71 pages • 2-hour read
The Hunger Games
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Symbols & Motifs
The Mockingjay
The mockingjay is acknowledged as “something of a slap in the face to the Capitol,” evidence of the Capitol’s failed attempt to control the rebellious District 13 (42). The jabberjays were muttations designed to mimic the conversations of rebels and relay them to the Capitol. The jabberjay strategy was turned against the Capitol when they were used to spread misinformation as a part of the rebels’ counterespionage efforts. The Capitol expected the jabberjays to die off, but they bred with the local mockingbirds, creating mockingjays—proof of the Capitol’s failure, which they unsuccessfully tried to sweep under the rug.
This symbol is found on the pin Madge gives Katniss to use as a token in the games. By wearing the pin throughout the games, the rebel symbol is associated with Katniss herself. Later in the story, Rue and Katniss use mockingjays to convey signals to one another. When the mockingjays go silent, it means that something has gone horribly wrong. Similarly, at the Cornucopia, Katniss teaches them Rue’s four-note song. They repeat it beautifully in rounds, but when they go silent, it heralds the danger of the wolf muttations.
While the mockingjay symbol refers to a vague concept of the Capitol’s failings, it is also directly applicable to Katniss and Peeta. Like the mockingjay, their continued existence is proof of the Capitol’s failure to control the outcome of the Hunger Games. They are the unexpected survivors whose existence advertises the Capitol’s weaknesses.
Fire
Fire traditionally represents passion or anger, both of which are associated with Katniss Everdeen. Cinna’s decision to incorporate synthetic fire in her clothing creates a spectacle of Katniss during the opening ceremonies. Her iconic look attracts attention and sponsors, which prove invaluable during the games. The “girl on fire” theme continues through her dazzling dress for the pre-games interview.
When Katniss is later burned by a fireball, she considers the irony of her moniker. This moment foreshadows Katniss’s ultimate rebellion against the Capitol and how her passion is a double-edged sword. While it enables her to discover a means of outsmarting the Capitol, saving both her and Peeta’s lives, it also puts everyone she loves in grave danger.
After the games, Cinna’s sartorial representation of fire becomes much more innocent and subdued. Katniss likens her dress to candlelight. This adjustment is appropriate, as only the most innocent, domesticated version of Katniss’s passion is acceptable to the Capitol. Any more powerful flame will only serve to burn her too.
The Innocent
The archetype of the innocent is filled by Prim and Rue. As a motif, the innocent repeatedly serve as motivation for Katniss to persevere and to rebel. The two innocents are conflated in Katniss’s mind, symbolizing the innocent children in the world and everything good that must be protected.
Identity
The concept of identity is a recurring motif. Its earliest direct acknowledgement is in the conversation between Peeta and Katniss the night before the Hunger Games begin. Peeta expresses his concerns about how he will be forced to change during the games and is determined not to allow the Capitol to rob him of his sense of self: “I want to die as myself. […] I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not” (141). This motivation, combined with his love of Katniss, remains a driving force behind his behavior in the games.
From early on, Katniss bases her identity on her role as her family’s provider and the work it entails. She directly acknowledges this fact as she wonders who she will become when she returns to District 12 and no longer has to labor to keep food on the table. After the games, Katniss literally cannot recognize herself in the mirror, demonstrating the loss of her identity both due to her family’s changing situation and due to what she has experienced—and done—in the games. Katniss loses her sense of innocence and gains only a stay of execution, as she now must present a version of herself that is crafted by the Capitol. Katniss is now tasked with striking a balance between surviving and maintaining her sense of self, however changed it may be.
Debt
Katniss’s complex feelings about Peeta and the instance in which he gave her bread are connected to the philosophy of the debt. Psychological studies have shown that people are more willing to trust others once the trust-er does a favor for the trust-ee, not the reverse. This is because the receiver of the favor is then expected to feel obligation toward the giver, making them more inherently trustworthy from the giver’s perspective. Katniss points out that Peeta, coming from a life of plenty, cannot understand this important motivator: “I don’t expect you to understand it. You’ve always had enough. But if you lived in the Seam, I wouldn’t have to explain” (292). As someone with privilege to offer favors, Peeta has never felt the emotional strings attached to them.
While this concept highlights the differences between Katniss and Peeta, it also serves as an important motivator, which has a significant impact on the games. Thresh, the tribute from District 11, spares Katniss’s life due to his sense of indebtedness over her kindness toward Rue. If Thresh’s understanding of this motif was more like Peeta’s, both Peeta and Katniss would likely have died in the arena.
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