Catching Fire

The most prominent theme in Catching Fire, and all of The Hunger Games Trilogy, is familial love. The family that Collins portrays, however, is one that is almost foreign to modern society. The entire story of the trilogy revolves around Katniss' love for Prim, her mother, Gale and his family, and eventually Haymitch and Peeta. Katniss and Gale are willing to do anything and everything to protect their families. For years, they broke Panem's poaching law to kill game to sell and feed their families. In Catching Fire Gale was caught poaching and publicly whipped. Katniss' love for Gale, a love that is defined as more familial than romantic, was so strong that she stood in the way of Gale's whipping to save his life; a move that could have cost her not only her life, but her family's life, as well. Prior to the whipping President Snow threatened the lives of Gale, his family, Prim, and Katniss' mother is Katniss did not subdue the coming rebellion. Her love for her family and Gale's was so strong that she played into President Snow's threat and put her personal feelings, wants, and desires, out of the way to "convince" President Snow that she was truly in love with Peeta. Though Katniss struggled with her relationships with Gale and Peeta, she put aside everything expect what it took to save her family. Katniss makes it very clear in Catching Fire that she doesn't want to marry Peeta and even considers running away with Gale to save their families from President Snow. Katniss' love for those closest to her proves to be her biggest struggle throughout the trilogy. Though many readers admire Katniss, I'm not sure if they would be willing to go to the length's Katniss went to protect those who were precious to her.