The Influence of Katniss Everdeen`s characteristics towards her struggle for existence as seen in Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.

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ABSTRACT

RACHMAWATI,

YULIA.

The

Influence

of

Katniss

Ever

deen’s

Characteristics Towards Her Struggle for Existence as seen in Suzanne

Collins’s

The Hunger Games. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters,

Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2015.

This study discusses Suzanne Collins’s

The Hunger Games which is about

the struggle of a girl named Katniss Everdeen who shows her existence in facing

her poverty and problems in her life. Existence is an interesting issue that occurs

in everyday life.

The aim of this study is to answer two problem formulations of the study.

The first is Katniss Everdeen’s chara

cteristics and the second is Katniss

Everdeen

’s

characteristics which influence her struggle to show her existence in

facing her problems.

This study is using the new criticism approach. This approach concerns

and focuses on the work itself. In new criticism, a literary work can be understood

only by its intrinsic literary features. Some theories such as theory of character

and characterization, theory of existence, and theory of struggle are used to

analyze and answer those problem formulations.

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xiii

ABSTRAK

RACHMAWATI,

YULIA.

The

Influence

of

Katniss Everdeen’s

Characteristics Towards Her Struggle for Existence as seen in Suzanne

Collins’s

The Hunger Games. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris,

Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.

Skripsi ini membahas tentang novel The Hunger Games karya Suzanne

Collins. Novel tersebut menceritakan tentang perjuangan seorang perempuan

bernama Katniss Everdeen untuk menunjukan keberadaan dirinya dalam

menghadapi kemiskinan dan masalah-masalah dalam hidupnya. Eksistensi

merupakan masalah yang menarik yang masih sering dijumpai dalam kehidupan

sehari-hari.

Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah menjawab dua permasalahan utama.

Permasalahan pertama adalah bagaimana karakteristik dari Katniss Everdeen.

Permasalahan kedua adalah bagaimana pengaruh karakteristik Katniss Everdeen

untuk menunjukan eksistensinya dalam menghadapi masalah.

Skripsi ini memakai pendekatan kritik baru. Pendekatan ini berkonsentrasi

dan berfokus pada karya sastra itu sendiri. Dalam pendekatan kritik baru, karya

sastra dapat dimengerti hanya dengan unsur intrinsik karya itu sendiri. Beberapa

teori seperti teori karater dan karakterisasi, teori eksistensi, serta teori perjuangan

digunakan untuk menganalisa dan menjawab permasalahan tersebut.

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THE INFLUENCE OF KATNISS EVERDEEN’S

CHARACTERISTICS TOWARDS HER STRUGGLE FOR

EXISTENCE AS SEEN IN SUZANNE COLLINS’S

THE HUNGER GAMES

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the DegreeSarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

YULIA RACHMAWATI

Student Number: 084214006

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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ii

THE INFLUENCE OF KATNISS EVERDEEN’S

CHARACTERISTICS TOWARDS HER STRUGGLE FOR

EXISTENCE AS SEEN IN SUZANNE COLLINS’S

THE HUNGER GAMES

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the DegreeSarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

YULIA RACHMAWATI

Student Number: 084214006

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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Everything will be okay in

the end.

If it’s not okay,

it’s not the end.

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-unknown-viii

For

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ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I want to thank God, my Jesus Christ because of his blessing

and love. He gives me everything I need and also the chance to finish my thesis.

He never leaves me and I am so grateful because He gives my life surrounding

with amazing loving people.

I want to express my gratitude to my thesis advisor, Adventina Putranti,

S.S., M.Hum. for her guidance, suggestion, time, ideas, and patience during the

process of writing my thesis. I also want to thank my co-advisor Elisa Dwi

Wardani, S.S., M.Hum. for her suggestion and time, also to my other lecturers, the

administrative staff of English Letters Department, and also of the library of

Universitas Sanata Dharma and the staffs, for the help and companion during my

study.

I also would like to thank my parents Kansianus Suwandi, S.ST and

Theresia Galuh Retno for their love, prayer, patience, support financially and

emotionally even though I often let them down. I also thank my sister Claudia

Monika, my auntie Fina and my big family for their support for me.

To my close friends Kardila, Anjar, Pringgodani 8, Dwi Nugroho, Vhrizca,

Nur Indah, Felly, Risca, Aditiya, Resty, Yudith, Desi, Ade Daniel, Riris, Meilisa,

all english letters friends and my other friends, I thank them for their support,

companion, and good times. The last but not least, I thank those whose names I

cannot mention one by one for their wishes and kindness.

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x

This study is using the new criticism approach. This approach concerns and focuses on the work itself. In new criticism, a literary work can be understood only by its intrinsic literary features. Some theories such as theory of character and characterization, theory of existence, and theory of struggle are used to analyze and answer those problem formulations.

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xiii ABSTRAK

RACHMAWATI, YULIA. The Influence of Katniss Everdeen’s Characteristics Towards Her Struggle for Existence as seen in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.

Skripsi ini membahas tentang novel The Hunger Games karya Suzanne Collins. Novel tersebut menceritakan tentang perjuangan seorang perempuan bernama Katniss Everdeen untuk menunjukan keberadaan dirinya dalam menghadapi kemiskinan dan masalah-masalah dalam hidupnya. Eksistensi merupakan masalah yang menarik yang masih sering dijumpai dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah menjawab dua permasalahan utama. Permasalahan pertama adalah bagaimana karakteristik dari Katniss Everdeen. Permasalahan kedua adalah bagaimana pengaruh karakteristik Katniss Everdeen untuk menunjukan eksistensinya dalam menghadapi masalah.

Skripsi ini memakai pendekatan kritik baru. Pendekatan ini berkonsentrasi dan berfokus pada karya sastra itu sendiri. Dalam pendekatan kritik baru, karya sastra dapat dimengerti hanya dengan unsur intrinsik karya itu sendiri. Beberapa teori seperti teori karater dan karakterisasi, teori eksistensi, serta teori perjuangan digunakan untuk menganalisa dan menjawab permasalahan tersebut.

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1 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Literature or literary works is an expression and a description of people, human life, feeling, and thought. Literature can be a real experience in the author’s life. Hudson stated that literature is actually an expression of life through the medium of language. Literature can be regarded as something essential since it presents a description of a real life, people, feeling, thought, and feelings about life (Hudson, 1963:10). Literature also can educate and enrich people’s knowledge.

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When someone is in a situation, especially in a trouble, his characteristics could influence the way he acts. For example when a man accidently hit a woman walking on the sidewalk, if the man’s characteristics are courageous, honest, and responsible person, he must be approach the woman courageously, admit his guilt honestly, ask her for forgiveness and help her. His act towards his problems shows his courage and responsibility to his fault. In the contrary, if he is a careless and an irresponsible person, he might be afraid to admit his guilt or just go ahead and did not help the woman. That is a simple example how someone characteristics influence his/her act and thought.

In struggle for existence, when someone seems not visible to others could make the person feels silly. Avoid by others and treated as if not exist could make a person trying hard to show his/her existence in order to prove others that he/she is exist.

A novel entitleThe Hunger Gamesby Suzanne Collins’s is a novel which the writer wants to understand the characteristics of the main character and the struggles to show the main character’s existence. This novel exposes the main character of the story, Katniss Everdeen who shows that her characteristics determine the way she shows her existence.

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who is drown in the dark world of sadness cannot take care of her and her younger sister.

Katniss also does not wait for others to save and support her family. She thinks that she has to survive in poverty. She protects her family, hunts in the woods, sells some her preys, earns some money, and feeds her family. When her younger sister has been chosen as a tribute for her district for the annual Hunger Games, she replaced her sister place and volunteered her as a tribute because she is willing to fight to the death and she knows her ability to hunt and survive are better from her sister. She could survive in the Game although she faced a lot of obstacles. Every time she faced a problem in her life, she could find a way to handle it.

The novel is chosen because there is a strong characteristic of a character in struggling for existence when she was younger until now. This novel really attracts the writer’s attention. The other reason, the writer is interested in this novel because the characteristics of the main character, Katniss Everdeen, when she shows her courage and her struggle for existence in facing her problems in her life. The author ofThe Hunger Games,Suzanne Collins tried to show the courage and the strong characteristics of the main character, Katniss Everdeen in her struggle for her existence when facing her problems in her life.

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others think that she is incapable. Suzanne Collins’s book entitle The Hunger Games is a good start. The writer is challenged to find out how Katniss Everdeen’s struggle for existence especially in her poverty.

From the all explanation above, the writer tries to analyze Katniss Everdeen’s characteristics in Suzanne Collins’s book The Hunger Games, and to analyze how her characteristics influence her struggle for existence in her life since the novel represents Katniss Everdeen’s strong characteristics and also represents her struggles.

B. Problem Formulation

To be able to understand about Katniss Everdeen’s struggles for her

existence in this novel, two problems were formulated as follows:

1. How are Katniss Everdeen’s characteristics described in Suzanne Collins’sThe Hunger Games?

2. How do Katniss Everdeen’s characteristics influence her towards her struggle for existence?

C. Objectives of the Study

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know since Katniss Everdeen becomes the main character of the novel. The second is to identify what Katniss Everdeen’s struggles are and how her characteristics influence her in showing her existence.

D. Definition of Terms

There are some terms that need to be clarified concerning the key words that appear in the title and the problem formulations in order to avoid any misunderstanding. The writer finds four important terms, those are characteristics, influence, struggle, and existence.

1. Characteristics

Richard Gill stated that “a character is someone in a literary work who has some sort of identity (it needn’t be a strong one), an identity which is made up by appearance, conversation, action, name, and (possibly) thoughts going on in the head (1995:127)”. So, it could be concluded that characteristics is some features or identities of a character.

2. Influence

According J. A. Drever, “Influence is any past or present condition, experienced as or actually playing a part in determining one’s behaviour, or course of thought, in the present (1958:134)”.

3. Struggle

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4. Existence

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7

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

In this part the writer will review the related studies that have been found.

There are two related studies in the same work. The first one is taken from David

Crabb’s “The Hunger Games: A Literary Analysis from Christian Worldview”,

and the second related studies is taken from Kim Scharfenberger’s “What’s So

Great About “The Hunger Games”?”

David Crabb in “The Hunger Games: A Literary Analysis from Christian

Worldview” put the critique of the Hunger Games from a literary-critical

perspective, stemming from a Christian worldview by Ginny Owens. The critique

is about violence in the book is to say something about our society and what

happen to our society. The author compares the situation in Capitol with the

situation in our society. People addiction to something like video games represent

of similarity to Capitol’s attraction to violence.

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revealed the end point of its logical maturation? Consider those rhetorical questions. (Crabb, 2012)

In the other hand, Kim Scharfenberger’s article “What’s So Great About

“The Hunger Games”?” is about what inThe Hunger Gamesare. Scharfenberger

found that moral message on the topic of consumerism and self-sacrifice exists in

The Hunger Games. Self-sacrifice is seen when Katniss sacrifices herself to take

her sister’s place in Hunger Games. Consumerism is seen when the privileged

members of the Capitol are uniformed about realities of poverty and suffering just

outside their doors and remain cocooned in luxury just like what happen exactly

nowaday.

One good side effect of the story is the political and socioeconomic undertones of The Hunger Games that could succeed in getting younger audiences thinking. How did Panem get this way? What are the consequences of relying on a totalitarian government? The blatant excess and materialism of the Capitol can become a jarring self-portrait of the dangers inherent in consumerism. The privileged members of the Capitol are uninformed about the realities of poverty and suffering just outside their doors and remain cocooned in luxury. Their interests revolve mainly around the latest fashions and trendiest hairstyles, and as such their social awareness and willingness to challenge the obviously corrupt system that provides them with wealth is dulled by lavish distractions.

The Hunger Games is mediocre at best in terms of ingenuity and moral message – but it’s not damaging to a young person’s social conscience either, and might even make some valuable impressions on the topics of consumerism and self-sacrifice. So if you find yourself chauffeuring your children, siblings, or friends to this newest flick, don’t despair – you’ll get more out of this series than from the likes of Twilight. (Scharfenberger, 2013)

From the two related studies above which are representing the real

meaning of the violence in the book and about the moral message in the book, it

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studies and it also develops other studies because there is no analysis of the main

character’s struggle in showing her existence in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger

Gamesyet.

B. Review of Related Theories

This part will discuss about the theories that will be used to analyze the

problem formulations in this study.

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

Character, according to M. H. Abrams, is “a person presented in a

dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed

with moral, dispositional, and emotional equalities that are expressed in what they

say-the dialogue-and what they do-the action (1985:23)”.

According to Richard Gill “a character is a person in a literary work.

Characters in books may have all sorts of links with the people we meet every day

but we only meet them in books. Characters are what they are like because of the

way they’ve been made. The kind of conversations they have, the things they do,

their appearances and so on are the particular ways in which the author has chosen

to characterize his or her characters (1995:127)”.

Gill also stated in his book that the novelist E. M. Foster distinguished

between what he called flat characters and round characters. What he has in mind

here is the degree offullnessa character possesses; a flat character (also called a

type, or “two-dimensional”) has few characteristics, while a round character has

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Roger B. Henkle divides characters into major character and minor

characters. Major characters are those people or characters whom we observe

most often in the novel, whose appearances are frequent (1977:97). Whereas the

minor characters, being generally less complex, or less intense, and drawn in

shallower relief, present what is often only one side of the experience (1977:97).

In Richard Gill’s book states that“characterisation is the way in which a

character is created (1995:127)”.

Whereas M. J. Murphy, he explained nine ways in which an author

attempts to make the characters understandable and come alive:

a. Personal description

The author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes, such as: the

telling details, the face, skin, and eyes.

b. Character as seen by another

Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him

through the eyes and opinions of another.

c. Speech

The author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons

in the book through what that person says. Whenever a person speaks,

whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an

opinion, he is giving us some clue to his character.

d. Past life

By letting the reader learn something about a person’s past life the author

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This can be done by direct comment by the author, though the person’s

thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another

person.

e. Conversation of others

The author can also give us clue to a person’s character through the

conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People do

talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the

character of the person spoken about.

f. Reactions

The author can also give us a clue to a person’s character by letting us

know how that person reacts to various situations and events.

g. Direct comment

The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.

h. Thoughts

The author can give us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking

about. In this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He

can tell us what different people are thinking. In the novel we accept this.

The reader then is in a privileged position; he has, as it were, a secret

listening device plugged in to the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel.

i. Mannerisms

The author can describe a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies

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2. Theory of Existence

Existence according to Williams is “a specifically human quality, as

distinct from other things and creatures which may be said to exist. Existence is

again contrasted with essence, but the major and minor signs are as it were

transvalued. Where a definition of essence in the sense of something fundamental

or intrinsic is still required, it is derived from the qualities of existence, that is of

actual being (1983:124)”. It is also stated that “existence also acquired the sense

of continuity of being (1983:123)”.

It is also written that according to Anne Soukhanov, existence is “the fact

or state of existing; being (1996:642)”.

3. Theory of Struggle

Problems will always happen in people’s life when they live their life.

Sometimes their problems might be easy and sometimes they are not. People will

have various ways to struggle to face their problems in their life. According to

Abate, struggle is the situation which people make some determine efforts under

their difficulties and make some efforts to keep struggling in dealing toward

problems which emerging in life (Abate, 1996:1514). Another explanation, Anne

Soukhanov stated that, “struggle is to be strenuously engaged with the problems

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C. Theoretical Framework

There are some theories to help the writer answer the two problem

formulations. The first theory that is theory of character and characterization

which is used to answer the first problem formulation and to help the writer

analyze the main character’s characteristics in the novel who is Katniss Everdeen.

Then, the second and third theory those are theory of existence and theory of

struggle are used to answer the second problem formulation. At first the writer

tried to find Katniss’s problems in her life, then her struggle against her problems.

After that, to find out the existence of Katniss Everdeen, the writer tried to relate

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14 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

The object of this study is a novel of Suzanne Collins, an American writer, entitled The Hunger Games. This book was first published in 2009 by Grolier International Inc. In this study, the writer uses the edition for Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia only which published by Scholastic Singapore in December 2009 and it has 374 pages.

In March 2009, Lions Gate Entertainment entered into co-production agreement with Color Force created a movie based on the novel. The Hunger Games is an American science fiction adventure film directed by Gary Ross. It was released in March 21 2012, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth. The filming took place in North Carolina, USA.

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The story in this novel is about a sixteen year old young woman named Katniss Everdeen who lives in a poor district with her mother and her younger sister. Since her father’s death when she was eleven, her family lives in poverty. She has been accustomed to hunt in the woods. She also makes money for her family and decides to lead the family because her mother cannot handle it. In the Seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games, she took her sister’s place in the games because she knows her ability to hunt and survive are better from her sister. She proves that she can survive in the Game although she faced a lot of obstacle and finally she won the Hunger Games.

B. Approach of the Study

Since this study is about the influence of main character’s characteristics in struggling for her existence that is reflected by Katniss Everdeen, the main character in the novel, the writer uses new criticism approach because the writer interprets the novel from the elements in the novel itself and in assisting the writer to analyze the topic. New criticism is an approach which concerns and focuses upon literary texts as formal works of art or on the work itself.

According to Edgar V. Roberts, new criticism focuses upon literary texts as formal works of art and the aim of the formalist study of literature is also to evaluating the artistic quality of individual works and writers, as it stated that

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Bressler also stated that “known as new criticism, this approach to literary analysis provides the reader with a formula for arriving at the correct interpretation of a text using only the text itself. New criticism does not represent a coherent body of critical theory and methodology espoused by all its followers. New Criticism and its adherents (called New Critics) are an eclectic group, each challenging, borrowing, and changing terminology, theory, and practices from one another while asserting a common core of basic ideas (1999:37-38)”.

C. Method of the Study

This study is a library research because all the data that are collected and needed are available in library. There are also the sources the writer used in the study. The sources are divided into two; those are primary source and secondary sources. The primary source is the novel itself, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, and the secondary sources are some books of theories and some articles from the internet which are needed to answer the two problem formulations.

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18

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the writer will answer the two problem formulations. There

will be two parts of this analysis. The first part is answering how the

characteristics of Katniss Everdeen are described in Suzanne Collins’s The

Hunger Games. The second part is indentifying what struggle for existence is

faced by Katniss Everdeen, and how Katniss’s characteristics influence her in

showing her existence.

A. The Characteristics of Katniss Everdeen

Katniss Everdeen is one of the characters in Suzanne Collins’s The

Hunger Games, because she is a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work,

who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and

emotional equalities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and what

they do-the action (Abrams, 1985:23). As the chief character in a story, Katniss

can be concluded as a protagonist. She is a round character in this novel because

she has several characteristics while the other characters only have few

characteristics. It is also seen in the novel that Katniss is a major character

because she is observed most often in the novel and her appearances are frequent;

whereas the other characters are less complex and less intense.

According to Murphy,he explained nine ways in which an author attempts

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analysis the writer only used five of them. They are character as seen by another,

thoughts, reactions, speech, and past life. Based on those theories, the writer could

analyze the characteristics of Katniss Everdeen as:

1. Courageous

The first Katniss Everdeen’s characteristic is courageous. She can handle

any danger and pain in difficult situation. It is shown in many ways. The first is

character as seen by another. After the reaping, Katniss is taken to the waiting

room before they continue the journey to Capitol. Her family and friends could

meet her for a moment in that room. Her sister and her mother came first. They

were in a group conversation and her sister, Prim tried to calm and encouraged

her. It is shown as “I’ll be all right, Katniss,” says Prim, clasping my face in her

hand. “But you have to take care, too. You’re so fast and brave. Maybe you can

win (p. 36).”

Katniss courage also can be seen through her thoughts when she faced the

Games. In the first night Games, she was in the tree to rest and make herself safe.

Then she overheard the Careers (the most strong opponents) talking. She was

shock when she discovered that Peeta, the boy from her district was with them,

but she was managing herself to not confuse or frightened. She convinced herself

as it is stated, “Until I work out exactly how I want to play that, I’d better at least

act on top of things. Not perplexed. Certainly not confused or frightened (p.

164)”.

She was focus on what she will do to handle the situation and to face her

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burned leg and they ran after her. To make her safe, Katniss picked a high tree and

began to climb. To release herself from the Careers who stood by to catch and kill

her at the ground, she cut the branch which wasp nest hung on it by her knife just

like what Rue; a twelve year old girl from District 11 told her doing. The nest

smashed on the ground and tracker jackers hit the Careers, they ran away from

there but two of them could not make it. They both died. At the beginning of the

Games Katniss did not get any bow and arrows, but finally Katniss got them from

the dead girl. Her courage is seen through her thoughts.

The weapons give me an entirely new perspective on the Games. I know I have tough opponents left to face. But I am no longer merely prey that runs and hides or takes desperate measures. If Cato broke through the trees right now, I wouldn’t flee, I’d shoot. I find I’m actually anticipating the moment with pleasure (p. 197).

Katniss bravery became stronger after Rue’s death because she loves her

and Rue reminds her of her sister. She got mad to the Capitol for their treat to

every tribute, force them to do and join their Games. She showed that she was not

afraid of anything and she wanted to do something to shame Capitol. It is seen

through her thoughts.

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 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 (p. 236-237).

She thought she will not be an easy target although she lost Rue. She

would not be afraid of anything. Her loss would be the other reason why she has

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I’ve no idea where to go. The brief sense of home I had that one night with Rue has vanished. My feet wander this way and that until sunset. I’m not afraid, not even watchful. Which makes me an easy target. Except I’d kill anyone I met on sight (p. 238).

2. Spontaneous

Katniss is spontaneous. It can be seen through her reactions about

something that she hears and sees. Her spontaneity is also shown through her

speech.

In the novel, it was told that on the third day of training, tributes were

called one by one for private session with the Gamemakers. When Katniss’s

session, she took a bow and arrow but she missed the target a couple of inches and

lost the Gamemakers’ little attention because the bow and arrows were made

different from that she usually uses. After trying a couple times, she got the feel of

those new weapons. Then she could shoot excellently but only a few Gamemakers

were nodding approval, the majority of them were fixated on a roast pig that has

just arrived at their banquet table. She felt furious because she was being upstaged

by a dead pig and her life on the line but the Gamemakers did not pay attention to

her. So, she shot an apple in the pig’s mouth. Her spontaneous characteristics

when she shot an apple in the pig’s mouth is seen through her reactions.

Without thinking, I pull an arrow from my quiver and send it straight at the Gamemakers’ table. I hear shout of alarm as people stumble back. The arrow skewers the apple in the pig’s mouth and pins it to the wall behind it. Everyone stares at me in disbelief (p. 102).

Her spontaneity to respond the Gamemakers ignorance to her is also

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Gamemakers ignorance and she spontaneously shot an arrow to an apple in the

roast pig’s mouth.

“I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It’s like Peeta said, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just . . . I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig’s mouth!” I say defiantly (p. 106).

It is also told that when six tributes remained in the Game, there was an

announcement of rule changing. The winner of the Games could be two people,

both tributes from the same district if they are the last two alive. Katniss felt so

relief when she hears the news so it made her could not stop to call out Peeta’s

name. Her spontaneity is seen through her reactions.

The news sinks in. Two tributes can win this year. If they’re from the same district. Both can live. Both of us can live.

Before I can stop myself, I call out Peeta’s name.

I clap my hands over my mouth, but the sound has already escaped. The sky goes black and I hear the chorus of frogs begin to sing. Stupid! I tell myself. What a stupid thing to do! I wait, frozen, for the woods to come alive with assailants. Then I remember there’s almost no one left (p. 244-247).

3. Persevering

Katniss is a persevering person. She will fight as much as she can besides

to give up easily. Her spirit can be seen in the novel through speech and thoughts.

Katniss was in conversation with Haymitch and Peeta. They were talking

about what Katniss and Peeta can do to survive and even win the Games. Peeta

felt unconfident because he thinks he cannot do anything except baking bread and

(38)

Games start. Katniss was unpleasant to hear Peeta’s words. Her characteristics

that is persevering is seen through her speech.

“There’s always hand-to-hand combat. All you need is to come up with a knife, and you’ll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I’m dead!” I can hear my voice rising in anger (p. 90).

When her family came to see her before her journey to Capitol, Prim told

her that maybe she could win. At first Katniss thought that she could not because

she knew that there would be many boys and girls from wealthier districts who

have been trained their whole lives for this Games, boys who are two to three

times of her size, and girls who know twenty different ways to kill with a knife.

But latter, she realized that she has to fight and do not give up because she knew

that it is not in her nature to go down without a fight. It is seen through her

thoughts.

“Maybe,” I say, because I can hardly tell my mother to carry on if I’ve already given up myself. Besides, it isn’t in my nature to go down without a fight, even when things seem insurmountable. “Then we’d be rich as Haymitch (p. 36).”

There would be a live interview with the tributes after the private session.

Katniss was nervous about the interview. She thought that she is awful because

Haymitch called her a dead slug and she just could not be one of those people he

wants her to be. Then Cinna told her to just be herself because people admire her

spirit. It made Katniss sure about herself as seen through her thoughts “My spirit.

This is a new thought. I’m not sure exactly what it means, but it suggests I’m a

(39)

When Katniss found out that Peeta was with the Careers, she was shocked

but she tried to make it as a plus point for her. She would show to the audience

and the sponsors that she can hunt, she is a good bet and she will not be lured into

traps as easily as the others will by hunger. She had to prove that she will not give

up easily and look one step ahead of the game. Her characteristics which is

persevering can be seen through her thoughts.

No, I need to look one step ahead of the game.

So as I slide out of the foliage and into the dawn light, I pause a second, giving the cameras time to lock on me. Then I cock my head slightly to the side and give a knowing smile. There! Let them figure out what that means! (p. 164)

Katniss’s spirit is also shown when Rue is dying to death. Rue asked her

about their plan to blow up the Careers’ food, whether their plan was success or

not. Then Rue told Katniss that Katniss had to win the Games. She realized that

she had to win this for her and Rue. Rue’s condition made her more on fire to win

the Games. It is seen through her speech.

“You have to win,” she says.

“I’m going to. Going to win for both of us now,” I promise. I hear a cannon and look up. It must be for the boy from District 1 (p. 233-234).

4. Caring and Loving

Katniss is a caring and loving person. She loves her little sister so much.

She also cares about Rue. She felt touch because Rue is very young and the

youngest tribute in the Game. Rue also reminds her of her sister Prim. It is shown

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At the day of the reaping, Prim was worried about Katniss and her first

reaping, and so did Katniss. Katniss tried to show her care to Prim by hugging her.

Her care and love is seen through her thoughts.

I hug her, because I know these next few hours will be terrible for her. Her first reaping. She’s about as safe as you can get, since she’s only entered once. I wouldn’t let her take out any tesserae. But she’s worried about me. That the unthinkable might happen (p. 15).

Katniss felt she is powerless against the reaping. She would do everything to

protect Prim but it was hard at the reaping day. Her care and protection to Prim is

also shown through her thoughts when she was talking to Prim and trying to force

herself to stay calm.

I protect Prim in every way I can, but I’m powerless against the reaping. The anguish I always feel when she’s in pain wells up in my chest and threatens to register on my face. I notice her blouse has pulled out of her skirt in the back again and force myself to stay calm. “Tuck your tail in, little duck,” I say, smoothing the blouse back in place (p. 15).

Katniss showed her love mostly in the reaping when Prim’s name was

called as the tribute. She stunned and unable to speak for a moment. It was like a

nightmare to her, but her love for Prim to protect her makes her willing to take

Prim’s position in the Games. Her love for her sister is also shown here through

her reaction when she volunteered herself.

“Prim!” The strangled cry comes out of my throat, and my muscles begin to move again. “Prim!” I don’t need to shove through the crowd. The other kids make way immediately allowing me a straight path to the stage. I reach her just as she is about to mount the steps. With one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me.

(41)

She protects Prim so much and did not let anything bad happen to her

sister. She takes care of her sister as good as she can in order to avoid the

community home. She never wants them to take Prim to live at the community

home. It is seen through her thoughts.

I could never let that happen to Prim. Sweet, tiny Prim who cried when I cried before she even knew the reason, who brushed and plaited my mother’s hair before we left for school, who still polished my father’s shaving mirror each night because he’d hated the layer of coal dust that settled on everything in the Seam. The community home would crush her like a bug. So I kept our predicament a secret (p. 27).

It is also stated through Katniss thoughts that she does care for some

people even though she hardly smiles. It shows that Katniss realizes she is a

caring person.

It’s not as if I’m never friendly. Okay, maybe I don’t go around loving everybody I meet, maybe my smiles are hard to come by, but I do care for some people (p. 122).

Katniss loving characteristic also reveal directly through her speech when

Caesar asked her about her sister in the interview with the twenty four tributes

before the Games start.

“Let’s go back then, to the moment they called your sister’s name at the reaping,” says Caesar. His mood is quieter now. “And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?”

No. No, not all of you. But maybe Cinna. I don’t think I’m imagining the sadness on his face.”Her name’s Prim. She’s just twelve. And I love her more than anything (p. 129).”

Katniss showed her care to Rue through her reactions when Rue came to

her after cure her from the tracker jackers. Katniss asked Rue to eat her kills

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long burn on Rue’s forearm. She gave the burn medicine which she got from the

sponsors to Rue. Katniss also asked Rue to become an ally because she thinks Rue

is a survivor who also helped, cured, and saved her from the deadly tracker

jackers. Especially Rue reminds her of her sister, Prim.

Rue stuffs another handful of leaves in her mouth, and soon I’m laughing because the relief is so sweet. I notice a long burn on Rue’s forearm. “I’ve got something for that.” I set aside my weapons and anoint her arm with the burn medicine.

“You have good sponsors,” she says longingly.

“You weren’t joking, about wanting me for an ally?” she asks.

“No, I meant it,” I say. I can almost hear Haymitch groaning as I team up with this wispy child. But I want her. Because she’s a survivor, and I trust her, and why not admit it? She reminds me of Prim (p. 201).

Latter, Katniss saw Rue really enjoy her meal. Rue told Katniss that she

never had a whole leg to herself before, it made Katniss asked Rue to eat whatever

part of the kills she wants. Katniss also informed her next she can get more kills

and she can show Rue how to set snares. Those are really showed Katniss’s care

and love to each other, and how she could not stand to see a young girl alone to

survive. She also tried to help and take care of Rue as she could. It is seen through

her speech to Rue.

“Oh,” says Rue with a sigh. “I’ve never had a whole leg to myself before.” I’ll bet she hasn’t. I’ll bet meat hardly ever comes her way. “Take the other,” I say.

“Really?” she asks.

(43)

Katniss was worried about Rue’s safety when they decided to separate for

doing their mission to trick the Careers tribute. It is clearly show through her

thoughts how caring she is.

Unexpectedly, Rue throws her arms around me. I only hesitate a moment before I hug her back.

“You be careful,” she says to me.

“You, too,” I say. I turn and head back to the stream, feeling somehow worried. About Rue being killed, about Rue not being killed and the two of us being left for last, about leaving Rue alone, about leaving Prim alone back home. No, Prim has my mother and Gale and a baker who has promise she won’t go hungry. Rue has only me (p. 213).

Katniss reaction when Rue was dying after a boy from district one threw a

spear into Rue’s body showed her care and love to Rue. She stayed in Rue side

until Rue last breath. She made Rue comfortable by pulling Rue’s head onto her

lap, brushing Rue’s hair gently, and even singing as Rue wish her to. Although

she have not sung much since her father died and she does not know much song,

she tried to do Rue’s last request.

“Don’t go.” Rue tightens her grip on my hand.

“Course not. Staying right here,” I say. I move in closer to her, pulling her head onto my lap. I gently brush the dark, thick hair back behind her ear. “Sing,” she says, but I barely catch the word (p. 234).

When Rue died, Katniss was drowning in sadness. She cried a lot but she

was still singing, finishing her song for Rue. Then she treated Rue gently. She

kissed Rue’s temple, laid Rue’s head back on the ground and released Rue’s hand.

Her care and love for Rue is also seen through her reaction.

(44)

Katniss could not stop looking at Rue. She thought she cannot leave Rue

like this. She showed her love to Rue for the last through her reaction, so she

decorated Rue’s body with flowers. She wanted everyone see Rue like that when

the hovercraft collect the bodies of the death people. At the end, she pressed the

three middle fingers of her left hand against her lips and held them out in Rue’s

direction. This sign means thanks, admiration, and good bye to someone you love.

A few steps into the woods grow 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 step at a time, I decorate her body in the flowers. Covering the ugly wound. Wreathing her face. Weaving her hair with bright colors.

“Bye, Rue,” I whisper. I press the three middle fingers of my left hand against my lips and hold them out in her direction. Then I walk away without looking back (p. 237).

Once again, Katniss proved that she is a caring and loving person through

her thoughts. She was lying on the ground, hiding her face from camera then she

remembered Rue and how Rue saved her life from the tracker jackers stings. She

remembered Tresh and how Tresh saved her then let her go instead of kill her as a

thank for her to took care Rue. She thought if she comes home, she will do

something to help Rue and Tresh’s family as a thank for them.

(45)

5. Clever

Katniss tried to trick her opponents in the Games. As the news was

announced that both tributes from the same district can win the Games, Katniss

started to track Peeta. Through her thoughts and the way she was using to track

Peeta, it shows she is clever.

Well, it’s a place to start, anyway.

To confuse my enemies’ mind, I start a fire with plenty of green wood. Even if they think it’s a ruse, I hope they’ll decide I’m hidden somewhere near it. While in reality, I’ll be tracking Peeta (p. 250).

Peeta asked Katniss to tell him about the happiest day she can remember.

Most stories she remembers involve Gale. She thought it was not good if the

audience and Peeta know about it because she needs the sponsor from the

audience to support good stuffs which help her in the Games. The audience love

Katniss and Peeta love story which created by Haymitch. She is so clever so she

decided to tell a story about Prim’s goat. She little bit changed the story and told it

carrefuly in order to keep her illegal hunting as a secret. Her cleverness is seen

through her thoughts.

“Did I ever tell you about how I got Prim’s goat?” I ask. Peeta shakes his head, and looks at me expectantly. So I begin. But carefully. Because my words are going out all over Panem. And while people have no doubt put two and two together that I hunt illegally, I don’t want to hurt Gale or Greasy Sae or the butcher or even the Peacekeepers back home who are my customers by publicly announcing they’re breaking the law, too (p. 268).

Katniss was in dilemma when at the end of the Games, the Gamemakers

announced the changing of the game rules. The victor could not be both tributes

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The Gamemakers wanted Katniss and Peeta get into fight and kill each other. She

would not let it happen. She had an idea to trick the Gamemakers because they

had to have a victor, if they had not, they would fail and humiliate the Capitol. So

she decided to eat the nightlock, poisonous dark berries with Peeta, hoped the

Gamemakers will not let them eat the dark berries. Her thoughts is shown her

clever characteristics.

Yes, they have to have a victor. Without a victor, the whole thing would blow up in the Gamemakers’ faces. They’d have failed the Capitol. Might possibly even be executed, slowly and painfully while the cameras broadcast it to every screen in the country.

If Peeta and I were both to die, or they thought we were . . .

My fingers fumble with the pouch on my belt, freeing it. Peeta sees it and his hand clamps on my wrist. “No, I won’t let you.”

“Trust me,” I whisper. He holds my gaze for a long moment then lets me go. I loosen the top of the pouch and pour a few spoonfuls of berries into his palm. Then I fill my own. “On the count of three?” (p. 344)

Katniss’s cleverness is also seen in her hunting and archery. It can be

proved through Peeta’s point of view. She can hunt and shoot arrows perfectly.

She used to hunt with her father, who taught her hunt and archery since her

childhood. She hunts to support her family. She usually sells her kills or barters

them for bread or anything her family’s need. When Haymitch ask Katniss

whether she is good at hunting or not, then Peeta answered it. Peeta told Haymitch

how good she is at shooting arrow as he ever heard from his father. It is shown

that her cleverness is seen through character as seen by another.

(47)

Katniss’s cleverness in hunting skill is also seen through her speech. She

knows how to set snare. She knows about trapping. Those things prove that

Katniss is clever and skilful to defence herself in the wild.

After about a minute of this, Haymitch says, “Well, then. Well, well, well. Katniss, there’s no guarantee there’ll be bows and arrows in the arena, but during your private session with the Gamemakers, show them what you can do. Until then, stay clear of archery. Are you any good at trapping?” “I know a few basic snares,” I mutter (p. 91).

6. Responsible

Katniss is a responsible young woman. It is showed through her past life in

the novel. She made a big decision to take over as head of the family when she

was eleven years old because her mother could not do it since her father died in

the mine accident which made her mother really desperate in sadness. She has to

take care of her family and feed them.

At eleven years old, with Prim just seven, I took over as head of the family. There was no choice. I bought our food at the market and cooked it as best I could and tried to keep Prim and myself looking presentable. Because if it had become known that my mother could no longer care for us, the district would have taken us away from her and placed us in the community home (p. 27).

Her responsibility also seen through her thoughts. She told her mother

firmly that she will not be there to take care of the family, feed them, and keep

them alive when she enters the Games. She informed her mother and Prim about

what should they do when she is not present.

(48)

Her mother cannot leave again and stuck in her dark world desperation, so

she had to make sure that her mother has to be strong, to be responsible of Prim

and herself in every situation even in the bad ones. Her responsible characteristics

is seen through her speech.

When I am done with instruction about fuel, and trading, and staying in school, I turn to my mother and grip her arm, hard. “Listen to me. Are you listening to me?” She nods, alarm by my intensity. She must know what’s coming. “You can’t leave again,” I say.

My mother’s eyes find the floor. “I know. I won’t. I couldn’t help what –“ “Well, you have to help it this time. You can’t clock out and leave Prim on her own. There’s no me now to keep you both alive. It doesn’t matter what happens. Whatever you see on the screen. You have to promise me you’ll fight through it!” My voice has risen to a shout. In it is all the anger, all the fear I felt at her abandonment (p. 35).

B. The Influence of Katniss Everdeen’s Chracteristics Towards Her Struggle

for Existence

In this novel, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, there are some

situation when Katniss was struggling and she tried to show her existence. Living

in a society which is ruled by a cruel powerful government makes the people have

a difficult life. Capitol take the whole comodities from the twelve districts of

Panem as a result the people in the twelve districts live in a poverty. People in

Panem are afraid of the powerful Capitol. This difficult situation makes Katniss

hates the Capitol, especially her life is getting worse because of the Capitol rules.

Capitol treat them whatever Capitol like as if they do not exist. Those situations

make Katniss struggle for her existence as a human being because how Capitol

(49)

Her characteristics have some part in determining her to show her

existence when she faces some problems. So when Katniss decides to do

something to fight against her problems and prove her existence, her

characteristics influence how she acts. According to the definition of existence,

Katniss’s existence is seen because she is “being”, and she is in the state of

existing which is she exists and she is able to do what human suppose to do to

fight and survive in any bad situation. She shows from herself that she has the

specifically human quality, which is shown in her way to deal with her struggles.

Her existence is also seen when she makes responsible decisions, and decides

what she wants to do to create her life and existence. All of her struggles and how

her characteristics influence her to show her existence can be seen in those

following explanations:

1. Decides to be a Leader and Taking Care of the Family

Katniss and her family lives in a poor district, district twelve. Her district

is a part of Panem. Panem is ruled by the Capitol which is a rich and high

technology area. At first her family lived so well. Her father worked in mining

and her mother worked as apothecary. They could fulfill their needs even though

they are not rich. When her father died in mining accident when she was eleven,

no one support her family anymore. Her family becomes poor. It is seen in the

novel on pages twenty seven, “But the money ran out and we were slowly

starving to death. There’s no other way to put it (p. 27)”.

One day Katniss could not earn some money for her family. She was

(50)

seen in, “For three days, we’d had nothing but boiled water with some old dried

mint leaves I’d found in the back of a cupboard (p. 28)”.

As a poor family Katniss has to signed up for tesserae. Girls and boys in

the districts can have it, but if they signed up for more tesserae, every tesserae

they have will be count as one additional name in the Game.

On May 8th_{, I went to the Justice Building, signed up for my tesserae, and}

pulled home my first batch of grain and oil in Prim’s toy wagon. On the eighth of every month, I was entitled to do the same. I couldn’t stop hunting and gathering, of course. The grain was not enough to live on, and there were other things to buy, soap and milk and thread (p. 51-52).

When Katniss was in train and Capitol, they always served her an

expensive and delicious meal Katniss never had because she is poor and she could

not buy any expensive food. Her mind went to back home how she gathers food.

I try to imagine assembling this meal myself back home. Chickens are too expensive, but I could make do with a wild turkey. I’d need to shoot a second turkey to trade for an orange. Goat’s milk would have to substitute for cream. We can grow peas in the garden. I’d have to get wild onions from the woods.

Days of hunting and gathering for this one meal and even then it would be a poor substitution for the Capitol version (p. 65).

After her father died, her mother is desperate because of losing her father.

Her mother drowns into sadness as a result her mother could not take care of the

family. Her mother ignored her and her sister, Prim as if they are not exist. She

does not want to take care of and feed them. For her mother, it looks like she does

not have anything left after the death of her husband. Her mother’s condition

really affected Katniss and Prim as seen in the novel in page eight, “I try to

remember that when all I can see is the woman who sat by, black and unreachable,

(51)

Katniss feels her father death makes her feels she also lost her mother. Her

mother locked in some dark world of sadness and did not do anything. Her mother

cannot take care of her and Prim.

The district had given us a small amount of money as compensation for his death, enough to cover one month of grieving at which time my mother would be expected to get a job. Only she didn’t. she didn’t do anything but sit propped up in a chair or, more often, huddled under the blankets on her bed, eyes fixed on some point in the distance.

I was terrified. I suppose now that my mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, but at the time, all I knew was that I had lost not only my father, but a mother as well (p. 26-27).

Katniss’s father had taught her how to hunt. She often hunted in woods

with her father, but after her father died she has to do it by herself. One day she

had the good luck to kill a rabbit. When she was at home, her mother tried to cook

the rabbit but her mother suddenly went back to her depression.

We hadn’t had meat in months. The sight of the rabbit seemed to stir something in my mother. She roused herself, skinned the carcass, and made a stew with the meat and some more greens Prim had gathered. Then she acted confused and went back to bed, but when the stew was done, we made her eat a bowl (p. 51).

This condition made Katniss thought that she has to act and do something

to handle this condition. She does not want if this condition continues, then the

community home know her mother cannot take care of her and Prim, the district

will take them to the community home. Katniss will not let this happen. She does

not want the community home take her and Prim. As a member in this family, she

also has to be responsible of the family, especially her mother cannot do so, and

she has to make sure that the family is alright and comfortable. To show her

existence, she has to take those responsibilities so others can realize her existence

(52)

responsibility of them. Her characteristics which are courageous, persevering,

caring and loving, and responsible determine her in facing her problems and

showing her existence as a human being who has a responsibility. She is

courageous so she could make those decisions. Her spirit makes her believe that

she can. Her responsible, care, and love to her family make her willing to act as a

leader of the family.

At eleven years old, with Prim just seven, I took over as head of the family. There was no choice. I bought our food at the market and cooked it as best I could and tried to keep Prim and myself looking presentable. Because if it had become known that my mother could no longer care for us, the district would have taken us away from her and placed us in the community home (p. 27).

As a leader of a family, Katniss has to earn money for her family and feed

them. She did not wait for anybody to help her family. She hunts in the woods for

meats and fish, she also gathers some plants. After she and Gale finished hunting,

they usually trade what they got and exchange it for something they need. She

tries her best to take care her family. She will do anything possible as much as she

can.

We easily trade six of the fish for good bread, the other two for salt. Greasy Sae, the bony old woman who sells bowls of hot soup from large kettle, takes half the greens off our hands in exchange for a couple of chunks of paraffin.

When we finish our business at the market, we go to the back door of the mayor’s house to sell half the strawberries, knowing he has a particular fondness for them and can afford our price (p.11-12).

As a responsibility to her family, Katniss was determined to feed them.

She uses her hunting and archery skill to gain some foods. She is courageous

enough to explore the woods although it was slow-going at first when she did not

(53)

The woods became our savior, and each day I went a bit farther into its arms. It was slow-going at first, but I was determined to feed us. I stole eggs from nests, caught fish in nets, sometimes managed to shoot a squirrel or rabbit for stew, and gathered the various plants that sprung up beneath my feet (p. 51).

Katniss family is so poor. She has to work hard to fulfill her family needs;

at least she has to have something for them to eat. One day, she has nothing.

Although she tried to trade Prim’s old baby clothes in town, she did not earn some

money and she did not have any food to eat. For three days, she and her family

only had boiled water with some old dried mint leaves. Going home was not a

good idea remembering her family without a food. She was less energy, for a

second she thought to give up and starve to death, until she got two loaves of

bread with a little burned area from a boy outside the bakery. She quickly shoved

the loaves up under her shirt and walked swiftly away even though the heat of the

bread burned into her skin. After she reached home, she forced her mother to join

them to eat. Although she does not like her mother ignorance to the family, she

still shows her love and be responsible to her mother.

By the time I reached home, the loaves had cooled somewhat, but the insides were still warm. When I dropped them on the table, Prim’s hands reached to tear off a chunk, but I made her sit, forced my mother to join us at the table, and poured warm tea. I scraped off the black stuff and sliced the bread. We ate an entire loaf, slice by slice. It was good hearty bread, filled with raisins and nuts (p. 31).

From all the things that Katniss did above, really show her struggle for her

existence. She showed her existence by doing her job well and stating indirectly

that she is there, able to be the leader of the family, and she can take care of them

(54)

2. Taking Her Sister’s Place in the Hunger Games

In the 74th_{Hunger Games, her 12 year old younger sister, Prim is selected}

to be a girl tribute of district 12 for Hunger Games. Katniss was shocked when she

hears it. As a citizen of Panem which their districts are ruled by the Capitol, so

every twelve until eighteen year old boys and girls have to will as a tribute for

annual Hunger Games. This annual Hunger Games is the way to remind the

twelve districts about the past rebellion which the ex-thirteenth district rebelled

against the Capitol and how Capitol destroyed that district. So it will make the rest

twelve districts afraid of Capitol.

Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it’s not me.

It’s Primrose Everdeen (p. 20).

Katniss could not believe what she just heard. A lot of slip of paper in the

bowl with so many names in it, but why Prim’s name is called.

There must have been some mistake. This can’t be happening. Prim was one slip of paper in thousands! Her chances of being chosen so remote that I’d not even bothered to worry about her. Hadn’t I done everything? Taken the tesserae, refuse to let her do the same? One slip. One slip in thousands. The odds had been entirely in her favor (p. 21).

She hates the reality that Capitol rules the twelve districts so the citizen of

all districts has to join the Hunger Games and she could not believe her sister’s

name being chosen unexpectedly from thousands names. It had stated before

Katniss was in dilemma when Prim’s name was being called as a tribute from

District 12. Katniss could not believe what she just heard. The fear of sweet

twelve year old Prim as a tribute going to the games arena and the duty to protect

(55)

In this situation Katniss as an older sister has to love, protect, to take care of and

to be responsible of her younger sister. Her love to Prim makes her able to do

anything for her younger sister, Prim.

Her characteristics which are spontaneous, caring and loving, and

responsible also determine her in her struggle for existence. She wanted to show

that she is able to protect her younger sister. She showed her existence by taking

Prim’s place in the Games.

“Prim!” The strangled cry comes out of my throat, and my muscles begin to move again. “Prim!” I don’t need to shove through the crowd. The other kids make way immediately allowing me a straight path to the stage. I reach her just as she is about to mount the steps. With one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me.

“I volunteer!” I gasp. “I volunteer as tribute!” (p. 22)

Her willingness to take her sister place in the Hunger Games also seen

when Katniss and her team watch the recap of the reapings across Panem. The

recap was showing Katniss volunteer herself. “Last of all, they show District 12.

Prim being called, me running forward to volunteer (p. 46)”.

At the interview with the twenty four tributes from the twelve districts

before the Gamemakers start the Games and send them to the game arena, Caesar

Flickerman asked Katniss about Prim. From Katniss’s answer it is shown that she

decided to volunteer herself because she loves her sister a lot.

“Let’s go back then, to the moment they called your sister’s name at the reaping,” says Caesar. His mood is quieter now. “And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?”

The Influence of Katniss Everdeen`s characteristics towards her struggle for existence as seen in Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.

ABSTRACT

The Hunger Games which is about

The first is Katniss Everdeen’s chara

only by its intrinsic literary features. Some theories such as theory of character

Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2015.

merupakan masalah yang menarik yang masih sering dijumpai dalam kehidupan

Skripsi ini memakai pendekatan kritik baru. Pendekatan ini berkonsentrasi

THE INFLUENCE OF KATNISS EVERDEEN’S

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION... 1

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS... 18

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 45

1 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

B. Problem Formulation

C. Objectives of the Study

2. Influence

CHAPTER II

A. Review of Related Studies

B. Review of Related Theories

2. Theory of Existence

3. Theory of Struggle

C. Theoretical Framework

14 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

C. Method of the Study

CHAPTER IV

A. The Characteristics of Katniss Everdeen

1. Courageous

2. Spontaneous

3. Persevering

4. Caring and Loving

5. Clever

6. Responsible

B. The Influence of Katniss Everdeen’s Chracteristics Towards Her Struggle

1. Decides to be a Leader and Taking Care of the Family

2. Taking Her Sister’s Place in the Hunger Games