Identity Quotes in The Hunger Games

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"I don't know how to say it exactly. Only…I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?" he asks. I shake my head. How could he die as anyone but himself? "I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not."

I bite my lip, feeling inferior. While I've been ruminating on the availability of trees, Peeta has been struggling with how to maintain his identity. His purity of self. "Do you mean you won't kill anyone?" I ask.

"No, when the time comes, I'm sure I'll kill just like everybody else. I can't go down without a fight. Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games," says Peeta. (10.71)

The night before the Games Katniss is thinking strategy, but Peeta? Well, he's thinking more about his identity. Peeta wants to retain his humanity instead of being just a "piece in the Games." How can he show the Capitol that they don't own him?

Quote #8

I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or force us to do that there is a part of every tribute they can't own. That Rue was more than a piece in their Games. And so am I.

A few steps into the woods grows a bank of wildflowers. Perhaps they are really weeds of some sort, but they have blossoms in beautiful shades of violet and yellow and white. I gather up an armful and come back to Rue's side. Slowly, one stem at a time. I decorate her body in the flowers. Covering the ugly wound. Wreathing her face. Weaving her hair with bright colors. (18.38-39)

Katniss honors Rue by covering her body with flowers. This action is meant to remind people that Rue was a human being. She was an actual person with an identity all her own, not just a character on television.

Quote #9

For the first time, I allow myself to truly think about the possibility that I might make it home. To fame. To wealth. To m own house in the Victor's Village. My mother and Prim would live there with me. No more fear of hunger. A new kind of freedom. But then…what? What would my life be like on a daily basis? Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food. Take that away and I'm not really sure who I am, what my identity is. The idea scares me some. (23.62)

Katniss might just win these games. But then what? If she's not Katniss the Hunter, who will she be?