Preview

IN WHAT WAYS DOES KATNISS EVERDEEN CHALLENGE OR CONFIRM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF A TYPICAL HERO IN 'THE HUNGER GAMES'?

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1089 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
IN WHAT WAYS DOES KATNISS EVERDEEN CHALLENGE OR CONFIRM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF A TYPICAL HERO IN 'THE HUNGER GAMES'?
The question of whether Katniss Everdeen, of 'The Hunger Games,' confirms or challenges the idea of an archetypal hero is one debated worldwide. Throughout the novel, written by Suzanne Collins, Katniss demonstrates qualities and undertakes actions which are, without a doubt, heroic. However, whether or not this makes her a hero is dependent upon who you are asking; many characters in the novel would have very different ideas as to what a hero is. Also, although Katniss may come off as a hero many times in the book, she also challenges that title in countless instances with less-than-heroic actions and thoughts. So is Katniss Everdeen a hero? Through her actions, thoughts and personality, Katniss both confirms and challenges the idea of a typical hero.

Katniss confirms our understanding of a typical hero with her noble personality attributes and heroic actions. She exhibits moments of tolerance, endurance, selflessness and compassion; all of which are what makes up our overall perception of an archetypal hero. We see Katniss display these heroic attributes on reaping day, when Katniss's little sister Prim is chosen to be a tribute for District 12. In a selfless act of bravery, Katniss volunteers to take hr sisters place, hence saving her from certain death. In this one great deed, Katniss attains the ultimate 'heights of self-sacrifice reached by the most noble of heroes,' catapulting her to the realms of the true archetypal heroes; a title which she upholds for most of the duration of 'The Hunger Games.' In another instance, Katniss demonstrates saint-like levels of tolerance and kindness when she tends to Peeta whilst he is injured and unable to walk. He slows her down; he's a total burden yet Katniss nurses him back from the brink of death, risking her own life as she does it. To deny the incredible levels of heroism demonstrated by Katniss throughout the novel is nearly impossible to do; through most of her mannerisms and actions, Katniss fits perfectly into

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Katniss Everdeen is the main character of The Hunger Games. She seems like the one who will be dead during The Hunger Games, but she is miraculous becoming the winner of The Hunger Games. Katniss presents herself as a practical person of action who just wants to survive The Hunger Games. She always reflects on the good nature of other people while she is very critical of herself. But in fact, she makes the most ethical decision every time. She uses her moral compass to guide her life value, love value and loyalty value are morality. Her actions show that Katniss has highly developed sense of morality.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the fictional novel, The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, a girl named Katniss has to fight for her life in the 74th annual Hunger Games. The book focused on Katniss volunteering to be in the Hunger Games and her journey to the arena. Also, it focused on her battling to win with her partner Peeta after a rule change allowing both to win. The three topics addressed in the exciting book are characterization, conflict, and themes.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Katniss shows the Habit of Mind known as Taking Responsible Risks. First, she shows this characteristic by volunteering to be a tribute in the Hunger Games instead of her sister, knowing…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The archetype of the hero or heroine in the story is Katniss, a brave sixteen-year old girl who offers to take the place of her sister in the annual Hunger Games. She displays remarkable courage in the face of fear and is firmly faithful. Katniss finds herself and her self-identity throughout the story.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Katniss Everdeen: Summary

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Katniss Everdeen was a sixteen year old girl that lived with her mother and her little sister Prim in District 12. Katniss’s family…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She is characterzed by being a caring person who encourage ones around her to keep going no matter what. Im always there for people who ask for my help, and im also a caring person. The motivation that Katniss showed through her actions is away that I am when helping others, or in a bad situation. Not once in the movie did I see her give up on anything, even if she had gotten hurt really bad. She stuck to what she had to do or either what she was going to do in order to get things back to how they were. Even when it came to helping another team player, she didn’t see it as a threat which showed how caring she…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    hunger games

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Katniss faced much adversity in her life from her father dying in a mine accident, her having to find food so her and her sister did not starve, and her taking the place of her sister when she is picked to take place in the hunger games. This relates to a lot of people because we face challenges in everyday life, but like Katniss we must be able to overcome these challenges and make the best of it. Katniss also showed a lot of bravery by taking the places of her sister in The Hunger Games this act of bravery is something that many people would not do. If you want to be brave in your life you must be able to sacrifice yourself for another person this is another reason why I believe this book related to so many people.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Katniss Everdeen is a selfless girl, and puts other people’s needs before hers. She even isn’t scared when bombs are being blown up around her. According to the text Katniss said, ‘’I hear the warning note in Haymitch’s voice and know what's coming. Don’t even think about-!’’ I yank the earpiece free and let it hang from its wire’’(95). In this situation when Katniss goes right out in the open where she could get shot while other people would take cover. If I were her I would take cover the minute that I hear that bombs are coming. So Katniss is very selfless because she would die trying to help people.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Hunger Games

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages

    When a society struggles, it often looks towards a strong leader for inspiration. In Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is looked at because of her courage, creative thinking and sacrificing personality. She risks her life many times to save the life of others. She is the perfect young heroine for her society.…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character in the book The Hunger Games. She is 16 years old and lives in a district called Panem in the poorest part of town called, The Seam. She lives with her mother and younger sister. Her father passes away during a coal mining explosion when she was 11 years old. After that tragedy Katniss’ mother went into deep depression and was unable to take care of her daughter’s, Katniss and Primrose. During her Mothers depression Katniss had to come and step up to take care of the family. Her family was on the verge of survival and on the brink of starvation. “I was determined to feed us...I kept us alive” said Katniss. She did whatever it took to take care of them from walking miles to try and find scrapes from garbage’s in the rich part of town, to hunting in the forest for plants. That’s how her father got most of their food hunting illegally in the forest for plants. Katniss did something remarkable that changed her life forever by using these four words “I volunteer as tribute”. She saved her sister from basically dying at The Hunger Games and putting herself in that situation. She called it an ancient sign for saying “admiration” and “goodbye to someone you love.” She was also very skilled in archery, hunting and trapping. Having learning…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hunger Games-Leadership

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Firstly, I have to mention Katniss Everdeen, the main character. She was a young woman, with a really hard life. She lived in district 12, the coal miners’ district. Her father used to work in a coal mine but he died in a work accident, so after that Katniss had to take care of her sister because her mother was paralyzed. Every day, she and her friend Gale went to the woods for hunting, and after that they sold what they hunted in the market. She was a great hunter; she could use the bow and arrows like nobody else. Probably, all these situations that she had to go through made her a strong woman, ready to participate in the Hunger Games with success, and also made her a great leader. She could be tough as iron when it comes to hunt, or fight, but she also could be sweet when it comes to convince the audience to like her or to convince the capitol she was madly in love with Peeta (the other tribute from district 12), or when she was with her little sister. These attributes, helped her to suit to every situation or problem she had, and she went through that successfully mainly because she could adapt her style to different circumstances, like an opportunistic leader. Moreover, she was a very determined and smart girl, like a leader has to be if they want to accomplish every goal they set. For example, at the end of the games, she had to choose between killing Peeta and wining the games or dying and let him win. But she was determined not to die and going back home but also she was smart enough to realize that if they both die the games would…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hunger Games

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The most astonishing characteristic that Katniss Everdeen possessed was her ability and motivation to stand up and take care of her family. She quickly took on the role of a parent when her mother was not able to, and ensured safety of her sister Prim. She went to great lengths to provide for her family for she stated, “at the age of twelve, I had my name entered four times. Once, because I had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for myself, Prim and my mother” (Collins 13). This demonstrates how Katniss put her life at risk to provide food for her family to keep them alive. She also inherited her father’s gift for hunting and she would break the law when she would leave her district into the forest to gather game. She also had knowledge of plants and used this…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Katniss Adversity

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Her mother falls into a heavy depression, and she is forced to take care of her six year old sister. . Katniss and her sister are starving, but she learns archery, and hunting in the woods in order to feed her family. Through the hardships of losing emotional contact with her mother, losing her father, and her family being on the brink of starvation, Katniss learns to be caring, yet tries to hide emotions from the ones closest to her. Katniss' mother falling into depression teaches her how to take care of her her little sister, Prim. This illustrates that any hardship can be a tremendous opportunity to learn from. Due to a tragic accident, one can acquire skills as an effect of it. For example, Katniss becomes capable of being responsible for more than just herself, and caring for others. Furthermore, due to heavy oppression from the Capitol, which is the government of Panem, Katniss learns the concept of justice. Katniss developed the skill of rebelling, and rallying others, and she becomes the face of rebellion for the districts of Panem. Katniss becomes a true inspiration for many people, and if Katniss hadn't felt the affects of oppression from the Capitol so personally because of her rebellious act in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss learns to fight for her family, fight for her life, and fight for what is…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For Katniss, survival has become more than just hiding out and avoiding the Careers; she recognizes that truly to survive, she must play the Game to win. Now in the Catching Fire book, “A mockingjay is a creature the Capitol never intended to exist. They had not counted on the highly controlled jabberjay having the brains to adapt to the wild, to pass on its genetic code, to thrive in a new form. They had not anticipated its will to live.” (Katniss 92) Katniss is talking about the mockingjay, the iconic symbol of the rebellion, but she may as well be talking about herself. The spirit of resistance and rebellion is alive in Katniss, though she doesn’t yet realize it. She survived her first Hunger Games despite being from the poorest District with, historically, the least-prepared tributes. Like the mockingjay, no one expected her to survive, but she was able to adapt to survival. The tributes themselves are symbols of a war fought 75 years ago, and their deaths serve as a reminder of the power the Capitol wields. However, the Capitol underestimated Katniss’s own will to live, as well as her defiance. Katniss is more than a symbol she is a human being. She has grown up under the Capitol’s rules, and now they are forced to contend with…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins the character Katniss contradict traditional gender roles. For example, Katniss volunteered for the hunger games so her little sister Prim wouldn't have to compete, knowing she was putting her life on the line. Even though this is scary, Katniss insists "But I've had a lot of practice at wiping my face clean of emotions and I do this now," (Collins 40). Now according to social norms females are very sensitive and emotional, yet Katniss manages to seem emotionless while stepping on stage and standing in front of every district. Judith Butler said that gender is nothing but imitation of an ideal, Katniss' character totally different from any other girl in this story or in reality. Therefore Katniss…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics