Calling Peeta âuselessâ? Letâs take a moment.
Ask yourselves why some of you label him that.
1. Heâs kind (âŚand why the fuck is that even on the list?)
2. He doesnât embody traditional âmasculineâ traits â like aggression, dominance, visible rage. Meanwhile, Katniss does.
And yet, what so many of you fail to realize is this: Peeta does have anger. Heâs always had it.
Itâs the same tired narrative over and over:
âOh, he was just a sweet little cupcake â then he got hijacked â now heâs angry and scary! Poor Katniss never got her real Peeta back!â
Jesus Christ. Havenât we had enough of that?
He grew up in an abusive household. His mother verbally and physically mistreated him. What do you think that does to a person? You think he came out of that all soft and cuddly with no rage simmering under the surface? Please.
Heâs sassy as hell throughout the books â and thatâs what we acknowledge.
But anger? Oh no. Thatâs out of his reach.
Letâs go back to canon:
â Remember in District 11, when he exploded after learning Snow had gone to Katnissâs house? He was furious.
â Now as for the hijacking. It didnât create anger in him. It amplified the fear and confusion that were already inside. It twisted what was already there.
â Peeta wasnât rewritten â he was traumatized. And his trauma came out as rage.
Hmmm, but why we donât really see it before the hijacking?
HE âď¸ DOESNâT âď¸ TAKE âď¸ IT âď¸ OUT âď¸ ONâď¸ KATNISS
Sheâs the narrator â we only know what she sees (and what she allows us to see). Peeta doesnât lash out at her, doesnât weaponize his pain against her, doesnât make her pay for what heâs been through.
Thatâs not weakness. Thatâs control. Thatâs love.