Chapter 4 Summary

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Katniss and Gale, accompanied by Plutarch and his assistant Flavius, have just discovered Katniss’s beaten prep team. The three stylists have been beaten mercilessly. They force the guard to release Katniss’s prep team from the Capitol. The crime? The guard explains that the stylists were caught stealing a slice of bread. After depositing the prep team with her mother, Katniss realizes that there is more to this beating than what appears at first. President Coin is sending Katniss a message, though Plutarch and his assistant think that she is overstating things.

Thankfully, Katniss and Gale are now allowed to hunt. Gale asks Katniss why she is so concerned for her Capitol prep team. After all, they only make Katniss look good so that she can be killed during the Hunger Games. At first, Katniss explains that the prep team are like children, but Gale points out that the real children to worry about are the ones that are sent to the games as tributes. Katniss finally explains that the prep team cares for her and explains how they cried when Katniss was sent back into the games during the Quarter Quell. Still, Gale seems unconvinced and would gladly kill everyone in the Capitol if he could, especially after what they did to District 12.

Katniss’s agreement also required President Coin to announce their arrangement publicly. That night, Katniss and everyone else in District 13 goes to attend the announcement. There, Katniss sees Finnick, her ally during the Quarter Quell. The only person that Finnick cares about in the world is Anna, a mad girl from his home district, and she is being held captive in the Capitol. Distraught at her captivity, Finnick is now distracted and he is only able to function by tying knots in a length of rope that is too short to turn into a noose. Katniss approaches President Coin to make sure that she remembers to include Anna’s name in the list of captives that will be granted immunity after the rebellion. Coin agrees after Katniss pushes her case.

The announcement is not what Katniss expected. Coin explains that Katniss was reluctant to join the cause of the rebellion and that she had to make a deal to get something in return in order to contribute. Katniss realizes that many in District 13 disapprove of her now. Coin goes on to explain that District 13 has made a bargain with Katniss, who will now contribute whole-heartedly to the rebellion. However, if Katniss breaks the deal, then the captives in the Capitol will no longer enjoy immunity after the rebellion. Katniss realizes that the lives of everyone she loves now depend upon her good behavior.

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Chapter 3 Summary

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Chapter 5 Summary