Mockingjay Chapter 16 Quotes

Mockingjay Chapter 16 Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)

"We were outside at the end of the day. I tried to catch your eye. You looked away. And then... for some reason, I think you picked a dandelion." I nod. He does remember. I have never spoken about that moment aloud. "I must have loved you a lot."

"You did." My voice catches and I pretend to cough.

"And did you love me?" he asks.

I keep my eyes on the tiled floor. "Everyone says I did. Everyone says that's why Snow had you tortured. To break me." (16.83-86)

In this poignant moment, Peeta struggles to recapture his feelings and memories after being hijacked. Yet he seems more ready to admit those feelings than Katniss, who <em>wasn't</em> hijacked. When asked directly if she loved him, Katniss sidesteps the question and explains that "everyone" else "says" that she did. The words and actions of all the people around her point to and explain this love. But she herself is unable to admit it.