The Hunger Games begins on the day of the reaping in District 12.
Katniss Everdeen, the story's 16-year-old narrator, sets out to meet her
friend Gale so they can do some hunting and gathering before the reaping
that afternoon. As Katniss makes her way from her home to the Meadow
and, finally, to the woods, where people of the district are forbidden
to go, we learn about Katniss' life in the impoverished part of her
district, the Seam, and her family. She thinks about her sister Prim,
who is 4 years younger, and her mother, both of whom have depended upon
Katniss for survival ever since Katniss' father died in a mine explosion
when she was 11. The reaping is a nerve-wracking time because it
determines which boy and girl, ages 12 to 18, will serve as the
district's tributes in the Hunger Games. Two tributes are drawn in each
of the 12 districts, and those tributes are sent to an arena where they
fight until only one tribute remains alive. The victor gets to return
home, and the victor's district is showered with gifts - namely food.
The Games, put on by the Capitol, are meant to punish the 12 districts
of Panem as well as to remind them of the Dark Days and how the 13th
district was obliterated for its uprising against the tyrannical and
cruel Capitol. Against all odds, Prim's name is selected at the reaping.
Katniss volunteers to take the place of her younger sister and becomes
District 12's girl tribute for the 74th Hunger Games.
Peeta Mellark, a boy Katniss' age and the son of the baker, is selected
as the other tribute. She remembers Peeta and the kindness he
demonstrated toward her when they were children, giving her a burnt
piece of bread so that she wouldn't starve. Peeta's selection doesn't
bode well for Katniss, who feels that she owes Peeta for saving her life
when they were children, which is inconvenient considering she's now
expected to kill him in the Hunger Games. Before she leaves, Katniss
says goodbye to her mother and Prim; to Madge, the mayor's daughter who
gives her the mockingjay pin, a recurring symbol in the novel; to
Peeta's father the baker; and to Gale, for whom her feelings are already
conflicted, wavering between friendship and love. Katniss and Peeta ride
the train to the Capitol. On the train, Katniss experiences luxury like
she's never known and gets to eat the richest, most decadent food. They
both get to know Effie Trinket, their escort, and Haymitch Abernathy,
their drunk mentor and the lone surviving Hunger Games winner from their
district who, after seeing that Katniss and Peeta have some fight in
them, promises he will sober up enough to help them survive the Games.
After they arrive at the Training Center, Katniss and Peeta meet their
stylists.
Katniss is pleasantly surprised when she meets Cinna, a young man who
dresses simply and wears very little makeup compared with the other
stylists. In a strategy that has never been used before, Katniss and
Peeta are presented as a pair during the opening ceremonies. They race
through the Capitol in a chariot holding hands, their outfits blazing in
fake flames, earning Katniss her nickname "girl on fire." Their entrance
becomes the highlight of the opening ceremonies. After the ceremonies,
the tributes begin their training. Haymitch coaches Katniss and Peeta
together, per their request, and instructs them to keep their biggest
strengths a secret from the other tributes.
For Katniss, this means staying away from archery. After many years of
hunting game in the woods, her prowess with the bow and arrow are
unrivaled. The Gamemakers reward her skills, and her feistiness, with a
score of 11 out of 12 during her private session with them. Peeta's
biggest asset is his strength, so he stays away from weight lifting
while he's around the other tributes. Haymitch tells them to remain
together at all times, too. They are to appear inseparable, which, as
the training goes on, becomes increasingly tiring for Katniss, who can't
decide whether Peeta's kindness and compliments are genuine or simply a
part of a scheme for winning the Games.
