The Hunger Games
Chapter 1 Summary
The narrator wakes up in a cold bed, and we learn that today is the day of the reaping. What is the reaping, you ask? In a daring act of suspense-building, the narrator decides not to tell us.
In the meantime we're introduced to the other people asleep in the bedroom. There's Primrose (or Prim for short), the narrator's sister; the narrator's mother, who was once very beautiful; and Buttercup, a mouser of a cat who the narrator originally tried to drown. (Not an animal lover, this one.)
Awake, the narrator dresses herself in hunting gear, grabs a goat cheese, and heads to the woods.
We learn that the narrator lives in a place called District 12, nicknamed the Seam, that is home primarily to poor coal miners. The narrator's father was a coalminer, but he died in an explosion five years ago, when the narrator was only eleven.
District 12 is enclosed by a sometimes electrified fence that's supposed to keep out the predators from the woods. Trespassing in the woods is illegal, but that doesn't stop our narrator. The narrator hunts there for food with her bow, a weapon with which she's nearly an expert.
District 12 is located in the country of Panem and ruled by people in the far away Capitol.In the woods, the narrator meets with Gale, her hunting partner. The narrator reveals that her name is Katniss, though Gale sometimes calls her Catnip.
Gale surprises Katniss with a fresh loaf of bread. Katniss pulls out the goat cheese made by Prim. The two begin to gather blackberries for their feast and begin cracking jokes about the Hunger Games. (What are the Hunger Games? We're still not sure.)
Katniss offers more information about her family: her mother came from a family of merchants that ran an apothecary shop. She fell in love with Katniss' father, though, and left her comfortable life to live in the Seam.
Katniss' mother was depressed after the death of her husband. Katniss blames her for being "blank and unreachable" (1.21).
Over their meal Gale suggests running away together and living in the woods. Katniss finds the idea ridiculous. They have to provide for their families. She mentions that she never wants to have children of her own.
The conversation ends awkwardly, and Katniss is confused. She and Gale (who we find out is pretty hunky) aren't romantically involved, but they are friends and hunting partners.
Gale and Katniss move to the lake to fish. By the end of the day, they have a huge haul of food: fish, greens, and strawberries.
The two go to the Hob, the black market, to sell or trade some of their goods. Half the strawberries are taken to the mayor's house to sell.
There they meet Madge, the mayor's daughter, done up in a pretty dress for the reaping. Gale compliments her, and she responds by saying that, if she gets sent to the Capitol, she wants to look nice. Gale coolly dismisses this idea, considering she only has "five entries" (1.44).
What does it all mean, you ask? Katniss explains that, once citizens reach the age of twelve, their name is put in the pool for the reaping. At age thirteen, the name is entered twice. An additional entry is given to each person until they reach the age of eighteen – at which point they are no longer eligible for the reaping.
Sounds fair, right? Not quite. The poor get the worst of it because if you happen to be starving or living in poverty, you can get a year's supply of grain and oil (what is called a "tessera") by adding your name into the pool another time.
This means that once Katniss reached the age of twelve, she had her name entered once because of her age, but then three more times so that she, Prim, and her mother would have grain and oil for the year.
Richer families do not have to play the game this way, obviously – which explains why Gale was so miffed by Madge even suggesting that she would be the one selected to go to the Capitol. Her chances are miniscule compared to Katniss and Gale.
Gale has been known to rage about this kind of thing, especially about the unfairness of the system and the way it keeps the classes divided against each other.
Back at home, Prim is dressed in a reaping outfit formerly belonging to Katniss. Katniss washes and puts on a blue dress formerly belonging to her mother.
This is Prim's first reaping and Katniss, who normally protects her younger sister, feels powerless to do anything for her.
The family eats dinner (fish and greens) and then heads for the reaping in the square. There are bright banners and cameras everywhere (the proceedings are televised by the state), but still there is "an air of grimness" (1.68).
People in the crowd are taking bets on whose names will be picked.
Katniss stares at the stage where there are two glass balls with slips of paper in them. Katniss has her name in the lottery twenty times.
On the stage are Mayor Undersee (Madge's father), and Effie Trinket – the district's pink-haired escort from the Capitol. As the clock strikes two, the proceedings begin: the mayor tells the history of Panem, a country that emerged from the ashes of a place once known as North America.
The country of Panem used to have thirteen districts, but the Dark Days came and the districts rose up against the Capitol. Twelve of the districts were defeated, but the thirteenth was destroyed.
The Treaty of Treason was established to bring peace after the uprising. As a reminder of the Dark Days, the Hunger Games were instituted.
What are the Hunger Games, you ask again for the umpteenth time? We finally find out: as a punishment for the uprising of the districts, a lottery is held each year in which a boy and girl from each district is chosen to be a "tribute" (1.75).
Each tribute is taken to the Capitol, where they are imprisoned in a gigantic arena and must, over a long period of time, FIGHT TO THE DEATH. Sound intense? Yeah, we thought so. "The last tribute standing wins" (1.75).
The winning tribute wins food for their district. It's supposed to a festivity, but really, it all sounds pretty terrible.
Back to the reaping at hand: the mayor reads a list of past victors. There have been few from District 12 and only one is still alive. His name is Haymitch Abernathy, a middle-aged drunk. He stumbles on stage, which the cameras, of course, are sure to get on film.
The bubbly Effie Trinket is on hand to pull the names out of the hat. First up? The ladies. The name she reads out? GASP. It's little Primrose Everdeen, Katniss's younger sister – who only had her name in the hat ONCE.
Chapter 2 Summary
Katniss is stunned. Likewise, the crowd is displeased to have a twelve-year-old girl chosen as the tribute.
Prim approaches the stage, but as she does, Katniss darts in front of her and volunteers to take her sister's place. Volunteers are allowed, but they don't usually come forward – seeing as how most District 12 tributes bite the dust in the Games.
Prim freaks out. Gale grabs her, allowing Katniss to take the stage.
The people of District 12 do not clap; instead, they are silent. They then give Katniss the three fingered salute of the district, a gesture rarely used, meaning thanks, admiration, and good-bye to a loved one.
Haymitch stumbles drunkenly onto the stage, yelling about the scene, and then falls off. The whole thing is caught on camera, of course.
Next up is the selection of the boy tribute, which turns out to be Peeta Mellark.
Katniss is shocked, though doesn't exactly explain why. Though he has two older brothers, no one volunteers for Peeta.
Flashback: Katniss then relates the story of her only encounter with Peeta. It was after her father died, when her mother was suffering from depression. Katniss was – as she is now – the sole bread winner, but was not old enough yet for the tesserae.
The family was starving – a not uncommon fate in District 12.
One evening Katniss is in the Hob to trade some baby clothes for food. Unsuccessful, she is wandering behind the shops when she smells the bread of the bakers'. Delicious.
Katniss lifts the trash can lid to scavenge, when the baker's wife appears out of nowhere to scream at her and shoo her away. She sees a little blond boy peering at her from behind his mother.
Hiding behind the pig pen, Katniss, sick and weak, slumps down defeated. Soon, though, the blond boy appears with two loaves of burned bread. Katniss notices a red welt on his face, probably from his mother. He throws a loaf of bread in her direction and returns inside.
Katniss runs home with the bread and eats the loaf with her family.
The next morning she realizes that the boy probably burned the loaves on purposes – so he could give them to her.
That day at school the boy does not acknowledge Katniss. She does, though, see in the schoolyard a dandelion and remembers her time in the woods with her father – and that there she can find food for her family.
End of flashback. Katniss tells us that Peeta has always reminded her of hope, and that she is thankful for what he did – but how can she thank him now that he is her enemy?
Chapter 3 Summary
Katniss and the other candidates are taken into custody. They are divided and taken into fancy rooms with plush carpets and velvet chairs where each are allowed to say their farewells.
Prim and Mother visit Katniss. She gives them instructions for her absence. They are not to accept tesserae for Prim, but instead get by selling goat milk and Mother's apothecary business. Gale is to supply the herbs.
Katniss warns her mother that she can't become depressed again and "clock out," leaving Prim on her own (3.8).
Prim makes Katniss promise to try to win; despite Katniss's doubts about her ability in the competition, she agrees.
The next visitor is, to Katniss's surprise, Peeta Mellark's father, the baker. Without his witchy wife around, he's much nicer. He offers Katniss a white paper package of cookies and promises to keep an eye of Prim.
After the baker leaves, Madge, the mayor's daughter enters the room. She offers Katniss a circular gold pin to wear as a token of District 12. On the pin is a small bird. Katniss agrees.
The last visitor is Gale, who hugs Katniss in his arms. He advises Katniss to get her hands most immediately on a bow during the Games – even if she has to make one. It's her best shot.
Katniss wonders if there will even be wood. She and Gale recall previous Hunger Games: in one, the tributes froze to death at night because of lack of wood. It was boring, so there probably will be wood this time.
The peacekeepers arrive and force Gale to leave, but before he does, he says "Katniss, remember I –," but isn't allowed to finish that thought. Suspense!
At the train station, cameras are everywhere and Katniss is grateful that she knows how to mask her emotions. Peeta, on the other hand, has clearly been crying. Katniss wonders if this is a strategy.
The train whisks the tributes away and Katniss tells us more about her country: the Capitol was constructed in a place once known as the Rockies. District 12 was a region formerly called Appalachia, a coal-mining region.
Katniss showers in her own private car and dresses in a dark green shirt for dinner. She puts on Madge's gold pin with the mockingjay.
Katniss tells us that mockingjays are hybrid animals, a cross between a jabberjay and a mockingbird.
The jabberjays were genetically mutated animals engineered by the Capitol during the rebellion. The birds could spy on people and memorize whole conversations. People eventually realized what was going on and fed lies to the birds, so in the end, the whole plan backfired.
The mockingjay species were created when the abandoned species started mating with female mockingbirds. Now they repeat not words, but human melodies and can recreate songs.
Katniss's father, a great singer, would always sing to the birds. She finds the pin of the bird comforting, like having a piece of her father with her.
At dinner, Katniss and Peeta eat course after course of rich food. Effie Trinket comments on their polite manners, different from past Seam tributes, which only infuriates Katniss. She then eats the rest of the meal with her fingers.
The party watches on television the rest of the reapings in the rest of the districts. A few tributes stand out: a "monstrous boy" from District 2, a "fox-faced girl" form District 5, a crippled boy from District 10, and a small girl with "dark brown skin and eyes" from District 11 (3.67). She reminds Katniss of Prim.
They also watch the recap of the reaping in District 12. They broadcast the silent salute. Effie is agitated by the spectacle of Haymitch falling drunk off the stage.
Peeta and Katniss make a few jokes at Haymitch's expense when he staggers through the door. And vomits!
Chapter 4 Summary
A very drunk Haymitch, the former champion who is supposed to be mentoring Katniss and Peeta, slips around in his own vomit.
Peeta offers to clean Haymitch up, which Katniss wonders about until she realizes that Peeta is being kind. Kind?! This could be bad for the Games since kind people have a way of "working their way inside" Katniss and "rooting there" (4.10).
Alarmed at her tender feelings, Katniss throws Peeta's father's cookies out of the train window, but wouldn't you know it, they bust open right beside of a patch of dandelions. Which of course just remind her again of Peeta's kindness back in the schoolyard. Sigh.
Flashback alert: Katniss tells us what happened those many years ago after Peeta gave her the bread and she saw the dandelion.
She and Prim go to the Meadow where they gather enough dandelion greens for a huge salad. Katniss realizes she could scavenge for even more food with her mother's book from the apothecary.