Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl and one of the two victors from the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss is the main protagonist and narrator of The Hunger Games series, and she lives in a constant state of survival mode. Katniss is devoted, loyal, and although she is driven by an intense desire to survive, she is more than willing to put herself into danger to protect the people she loves. Katniss was traumatized by the death of her father when she was 11, and she has been the sole breadwinner of her family since then. This caused Katniss to resent her mother and to feel like she couldn’t rely on anyone except Gale and his friendship. When Gale kisses Katniss, she is disturbed at the thought of her steady, reliable friendship being jeopardized by romance.

Katniss’s relationship with Peeta is complicated, and although Katniss cares about him, she is unsure of how she feels about his romantic advances. Katniss trusts Peeta and is comforted by his presence, but at the beginning of the novel, she states that “Just the sound of [Peeta’s] voice twists [her] stomach into a knot of unpleasant emotions like guilt, sadness, and fear” (14).