In The Hunger Games, Rue’s importance in the story lies in her role as a catalyst for Katniss’s rebellion against the Capitol. Initially, she forms an alliance with Katniss based on trust and their similar backgrounds. Katniss is connected to Rue because, like herself, “she’s a survivor” (Collins, 201). Like Katniss’s role as head of her family, Rue is “the oldest of six kids, fiercely protective of her siblings” (211). They both come from impoverished districts where they endure the Capitol’s abuse firsthand. However, at only twelve years old, Rue gets the worst of this system of oppression, with survival in the Games being almost impossible for her.
Katniss believes that her alliance with Rue, rooted in their similar struggles, is as strong as the Careers’, as them being “better fed growing up is actually to their disadvantage” (208). They create a plan to destroy the Careers’ food supply because, unlike Katniss and Rue, the Careers “don’t know how to be hungry” (208). Katniss and Rue’s connection goes beyond a strategic partnership for survival, as they develop a close emotional bond. Katniss is captivated by Rue’s innocence, reminiscent of her sister Prim, and feels “a sense of security” (209). However, Prim has a “mother and Gale and a baker who has promised she won’t go hungry. Rue has only [Katniss]” (213).
Rue’s death entirely changes the way Katniss thinks about Panem. Rue’s death serves as a cruel reminder of the injustice of the Hunger Games and the Capitol’s control over the districts. After Rue’s death, Katniss considers Gale’s “ravings against the Capitol no longer pointless, no longer to be ignored” (236). For the first time, Katniss understands what Peeta means when he says that he wants to show the Capitol that he’s “more than just a piece in their Games” (142). She understands that the Capitol is the one to blame for the atrocity of Rue’s death, not Marvel, who “also appears so vulnerable in death” (236). Therefore, she makes it her objective to make the Capitol accountable for their cruelty.
Katniss is “determined to revenge [Rue], to make her loss unforgettable” (242). She is motivated to make a statement of defiance against the Games, which only serve as a means for the Capitol to exert their power over the districts. Katniss decorates Rue’s body with flowers, and in return receives bread from District Eleven, where people “can’t even feed themselves” (239). A district gift to a tribute who isn’t their own is a first in the Hunger Games, with District Eleven “breaking all the rules to thank [Katniss]” (288). Like the people of District Eleven, Katniss defies the norms of the Hunger Games. Her decision to eat the berries breaks the Capitol’s weapon that “you are not supposed to be able to defeat” (358). Ultimately, it is Ruth’s death that leads Katniss to see the horrors of the Hunger Games for what they are, and ignites her resistance against the Capitol's oppressive regime.
With Rue’s death, it truly seems to spark Katniss’ rebellious nature against the Capitol and Panem itself as you said. For the first time, Katniss is able to view another tribute on a personal level, and Rue’s own youth and innocence appears to provide a much more powerful punch to the reality of the Hunger Games. When Rue is hit with the spear, Katniss frees her from the net and reaches for Rue’s hand and “[she] clutch[es] it like a lifeline” (Collins, 233). Katniss’ next thought is much more telling as she clutches Rue’s hand “[a]s if it’s [Katniss] dying instead of Rue” (233). In that moment, it appears as though Katniss feels the full gravity of the situation, where the loss of Rue is felt so deeply it’s as if it’s Katniss’ own life. Katniss faces the reality that Rue’s death isn’t something she can prevent, and that the Capitol has full control of who lives and who dies. When Katniss finally wins the games and watches the review of the Hunger Games, she notes how the Capitol “omit[s] the part where [she] covered [Rue] in her flowers” (363). Katniss’ notice of the Capitol’s omission of her tribute to Rue also clues in the audience how much more aware Katniss is of the true nature of the games and provides a great reminder for Katniss’ character on the injustice of the Capitol’s power over all citizens in Panem.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis that Rue is Katniss' spark for rebellion. The people of Panem have few opportunities to talk to people outside of their own district. Katniss learns from Rue what district eleven is like and about Rue's experiences working as a child in the orchards. Rue explains how even though district eleven grows most of the country's food they are not allowed to eat any of it and she tells Katniss the story of Martin, a young boy who was killed for breaking the Capitol's rules. The poverty of district eleven doesn't surprise Katniss who is used to living in extreme poverty, but she "can't imagine the Peacekeepers murdering a simpleminded child" (Collins 204). Rue reminds Katniss that the real enemy of the games is the capital and not the other tributes. Rue is like a second sister to Katniss and her death is a call to action for rebellion that is supported by district elven and their gift of bread. While Katniss protects Prim by volunteering, she is unable to keep Rue safe and her failure to do so increases her rage at the Capitol. The only thing that prevents Katniss' from being more rebellious or from running away with Gale at the beginning of the novel is her need to protect others. After Rue's death, Katniss searches for Peeta to make sure he is safe and she maintains their relationship after the game ends to protect her family. The largest tool that Capitol uses to keep Katniss and the districts in line is fear. Book one ends with Katniss in extreme fear of the Capitol and with the feeling that she is being watched. It isn't until books two and three that the hope of a rebellion begins to outweigh fear of the Capitol.
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