Everything
Katniss does throughout the book The
Hunger Games she does for her sister Prim and fellow tribute Rue, who
reminds her of Prim. Rather than worrying about herself because she was about
to enter the Hunger Games, the only thing Katniss is worried about is how her
sister will survive without her. In her last moments she has to talk to her
mother and Prim are spent “telling them all the things they must remember to
do, now that I will not be there to do them for them” (34). Even during her
time in the Games she is consistently thinking of Prim and how she has to
survive and not die a terrible death because Prim would then have to watch it
on TV. There is nothing that Katniss cares about more than her sister, and she
chooses to create an alliance with Rue “because she’s a survivor, and I trust
her, and why not admit it? She reminds me of Prim” (201).
I think
that Katniss decided to team up with Rue because she makes her feel like she’s
back at home. Rue knows certain ways to heal injuries like Katniss’ mother and
sister do, and she is similar to Prim in age and mannerisms making Katniss want
to protect her. Having Rue calms Katniss’ nerves and makes her feel more
comfortable because it’s like having a piece of home with her in the Games. Rue
changes Katniss’ way of thinking by telling her about District 11 and their
rules, which she then determines are worse than the ones in District 12. Her
death is the first time Katniss openly defies the Capital by decorating Rue’s
body with flowers as a symbol, knowing that the Capital would have to show it
because they show all the bodies before they are taken away, and it is a
turning point for her way of thinking. Before Rue’s death Katniss didn’t
believe she could win the Games, but afterwards she set out to win the Games to
avenge Rue’s death. This resulted in a new found determination to prove to the
Capital and everyone watching the Games that the tributes lives do matter and
that a girl from District 12 could win the Games despite all odds. The change
in Katniss resulted from one little girl from District 11 who gave her a new perspective
and reminded Katniss of her sister.
Ally Fields claims that Rue’s main purpose throughout The Hunger Games is to advance the plot. Rue’s similarities to Katniss’ younger sister, Prim, creates an immediate bond between the two contestants, while simultaneously provoking a new-found determination within Katniss to win the Games for her family and in defiance of the Capitol. While it is true that Rue’s character is important to the development of the novel by creating a linkage between the Games and Katniss’ home of District 12, Rue also serves a much more important role in revealing to Katniss the injustices of the Capitol. After learning about the whippings and other cruelties that occur in Rue’s home of District 11, Katniss remarks, “We have so little communication with anyone outside our district” (203). Rue reveals to Katniss that mistreatment by the Capital is not a singular experience of only District 12, but rather a day-to-day reality for all Districts. Already having expanded Katniss’ worldview and understanding of the Capitol’s abuse, Rue’s death is the final impetus in Katniss actively making the decision to defy the Capitol. Immediately following Rue’s death, Katniss states, “I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do there is a part of every tribute they can’t own” (234). The time Rue spends with Katniss, as well as her death, reveal to Katniss that she must defy the Capitol to demonstrate that they don’t own her.
ReplyDeleteAlly and Allie argue Rue is the key determinant in Katniss's decision to defy the Capitol. Her alliance with Rue allows Katniss to learn about District 11. During their conversation about public whippings and District 11’s crops, she wonders if "the Gamemakers are blocking out their conversation because they don't want people in different areas to know about one another" (203). From that, the reader can infer that that the Capitol hides information about each district to prevent alliances from forming between districts. Beyond Rue advancing the plot, she also communicates to Katniss the importance of teamwork. When they pool together their resources, Rue informs Katniss that the “useless” sunglasses “aren’t for the sun, they’re for darkness” (204). By working together, they are able to share their knowledge and compliment each others’ strengths and weaknesses. As Katniss states, Rue’s strength is “being able to feed herself” (206). Rue shows Katniss how to forage for berries and other foods. In return, Katniss serves as her protector, watching over Rue as she sleeps through the night. When Rue dies, Katniss resolves to win the Games by teaming up with Peeta to help her accomplish her win for Rue.
ReplyDeleteRue is definitely a turning point for Katniss in the games. Katniss is still in the phase of just trying to survive, not necessarily kill to win, before she meets Rue. When Rue tells of what happens in district 11, Katniss puts her anger into the games and does whatever she can to get under the skin of the Capitol and president Snow, especially after the death of Rue.
ReplyDeleteSomething I have also thought about is what would happen if Katniss and Rue were the ones to make it to the end. Who would kill who? Would Katniss have the berry idea? Would Rue kill Katniss? I personally think that if Katniss and Rue were the last ones standing, and Katniss had not come up with the berry idea, she would kill herself so Rue could win the games. “If I’m going to die today, it’s Rue I want to win. Even if it means a little extra food for my family, the idea of Peeta being crowned victor is unbearable” (189). Rue is a figure that reminds her so much of her sister, she could never kill her. She would sacrifice her life and the condition of her family so that Rue could survive. This would start a spark in the districts, a girl killing herself for another girl in a different district. If this had happened, the Capitol would be at a huge disadvantage, as their world would just have seen the start of what could be a potential rebellion and the future of alliances between districts.
I agree with Ally’s assessment that Katniss’ relationship with Rue represents a turning point in the novel. Katniss up to this point acted like scared prey in the woods. She had these amazing hunting skills, but did not have the mentality that she needed to use them and kill the other tributes. She simply wanted to evade them. On the first night, Katniss is thinking through her options for the evening. Knowing that the Careers who survived the blood bath at the Cornucopia will be on the hunt, her only hope is that, “I’ve traveled far and fast enough to be out of range” (Collins 155). Without a bow and arrow as her weapon, she does not trust her abilities to fight if need be. Before the games start she makes clear that, “it isn’t in my nature to go down without a fight, even when things seem insurmountable” and this is where her alliance with Rue comes in (Collins 37). She is at her lowest point when she first encounters Rue. With the encouragement of the bright eyes in the next tree, Katniss goes on the offensive for the first time by dropping the tracker jacker nest on the other tributes. After Rue and Katniss discuss their different lives, Katniss is more motivated and confident then ever. For the first time she is ready to try, “A plan that isn’t motivated by the need for flight and evasion” (Collins 207). Katniss’ relationship with Rue gives her the fire she needs to fight back. She’s fighting the capital for punishing the district, the careers for their brutish behavior, and most importantly fighting for her life.
ReplyDeleteI brought up in class on Tuesday that I felt Rue’s death was both inevitable and completely necessary for the success of the plot. Rue and Peeta were the only people in the arena Katniss deeply cared about, so for the sake of main character development one of them had to die. Her relationship with Peeta possessed the possibility for romance, and it’s commonly understood that love interests are an essential aspect to young adult novels that seek to appeal to a diverse audience. This leaves Rue as the only legitimate option for a character the reader cares about to be killed for the sake of Katniss’ development.
ReplyDeleteIf Rue were to hypothetically reach the end of the games with Katniss, I completely agree with Alyssa’s opinion that Katniss would never even consider killing her. When Katniss confesses “I trust her, and why not admit it? She reminds me of Prim” (Collins 200) she is affirming that she views Rue as a sister. I believe Katniss would volunteer for the games in Rue’s place if she could, similar to the way she did with Prim, because she values Rue’s livelihood and happiness over her own.
Rue’s combination of innocence, skill and compassion made her easy to love and hard to lose for both Katniss and the reader, but as part of a quality plot she unfortunately had to die.
I thought the class's discussion on if Katniss would kill Rue if the two of them were the last to survive was fascinating. Rue, as many before have noted, reminds Katniss of her sister and is thus immediately important to our protagonist. Her death, however, is crucial in changing the entire tone of the series. Rue's death seems like the first real moment in which Katniss understands the stakes of where she is and it's also a turning point in the character. Rue stands for "regret," which is clever foreshadowing by the author. I like to look at it as not Katniss's regret, but Panem's as a whole as without her inclusion in the games and subsequent death, Katniss may not have been as gung-ho in looking for revenge. Later in the series, Rue's death is a breaking point for District 11 as they start to fight back against their oppressors. The little girl's demise is the start of the boulder rolling down the hill picking up steam as it goes. She'll never know it, but Rue is the start of the rebellion, not Katniss. I personally believe that Katniss would have killed Rue, as nothing would have stopped her from getting back to her sister, however that surely would've created a much darker and complex character. One that Suzanne Collins definitively would not have written.
ReplyDelete