I saw a post saying that Gale and Peeta have a lot of similarities and that’s the reason Katniss has such a hard time figuring out who to choose. Do you agree? Besides the obvious surface-level ones (both being from D12, caring for and loving Katniss, and opposing the Capitol/games) I think they’re meant to be diametrically opposed on purpose.
HA! Yeah they grew up geographically nearby tho in very different economic classes, and they have one mutual friend. That’s about it. I agree with OP they are intentionally very different people.
Gale is hot headed, stubborn, and very much a man of action. He’s guided by anger, clever with the physical logistical strategy of traps and snares, focused on victory and quick to judge. He’s an oldest son who stepped up to care for his family, with the help of his mother. Katniss sees him as an ally in combat. She misses him when she’s hunting alone or when she’s fighting. He influences her by riling up her rage. Their final (broken) pact was of mutual destruction. I’ll shoot you if you’ll shoot me. Don’t let them take me alive. The mercy of soldiers. They disagreed CONSTANTLY. About who the enemy is, about what collateral damage is worth, about who to trust, about the cost of taking a life.
Meanwhile Peeta is kind, charismatic, and much more subtle in how he plays the game. He’s guided by compassion, clever with the social aspects of influencing peoples perceptions, focused on protecting Katniss and quick to make allies. He’s a youngest son who leaves his family the first chance he gets, presumably in part because of his terrible relationship with his mother. Katniss sees him as an ally in performance and also in the mental fight that comes after the violence. She craves him when she sleeps, goes to him for comfort during nightmares or when she’s most afraid. His influence strengthens the philosophy behind her rebellion, giving her the words to rile a nation, and helps focus her on the victims not the enemies. His words remind her about identity and justice even when they’re apart, she reaches into her memory and channels him when she needs to speak. They end up together because the pact between them was always about care from the very start. Thats what you and I do, protect each other. Some of her biggest moments of admiration for Peeta are times when they agree, especially about paying homage to the dead. They honor victims together. They value the lost life and always agree about who to trust.
I could make a venn diagram of things Katniss shares with Gale and Peeta but there wouldn’t be any overlap between them, only with her. She’s angry like Gale and she’s kind like Peeta. Although I do feel like the love triangle is overhyped because it’s really not a fair or even competition, the choice between anger and hope being symbolized in her choice to be with Peeta and let go of all contact with Gale is the point of their character contrast. They represent two sides of her.
I would also not agree that she has a hard time choosing between them. Her problem is that Peeta is forced on her. The moments when she chooses/kisses Gale are always either out of protest against the capitols control or her, out of sympathy for Gale when he’s hurting, or out of a need for distraction when her mental capacity is so fucked she’s barely aware of what she’s doing. She never has one moment where she considers or weighs them as options.
I could go on but this is already an essay. Thanks for the ask anon!
