Hey All, In these Last two lessons i have been Learning about symbols in The hunger games.
Mocking Jay- The mockingjay represents defiance in the novel, with the bird’s symbolism deriving initially from its origins. The mockingjay, we learn, came about as a result of a failed project by the Capitol to spy on the rebellious districts, and since then the bird has served as a reminder of this failure and the districts’ recalcitrance—Katniss describes them as “something of a slap in the face to the Capitol.” The mockingjay pin Madge gives to Katniss is at first an emblem of that resistance. Later in the novel, however, the birds come to symbolize a different sort of defiance. Mockingjays become a link between Katniss and Rue, with the two using the birds to communicate. When Rue dies, Katniss decorates her body with flowers as a means of memorializing Rue, but also to defy the Capitol. When Katniss later sees mockingjays, they remind her of Rue, and that memory inevitably stirs her hatred of the Capitol and her wish to rebel, and take revenge, against it. The mockingjay consequently takes on an additional layer of symbolism, representing not only a general rebellion against the Capitol, but also Katniss’s specific desire to defy it.
Fire makes its first powerful appearance when Peeta and Katniss are presented in the arena for the 74th Hunger Games. The stylist Cinna, secretly working for the rebellion, has designed Katniss's costume so that it literally bursts into flames with synthetic fire. His stated goal is to make the District 12 tributes memorable, but perhaps also to show that the people of District 12, like the coal they mine, is a source of tremendous heat, energy, and power. Later, in Catching Fire, Cinna provides Katniss with another evocative costume that uses fire as its symbol. When Katniss is forced by President Snow to wear her wedding dress for the pre-Quell interviews, it burns away to reveal the Mockingbird beneath. She becomes a phoenix rising from the ashes of a government-mandated show.
Fire as a symbol of rebellion and destruction is also made exceedingly clear when President Snow visits Katniss before the Victory Tour. He tells her that as the girl on fire who won the Hunger Games, she is also the spark that may grow to an inferno to destroy Panem. The inferno is the potential rebellion Snow feels she may trigger, and like any inferno, it has the power to incinerate whatever it reaches. But Katniss later turns this analogy against Snow after the Capitol bombs the hospital, crying out to the cameras, "If we burn, you burn." One other powerful reference to fire appears near the end of the trilogy, when Katniss compares Peeta and Gale. She says Gale's fire is kindled by rage and hatred, and she has enough of that of her own. She realizes that while this fire can be useful in time of war, it can also destroy her. She chooses the comforting warmth of Peeta.
Katnisses Bow and arrow- Katniss’s prowess with her bow and arrow is one of her defining characteristics. Early on in the novel, we learn that her deceased father first taught her archery when he was not working in the mines. Thus, from the beginning Katniss’s bow and arrow is a symbol of her relationship with her dad. When her father is killed in a mining accident and Katniss must assume the role of family breadwinner, her archery tools symbolize her independence, her ability to provide a livelihood for her family, and the heavy responsibilities she bears. By the end of the novel, when Katniss’s ability with a bow and arrow prove to be highly useful in the games, they are symbolic of her fighting spirit and success as a competitor.
Heres a hint There is a food Peeta makes...
