The Thirteen Districts
As we learn from the novel's first chapter, the country of Panem is located in what once was North America. In the middle sits the Capitol, a center of wealth and affluence which organizes the year...
The Mockingjay Pin
The mockingjay pin is the circular gold token Katniss wears during the Games to represent District 12. Each tribute is allowed one item to remind them of their friends and family in their home dist...
The Tracker Jackers
Like the mockingjay, the tracker jacker is another mutant animal that the Capitol has engineered to keep the districts in check. They are a symbol of the Capitol's willingness to do anything – an...
Reality Television
The Hunger Games are reality television squared. With rippling walls of fire and swarms of deadly mutant hornets, the trials in the arena are kind of like Panem's version of Survivor – but deadli...
Food, Glorious Food
Anyone else hungry after reading The Hunger Games? We know we were. With all of those descriptions of big hot plates of lamb stew and dishes brimming with orange chicken (and cream sauce!), how cou...
Dandelions
Dandelions symbolize hope for Katniss. Why? Well, because these little flowers (some might say weeds) were the first things she saw after Peeta gave her the bread on that fateful day long ago when...
Rue's Flowers
After the death of her ally Rue, Katniss covers the body of the young girl with flowers as a symbol of Rue's humanity and a tribute to her short life. By calling attention to the sacrifice that Rue...
The Double Suicide
Move over Romeo and Juliet, there's a new pair of star-crossed lovers in town, and they're willing to do anything – and everything – to keep their love (and themselves) alive.OK, so Katniss mig...