Prim dies in the second half of “Mockingjay.” Oh yeah, and Katniss ends up with Peeta, but that’s not even close to the most interesting thing about her.
Katniss, and Jennifer Lawrence the Academy Award winning actress who plays her, has become an important part of our culture. She represents one of the most visible female action superheroes in what is more often than not an all-out dude fest.
She shows that women can be brave, loyal and yes still be viewed as attractive and get the guy. Who can forget the moment when she says, “I volunteer as tribute” and takes her sister’s place in the hunger games? Or how about when she surrounds Rue with flowers?
Katniss opens the door for more women to take on the role of the protector, the leader and the hero both on and off screen. Other generations had Holly Golightly from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or Buffy the vampire slayer. We have Katniss.
Katniss is not the first woman to take on this role, but she is one of the most visible. The books were bestsellers. The first three movies have grossed $408 million, $424 million and $336 million respectively, that places it with huge franchises like Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, according to boxofficemojo.com. The difference is the Hunger Games series is fronted by a woman.
All too often women are limited to a sort of supporting role, where they can help the hero, but can never be the hero. Princess Leia can resist giving into Darth Vader’s interrogation, but she never gets to directly confront him. Lady Galadriel gets a great battle scene in “The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies,” but she is not the one who gets to defeat him. Hermione is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but never gets to take down Voldermort. However, Katniss gets to take on President Snow and see the demise of the Hunger Games. She isn’t simply the love interest or the helper. She gets Peeta and Gale to take on those roles. She’s closer to Harry than Hermione, closer to Luke than Leia. She gets to be the hero.
There are other female characters taking on the hero role in mainstream American movies such as Triss from “Divergent” or Ryan Stone from “Gravity,” but Katniss is one of the most visible. In the future, there needs to be more characters like Katniss, willing to take on the starring role as something besides arm candy or the second fiddle, both on and off the screen.
