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Katniss is first presented in Mockingjay as a broken, dispirited seventeen-year-old whose home district has been bombed. She reminisces about the people she has lost, most precious of whom is her father. Katniss feels helpless in her circumstances yet refuses to remain stagnant. She wants to protect those she loves, particularly Prim and Peeta, so she agrees to become the symbol of the Mockingjay to unify the districts against the Capitol. Katniss takes her role seriously, having experienced the pain of President Snow’s tyranny and understanding that the role is her only leverage in protecting those she loves. Ultimately, Katniss’s humanity motivates her to overcome the evil of President Snow’s regime.

Katniss’s youth and inexperience at love render her uncertain about whether to choose Gale or Peeta as a romantic partner. She grapples with the cruelty she sees in humanity, especially in the ruthless tactics Gale endorses. That cruelty eventually separates the pair as Gale’s weapon design likely caused the death of her sister, Prim. Despite the depravity and tragedy around her, Katniss remains compassionate and fights injustice. When given the opportunity to kill President Snow, her sense of justice nudges her to kill President Coin, knowing that Coin too is a tyrant set on perpetuating the cycle of violence. Despite the hardship she has faced in her young life, Katniss still has hope for the future.

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