Mockingjay Chapter 6 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • The next day, Katniss is still thinking about what Haymitch said. She's super mad.
  • Meanwhile, Haymitch is making everyone else believe that this is the wrong way to start a revolution: Katniss is not believable in these commercials. Katniss feels despondent.
  • Finally, all the relevant people gather to discuss a new strategy.
  • Katniss is kind of shocked at how bad Haymitch looks (he's detoxing).
  • As a new strategy, Haymitch has everyone share the moments when Katniss was powerful and effective on screen. All the people in the room come up with some (by the way, these come from the first two books in the trilogy). They include moments of bravery and love, and all are things Katniss came up with on her own.
  • Haymitch has an idea: they should send Katniss out fighting and film <em>that</em> for the commercials. He says they should also say she had a miscarriage – remember, she was never really pregnant, that's a lie from the Quarter Quell.
  • Basically, they'll hopefully get something more authentic if they put her in a real situation.
  • President Coin accedes and says that Katniss should go into District 8, where there's fighting but it's not all that dangerous. Perfect commercial material.
  • Everyone else leaves, and Katniss and Haymitch have a heart-to-heart. They talk about how they wish they could have saved Peeta too. They kind of make up.
  • Katniss takes off the make-up and feels more like herself. Then Beetee gives her special armor to wear out into battle.
  • As she's leaving, accompanied by a man named Boggs who works closely with Coin, she runs into Finnick. Finnick wants to go with her but isn't healthy enough. So Katniss tells him about the special trident Beetee is making him. This seems to make Finnick act less crazy.
  • Boggs tells Katniss more about what 13 is like as they go to the Hangar to fly over to District 8.
  • They discuss the morality of warfare.
  • Then, they meet Gale and some others and take off for 8.
  • As they travel, Plutarch tells Katniss more about what's at stake. All the districts are against the Capitol, except for 2. He reveals the revolutionaries' strategy: take the districts piece-by-piece, finishing with 2, and then turning to the Capitol.
  • Finally, Plutarch gives Katniss a small pill to keep with her. It's poison, like the nightlock she had in her first trip to the arena. All the revolutionaries have them in their armor. If captured, they'll be able to commit suicide.