The Hunger Games Theme of Identity

Before the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen was a hunter and gatherer in District 12 in the country of Panem. She didn’t much like cats, though she loved her sister very much. Her main goal was always the survival of her family. After being put in front of the Hunger Games’ cameras, though, things get kind of complicated. Katniss must craft a persona that will sell herself to the audiences at home – and to potential sponsors. Thrown into a world where image is everything, she has to play a whole new (boy crazy) Katniss on camera. But will this brand new Katniss last? Is this really her? What identity awaits her when she returns to District 12?

1. How would you describe Katniss in three words before the Hunger Games? After the Games?
2. Why is Katniss called the “girl on fire”?
3. Why is Peeta so concerned with staying true to himself during the Games?
4. How have the Hunger Games changed Katniss by the end of the novel?
5. If you were picked as a tribute for the Hunger Games, would you try to create a new persona for the camera? What would your strategy be for getting sponsors?