Fanart Picspam: Katniss Everdeen

[sei-shonanon.livejournal.com]

Here are some of my favorite fanart depictions of Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

(Warning for SPOILERS for the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy!)

Katniss Studies Take 4 by *Ratgirlstudios on deviantART



I haven't quite decided what I think of Katniss in Catching Fire, and I haven't finished Mockingjay yet. But I really, really love Katniss in The Hunger Games.

I'm reading along as a lurker at Mark Reads..., and although I enjoy Mark's commentary a lot, I disagree with a lot of his criticisms of Katniss in the first book. Or, more precisely, what he sees as weaknesses in her characterization are actually some of the things I like best about her.

He accuses her of having the emotional range of a teaspoon, and it's true that she doesn't have a lot of emotional or introspective moments. But I really love her persistent unsentimentality and think it's one of her strengths: she's not having moral crises or emotional breakdowns, she is Dealing With This Shit and doing whatever she can to survive.

I also enjoy how this trait of hers plays into the reversal of stereotypical gender roles in the relationship between her and Peeta. She's the unsentimental, fierce one who proactively goes after her enemies, while he's the gentler one with moral qualms about killing whose greatest strength is in defensive camouflage. One of my favorite quotes from the book:
"there's no question that he's carrying this romance thing on his shoulders. Now I see what the audience saw: how he misled the Careers about me, stayed awake all night under the tracker-jacker tree, fought Cato to let me escape and even while he lay in that mud bank, whispered my name in his sleep. I seem heartless in comparison--dodging fireballs, dropping nests, and blowing up supplies"
Katniss, I love you and your heartless, action-girl self. ♥

Speaking of Katniss and Peeta, Mark also expresses frustration in his commentaries about Katniss's complete cluelessness when it comes to romance. Personally, I don't think she's unrealistically clueless: partly, it's related to the fact that she's so focused on the need to fight and survive, but partly, some girls really are just clueless and blind when it comes to romance. I certainly am, and I very much enjoyed seeing that in Katniss as well.

Katniss by *RohanElf on deviantART

on fire by *burdge-bug on deviantART

Hunger Games Poster by *Ratgirlstudios on deviantART

Hunger Games: Katniss by ~amandioka on deviantART

HG: Allies by ~elontirien on deviantART

8. Innocence- Katniss and Rue by ~commoner-pocky on deviantART

Katniss by ~CPatten on deviantART

In the cave by *hersb on deviantART

Together In the Games by *Samurai-PET on deviantART

Katniss Everdeen by ~pungang on deviantART

End Game by *Ratgirlstudios on deviantART

Comments

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

These are EXCELLENT. I love the Disneyesque ones by Ratgirlstudios, but these are all terrific -- thanks for finding them! Katniss is such an awesome character; I hope the rumors about Hailee Steinfeld being cast are true.

[sei-shonanon.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked them! :)
Oh my goodness, I had not heard that rumor. That would be SO FANTASTIC.

[puella-nerdii.livejournal.com]

Woohoo, I was hoping The Hunger Games would get some love during this 'fest, considering all the wonderful and vibrant female characters in it. And I'm with you about Katniss -- I kind of find it endearing that reading social/emotional cues really isn't her strength, to say the least.

[sei-shonanon.livejournal.com]

Hee, happy to provide. :)
Yup, it's definitely endearing!

[sour-idealist.livejournal.com]

*goes through and favorites all of it* Thank you so much for posting this, it's awesome.

[astridv.livejournal.com]

Wow, great collection! I have to check out what else the artists got in their galleries.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

But I really love her persistent unsentimentality and think it's one of her strengths: she's not having moral crises or emotional breakdowns, she is Dealing With This Shit and doing whatever she can to survive.

This is totally true and exactly why Katniss is one of my favorite heroines of all time. Thanks for the picspam!