Instincts Of Katniss Everdeen In The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

As the famous screenwriter, Danny Boyle, once said, “That survival instinct, that will to live, that need to get back to life again, is more powerful than any consideration of taste, decency, politeness, manners, civility. Anything. It’s such a powerful force.” In The Hunger Games, the main character, Katniss Everdeen, has many strong characteristics, like her survival instincts. Because of these instincts she constantly protects and provides for the ones she cares for. In Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, the overarching theme is if people rely on their instincts they can survive anything, proven by Katniss Everdeen’s survival tactics before the Hunger Games, during the first few days of the Games, and after she finds another character,

In chapter eleven she is at the cornucopia with all the tributes and she has to decide whether to grab supplies or run to a source of water. She manages to get a bright orange pack but has to decide whether to stay there to fight and get more supplies or go with what she has and run. Katniss chooses to run. Because she chose to run she used her instincts to guide her into surviving. Her survival is key in the arena and she needs to take every opportunity she can to do the best and because of her instincts she will do exactly that. They have guided her from the beginning and it is like a reflex to survive because she has learned how to. In chapter thirteen, Katniss has to escape from a wall of fire that they Gamemakers sent on the tributes. She escapes the fire but is left with a burn mark on her leg. Katniss uses her survival tactics run away from the fire and to treat her leg with memory alone. The burn, this triggers memory or flashback of when a man that had his leg burned off by a mine explosion. Katniss also remembers what her mother did to treat it.This memory reminded her that she has to treat it and save it or else the skin will shrivel up and die. Katniss goes and finds a little pool of water to wash her leg. Her memory helps save her this time because she knows that she has to do it or she will lose her leg. It also takes her

The other one was when she finally found Peeta Mellark. In chapter 19, Katniss needs to find Peeta in the arena so they can team up. She knows he is hurt and that he is near death. Because of this Katniss knows to go and save them. She knows that he can not survive without water and that leads her to his whereabouts. She goes to a stream surrounded by rocks. Katniss is whispering Peeta’s name so nothing unexpected finds her, as she does that something says, “You here to finish me off, sweetheart?” (Collins 248). She jumps and slowly whispered, “Peeta, where are you?” (Collins 248). She finds him and explains why she is here and tries to heal him in the stream. She knows that he needs a lot of medical attention and she knows somethings to do but is not completely sure what to do. She uses the leaves Rue gave her to draw the tracker jacker stings out. She also uses them to draw out the infection and pus in his leg. She gives him her burn medicine from Haymitch, her mentor. Katniss slowly starts to heal him. Because she knew to get to him and the right way to heal him, she saved him from dying. She used her knowledge and instincts to heal him because her knowledge healing is second nature. Another time Katniss uses her instincts is in chapter twenty one. She uses her instincts in the the Cornucopia to survive and to get the medicine for Peeta’s leg. Peeta tells her not to go but the Capital sends her a