I admire Katniss because she shows that it’s absolutely not easy to carry on. She shows emotions that we can relate to and struggles in a world where it’s not easy to tell what’s right from wrong. The Hunger Games, which pit children and teenagers against each other in a fight to the death, are evil. The Capitol runs the Games, therefore it is evil. But those who have finished the final book, Mockingjay, will know that good people can do bad things, and it is not so easy to label one side as evil because everyone commits atrocities to a certain degree. Heroines who face off against demons and vampires and dark fairies are brave and strong and admirable, but in the real world, it is not so easy to recognize a demon. We know it’s not easy to recognize the right solution amongst many shades of grey. It’s not easy to identify your enemy when they all live and breathe as you, and have their own dreams and faults.
We envy heroines who are “snarky”, “kick butt” and selfless because we wish we could be just as cool in the face of adversity. But what we face in our day to day lives are ambiguous situations, people trying to do what they think is right, and everyday arguments that wear away at our spirits until we don’t know how we can go on. Suzanne Collins writes absolutely real reactions. Do you think Collins doesn’t know what the perfect heroine should be like? She chose to write Katniss as a damaged, struggling young girl, whose goal isn’t to be snarky or cool. Sometimes it’s harder to live than die, and we know this from our own lives and experiences. What Katniss shows us is that by living day by day, by taking each nightmare as it comes, we can live on. War is pain and suffering and loss, not fun and adventure. People you count on and trust can change and become twisted. You will be hurt and betrayed and used by people. Katniss shows that if you take the chance to live on, you may find that hope returns. Like the dandelion in the spring.
She has a lot of flaws, like all of us. She lost more fights than she won. That’s why Katniss is my heroine.
" - YA Sisterhood Polls - Katniss Everdeen vs. Tessa Gray (via girlwhowasonfire)girlwhowasonfire )