Like most people in life, Katniss Everdeen is very much a product of her environment. Brought up in the poorest district of Panem, the odds are against her from the start. In such a tough environment, it’s a case of dog-eat-dog. The authorities couldn’t care less about the poor, so those on the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder pretty much have to fend for themselves in order to survive.

Thankfully, Katniss is a strong, resourceful young woman. But then, she had to be; had she not been, then she and her family would almost certainly have gone under, the latest victims of a cruel and uncaring society.

Since her father was killed in a coal mining accident, life has been especially hard for Katniss and her family. They often go for days without food or water, bringing them to the very brink of starvation. Nevertheless, these hardships help make Katniss who and what she is. Forced to rely on her own resources, she goes out to hunt for her family, heading deeper and deeper into the forest to find game.

Katniss’s experiences of hunting and providing for her family eventually stand her in good stead for the Hunger Games, where she will use the skills she’s acquired to save her own life.