Chapter 3

Katniss is escorted into a building and left to say her goodbyes to her family. Katniss makes her mom promise not to sink into depression again and tells them she loves them. She makes them promise not to accept tesserae for Prim, but to make money selling their goat’s milk and running the apothecary shop. Prim makes Katniss promise to try to win, although Katniss doubts in her ability. Peeta’s father visits Katniss and promises that he will make sure that Prim is fed. Her friend Madge visits next and gives her a pin (a Mockingjay) and asks Katniss to wear it into the arena for her. Her final visitor is Gale who advises Katniss to use a bow in the arena if she can and promises to take care of her family. Katniss is then brought to a train station where she meets up with Peeta, Effie, and Haymitch as they begin their journey to the Capitol.

During their journey to the Capitol, we learn that District 12 is in what used to be Appalachia and the Capitol is in what used to be the Rockies. Katniss dresses for dinner and studies the pin that Madge has given her. She realizes it is a mockingjay which is a mix of a jabberjay and a mockingbird. The jabberjay was a genetically mutated bird engineered by the Capitol during the rebellion. The birds would spy on people and are able to memorize whole conversations. The people of the district realized what these birds could do and fed lies to the birds to pass on to the Capitol. The jabberjays were eventually abandoned and started mating with the mockingbirds creating a bird that repeats melodies and songs but not words. The pin is a small sign of rebellion and a comfort to Katniss.

Effie meets up with Katniss and Peeta for dinner and they watch recaps of The Reapings from the other districts. Peeta and Katniss joke about Haymitch being drunk and Effie advises them that they should not be laughing because Haymitch is the one who will be responsible for advising them and getting them sponsors. Haymitch decides to join the group at that moment and vomits just after he staggers through the door.

Notes:
Chapter 3 further emphasises the disparity of wealth between the people of the Capitol and those of the districts, and shows how Katniss and Peeta are truly underdogs of the Hunger Games. The visits from Katniss’ family, Gale and Peeta’s father all show how strong Katniss can be as she controls her emotions after such a shock and promises to try her best to survive. It also foreshadows Peeta’s fathers love and compassion for her family as he promises to take care of her mother and sister. Peeta follows this example throughout the book and often sacrifices for Katniss. The mockingjay pin that Katniss’ friend gives her to wear is an important symbol of both defiance to the Capitol and beauty as Katniss explains to the readers the history of the mockingjays and describes how much joy they brought to her father. Katniss spends much of her time in this chapter trying to mask her emotions and show a strong front. She continues to struggle with the balance of trying to be stoic and caring for others throughout the book.