The Hunger Games — Chapter 8

About This Passage

Selected for thematic weight (the rare gift of having one person who knows the real you), syntactic complexity (the chained dependent clauses building toward the surprise of 'happy'), and the rhetorical understatement of 'sometimes I was actually happy' as the most striking word in Katniss's emotional vocabulary so far.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

1. Katniss panics after the apple-arrow stunt — but only because she fears her family will be punished, not herself. Effie says, 'Just because you come from District 12 is no excuse to ignore you,' and then looks around as if she has said something dangerous. Examine these two small moments. Are they suggesting that ordinary Capitol people are starting to see things differently because of Katniss?
2. Haymitch tells Katniss that the Gamemakers will not arrest her — it would be 'a pain to replace' her at this stage. Is Haymitch being cynical (treating Katniss like a piece of equipment), or is he being practical (telling her the real reason she is safe)? What in the chapter helps you decide?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide