, traps, tricks, and snares. Therefore, cunning will be one the most necessary reasons to have throughout the fatal Hunger Games.

Another strength that plays an indispensable role in The Hunger Games is adaptability because being accustomed quickly make things smoother when it comes to sleeping, hunting, and eating. Adaptability comes to mean to adjust which proves useful for hiding and feeding through survival. For instance, Rue would hide up in the high trees jumping around to hide from others, but she was quick and comfortable with the skill, even after being away from it for a good period of time. Evidence found, “How long has she been here? The whole time probably. Still and unobserved as the action unfolded beneath her. Perhaps she headed up her tree shortly before I did…”. That suggests that being perceived of your skill will guide you better whether it be really high up or down below. Moreover, Peeta had the ability of camouflage, he’d use mud and leaves from around him and would lay perfectly still. Proven evidence, “I jump back. His voice was right under my feet. Still, there’s nothing. Then his eyes open, unmistakably blue in the brown mud and green leaves. I gasp and am rewarded with a hint of white teeth as he laughs.” This means that new skills learned can be, now, your most valued and precise. So, it is clear that adaptability will shoot through most of your skills knowing you are comfortable with the environment.

Certainly, some readers might claim that kindness would be more of a vital reason for surviving the games because kindness will let you flourish into teammates to survive with more skill. For example, Cato was trying to kill Katniss over the reason of being the best and not having Rue by her side anymore. The counterclaim is incorrect because tenderness won’t bring you any help to the survival key as in food and shelter. Necessarily, cunning and adaptability will show more strength towards Katniss, knowing they are told to be her most precise skill. Therefore, kindness would not be the most convenient skill to be carrying around.

Overall, Katniss was skilled properly with cunning and adaptability, but her weakness seems to chase her down during the most momentance situations. According to my previous paragraphs, adaptability and cunning nourished Katniss during The Hunger Games, but her kindness hunts her down slowly and puts her in demise situations. In my opinion, kindness would not be the considering skill for the reasons of danger that goes toward Katniss. Although her restful skills ought her.

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