so, it is a pretty common joke in the everlark community that only two people don’t know that katniss is in love with peeta. katniss and peeta. and it is so funny because it is so true. everyone paying attention can figure it out (mj, 135). gale (mj, 280). prim (mj, 131). haymitch (mj, 141). finnick (mj, 135). johanna (mj, 204). even, terrifyingly, snow (mj, 135).
but peeta doesn’t ever really understand how much katniss is really in love with him. even after the beach scene (mj, 280). because while the beach scene was a pretty clear indication of her feelings for him, they never really got to talk it out. and peeta knows better than to just assume katniss’s love from her actions in the games.
because he believed (correctly) that katniss loved him enough to die for him. and then it was quickly reframed as just a ‘stunt’ against the capitol (thg, 371). and even when he came to terms that katniss genuinely cared about him, in his mind he is quick to think that he isn’t special. although katniss sees herself as a person who is only kind to her inner circle, peeta sees her for who she truly is. he sees her as a selfless provider who will defend any people around her in need.
so he sees himself as just another person that katniss would protect. it is almost like peeta can imagine katniss doing the same trick with the berries with any other person that would be in the arena with her. he sees himself as replaceable. and the people that he believes are irreplaceable to katniss are in the locket (cf, 100). gale. prim. katniss’s mom. and not him.
and in my mind, it all seems to stem from peeta not truly understanding the significance of the bread. because the only person in the entire series that understands just how important that interaction was is katniss. for katniss, it was everything. it not only saved her from imminent death. it not only gave her an avenue to hope for a better future. but it also represented a higher way of living. a way of living that was dictated by love rather than survival. a way of living that inspired her to put poisoned berries to her mouth as she prepared to die for the boy she loved standing next to her.
so she could not lose peeta (thg, 297). he was not replaceable (cf, 100). the same outcome would not have happened with anybody else. because no one else inspired katniss as much as her boy with the bread. but peeta never understood how impactful the bread was to her. he quickly bushes it off when she brings it up in the cave (thg, 292). because it was nothing compared to what she does on a daily basis and in the games for him, right?
the readers quickly conclude that there wasn’t ever really a love triangle, not really. because we can see clearly how katniss subconsciously chooses peeta over gale over and over and over again. and how gale never had a chance the moment that peeta threw that bread to her. but all peeta can see is how there is no love triangle because she has obviously chosen gale (mj, 280). and he never stood a chance.
and that is why it is so important that katniss’s declaration of love comes through the 'real or not real’ game (mj, 329). because it is less of a declaration of love and more of a confirmation. peeta is asking if something that he feels (and maybe has felt for a long time) is true and katniss reassures him that it is true. that it was true. that it was always true. that the concept that katniss everdeen loves peeta mellark is very, very much real. from the very beginning. from the moment that he let those two loaves fall into the coals. it could only have been him.
Hot take but… “Gale was a teen soldier who got brainwashed, by a manipulative dictator, into the idea that sacrificing a small number of troops was worth it to definitively stop the government that had spent years ruining the lives of him and his people” and “Gale’s gross disregard for human life directly led to the death of Prim and thousands of other civilians including children, and Katniss is justified in her anger and has no obligation to ever forgive him” are two statements that can and should coexist together.
Coin being frustrated that she didn’t get her wanted prize at the claw machine, as if the plushie with the bread wouldn’t successfully gaslight her entire district on day one just to rescue his pregnant wife
Snow not believing Katniss was in love with Peeta is actually part of his character
Thinking back, Katniss’ actions after the first game were as convincing as they can be when you don’t see her inner monologue. She was only saying she was acting because she wasn’t able to process her own feelings and Haymitch pretty much told her, “You’re acting, girl, keep acting if you don’t wanna get killed.” That again put a strain on her and further complicated her feelings.
But if you think about it, she was banging on the door of the operation room when Peeta was being treated, acting hysterical; she kissed him for 10 minutes straight on stage and she was kind of into it; she was so upset about Peeta losing his leg that she cried on stage and hid her face in his shirt to the point HE had to console her about it; she was pretty much sitting in his lap throughout the whole interview.
That looks like a girl madly in love to me. Like, when did she ever give anyone any hint that it was fake? It was all in her head.
Still, Snow was convinced no one would love another person so much they’d rather die with them. Because he didn’t think like that and he can’t comprehend why someone would think like that.
I’m also wondering why Snow didn’t assume Peeta was lying, too. We as readers know Peeta actually lies more than Katniss does and is good at it. Snow probably thought he was just someone waiting to be saved or something. Everyone underestimates Peeta as per usual. That’s a topic for another day.
against my better judgment, i dabbled in the dark arts and started scrolling tiktok for some hunger games content. i heard someone talk about how katniss and peeta subvert gender norms and how peeta becomes a damsel that is always saved by katniss.
now, okay, peeta and katniss do subvert traditional gender roles in many ways. katniss has traits that are often reserved for masculine characters (hunting, practical, survival skills, brooding, etc.) whereas peeta has traits that are reserved for feminine characters (hobbies like baking and painting, being social, emotional, etc.). however, i think that it is important to note that the gender norms are not simply switched between katniss and peeta. for one, katniss is very motherly towards prim, caring for her emotionally and physically. and peeta is very strong and athletic (traditionally reserved for men *not that women can’t be strong and athletic!*).
and to call peeta a damsel is completely incorrect. it implies that the protective relationship between katniss and peeta is completely one-sided with katniss being the only protector. maybe people just point to katniss caring for peeta in the cave as their reasoning. but peeta was only wounded by cato’s sword because he was protecting katniss. peeta saved katniss in that situation. she was going to be found by cato and so he protected her, risking (and almost losing) his own life. they protect each other, it’s what they do.
i think that suzanne knew what she was doing when creating peeta and katniss’s characters. they subvert gender norms, but only partially. they are both complex people that display both feminine and masculine traits. this pushes peeta and katniss to be realistic and have a depth that would not be there if they were just cookie-cutter feminine and masculine characters. their relationship is one that is built upon mutual protection that solidifies their commitment to and love for one another.
ALT
