Katniss' character develops in a number of ways in the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy.
She finally resolves the love triangle that has persisted between herself, Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark throughout the trilogy. We learn at the end of the book that once Peeta had recovered from the ordeal of being "hijacked" by the Capitol, she chose to spend her life with him, thanks in large part to Gale's possible involvement in the development of the bomb that ended Prim's life.
Katniss' natural suspicion of everything and everybody around her is awakened as soon as she discovers her new environment in District 13. This suspicion develops into full hatred of the new leader, President Coin, and she ultimately chooses to murder Coin instead of former President Snow, as had been planned.
While carrying out her duties as the "Mockingjay ," Katniss finds a way to overcome...
Unlock
This Answer NowStart your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
her natural dislike of being in the spotlight and, with this newfound ability, manages to stir the entire nation of Panem into a revolution.
Throughout the course of the novel, Katniss changes in some very interesting ways. First of all, she becomes a lot more wary and suspicious. Instead of simply trusting in the leadership of District 13, she is pretty antagonistic against it; this changes several times in the novel. She decides to trust them and help them, but then she goes back to distrusting and disliking them. By the end, she wages a full-on war against that leadership, making some pretty powerful statements about power and control. So, her response to authority and leadership changes throughout the novel.
Secondly, we see her change quite a bit towards Peeta. For the first two books, she was unsure of her feelings for him; she was ambivalent and even took him for granted. However, him being taken away from her changes that quite a bit. She learns to appreciate all that he did for her. Her heart softens; she lets him in more. This softening of her character is interesting, because she is such a tough gal throughout most of the books. In this one, we finally see her letting Peeta in a bit, and actually softening.
Katniss' hard, outer shell also becomes a lot tougher in this novel. She deals with quite a bit of death and carnage, and on a much larger scale than she had to during the Hunger Games. She handles it quite well, stuffing her feelings and dismay about it deep down, and trooping onward. She hardens herself to death even more than she has in the past, and moves on to do what she knows she needs to. It gives her the capability to be more fierce, more decisive, and a better leader.
Along those lines, Katniss becomes a better leader in this novel. In the beginning, she was a social recluse, hiding out in corners of District 13, not wanting to be bothered or noticed. However, she changes through the novel; by the end, she is a determined leader, putting herself in the limelight over and over again, and confidently making decisions for her group. She matures quite a bit in that respect.
I hope those thoughts help; good luck!
How does Peeta change throughout Mockingjay?
From the beginning of the book,there is a shift in the relationship between Katniss and Peeta as they are separated from each other. During Peeta's appearances on television he seems to be reaching out to Katniss to get her to change her mind about the revolution, but the reader isn't sure if it is his words or the Capitol speaking through torture. Clarity finally seems to come when the old Peeta, selfless and protecting, warns Katniss through a live interview that she will be "Dead by morning" (133). His words draw the wrath of the Capitol as he is beaten and "his blood.. splatters on the tiles" for all to see (134).
Peeta is rescued from the Capitol and all signs point to a happy reunion with Katniss until Peeta seizes her throat and tries to kill her. This unexpected turn of events was the result of a "hijacking" attack on Peeta's psyche in which the government used tracker jacker venom to poison his memories of Katniss to the point that the girl he loved and pledged to protect was no more than "A mutt... a stinking mutt!" (198)
The medical team at District 13 does everything its power to help Peeta, but he never fully recovers. In time Peeta and Katniss "grow back together", but there are still times when "he clutches the back of the chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over" (388).