The novel also introduces several new characters that have a pivotal role to play in the novel. The main characters and supporting characters have striking personalities and are well-drawn out. However, some of the smaller characters are in danger of becoming stereotypical representations.
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss is the strong-minded and clever protagonist of Catching Fire. She has just won the 74th Hunger Games and has had to face several trauma and horrors during them. However, she emerged from them stronger and braver. Though she is frightened by President Snow, she does not let his threats shake her.
She is terrified of going back to the arena once again but builds up her courage to keep Peeta alive. Her self-sacrificial nature shines forth in this novel once again, as she is ready to die for Peeta. She is fierce and independent, having single-handedly brought up her sister and taken care of herself after her father’s death. Her passionate and fiery personality unwittingly makes her the symbol of the rebellion against the Capitol.
Peeta Mellark
Peeta is Katniss’s co-tribute in the Quarter Quell. He is also her lover and fiance in the eyes of the Capitol. Peeta is highly artistic and is brilliant at frosting cakes and painting. He is sweet and gentle, and according to Katniss, the only person who is “good enough” to win the Games. He genuinely loves Katniss and goes to any lengths to protect her in the arena. He is sensitive towards his fellow beings, righteous in the face of cruelty, and brave in the face of fear.
Gale Hawthorne
Gale Hawthorne is Katniss’s hunting partner and oldest friend. Although he looks very similar to Katniss, he is described as being extremely handsome. He is fierce and brave and determined to right the many wrongs of the Capitol.
The minute he hears about the rebellion in the other districts, he does not hesitate to stay in District 12 and join the fight against the Capitol. He cares about his family and does whatever he can to prevent his younger siblings from signing up for extra tesserae. He is also reliable, and Katniss constantly turns to him for comfort and support. Gale is in love with Katniss, but his feelings are unrequited.
Prim Everdeen
Prim is Katniss’s sister. She is a fearful girl of fourteen, but extremely gentle. Prim has a way of winning over people’s hearts. She learns to become a healer like her mother, and is calm and focused whenever a patient is brought in for healing.
Haymitch Abernathy
Haymitch is Katniss and Peeta’s mentor in the Quarter Quell and a victor himself. He is an alcoholic that seems to care for nothing and nobody. However, he deeply cares for Katniss and Peeta. He is also central to the rebellion but is clever and deceptive enough to cover his tracks, even from Katniss. Intelligent and shrewd, he is an asset to Katniss and Peeta in the Games, as well as to the rebellion.
Effie Trinket
Effie Trinket is Katniss and Peeta’s escort from the Capitol. She is constantly worried about her appearances and public image. She has formed a connection with the two of them and is upset to see them in the Hunger Games once again. However, she remains just as focused and organized as ever and carts them around everywhere right on schedule.
Cinna
Cinna is Katniss’s stylist. He has gained immense popularity since the previous Hunger Games for his work on Katniss’s costumes. However, he steps out of line when he designs Katniss a Mockingjay costume and is put to death for it.
Finnick Odair
Finnick Odair is the most charming and attractive victor alive and is known for having a string of lovers in the Capitol. He becomes Katniss’s ally in the arena and helps revive Peeta when his heart stops. He turns out to have a deeper personality than his public image. He is kind, brave and loyal, and supports the rebels’ cause.
Johanna Mason
Johanna Mason is the female tribute from District 7. She is brilliant at throwing axes and works for the rebels. She is scathing, yet courageous. Johanna is willing to do whatever it takes to bring down the Capitol, mainly because the Capitol has wiped off all of her loved ones. Thus, she joins the cause of the rebels and helps Katniss escape from the arena.
President Snow
President Snow is the main antagonist of Catching Fire. He is as autocratic and ruthless as ever and is determined to maintain control in Panem. He threatens to kill Gale if Katniss does not play her part in quenching the rebellion, and introduces a new twist in the Quarter Quell to break Katniss’s influence over the districts.
Mags
Mags is the 80-year-old woman who volunteers to take the place of Annie, Finnick’s lover, in the Quarter Quell. Mags sacrifices her life to save Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick.
Beetee
The male tribute from District 3. He is handy with inventions and is extremely intelligent. He teaches Katniss how to look out for force fields in the Capitol. He concocts a plan to eliminate the tributes from District 2, which, in reality, is a plan for the rebels to break Katniss out of the arena.
Wiress
The intelligent female tribute from District 3. She figures out the arena is built like a clock before anyone else. However, her mind seems to have been affected by the previous Hunger Games, and she is unable to hold full-fledged conversations with people.
Chaff
The male tribute from District 11. He is Haymitch’s friend and likes teasing Katniss playfully.
Seeder
The female tribute from District 11. She is friendly with Katniss.
Brutus
The male tribute from District 2. He is a well-built Career tribute and one of the main threats to Katniss and Peeta in the arena.
Enobaria
The female tribute from District 2. She is also a Career tribute.
Katniss’s Mother
Katniss’s mother works as a healer. She is calm and level-headed when caring for the sick and injured. However, she and Katniss do not enjoy a happy relationship with each other, because Katniss resents her for shutting down after the death of her father.
Hazelle Hawthorne
Hazelle Hawthorne is Gale’s mother. She is a resourceful person. When her husband died in a mining accident, she started doing laundry for the people in District 12 to keep her children alive and fed.
Plutarch Heavensbee
Plutarch Heavensbee is the Head Gamemaker for the 75th Hunger Games. He pretends to be on the Capitol’s side but is a part of the rebellion against it.
Darius
Darius is the Head Peacekeeper of District 12 until Romulus Thread shows up. He is friendly with the district citizens and even buys meat and other products from Katniss and Gale. However, the Capitol turns him into an Avox for intervening during Gale’s punishment.
Romulus Thread
Romulus Thread is the new Head Peacekeeper in District 12. He is brought in to strictly enforce the rules in the districts and dole out punishments. He is brutal in his treatment of the citizens.
Madge Undersee
Madge Undersee is Mayor Undersee’s daughter and Katniss’s friend. She and Katniss spend a good deal of time together, either just talking or tinkering around the piano in Madge’s house.
Maysilee Donner
Maysilee Donner is a close friend of Katniss’s mother and Madge Undersee’s aunt. She was also Haymitch’s co-tribute when he was selected for the 50th Hunger Games.
Flavius, Octavia, and Venia
Flavius, Octavia, and Venia are Katniss’s hair and makeup team. They are vain and superficial. Much like everyone else at the Capitol, they ignorantly view the Games as a form of entertainment and nothing else. However, they shed genuine tears for Katniss when they realize that she has to go back into the area once again.
FAQs
Did Johanna Mason die?
No, Johanna Mason does not die in the Hunger Games trilogy. She is captured by the Capitol and tortured for information regarding the rebellion. However, she is ultimately rescued by the rebels in Mockingjay.
Who is the main supporting character in ‘Catching Fire?’
Haymitch Abernathy would be the main supporting character in ‘Catching Fire.’ While the novel predominantly features Katniss, Peeta, and Gale, Haymitch has a vital role to play. Not only does he act as a mentor to Katniss and Peeta but he is also central to the rebellion.
Why is Gale whipped?
Gale is whipped for carrying on illegal activities, specifically the poaching of wild animals. While the previous Head Peacekeeper, Darius, used to overlook his poaching, the new Head, Romulus Thread, had Gale whipped in public to punish him for his crimes and set an example.
Who does Coriolanus Snow marry?
Coriolanus Snow marries a woman named Julia Pompey. However, there was no love between them. Rumors abound that Julia tried to kill him, which is why Snow had her poisoned. After Julia, Snow married two more women, one from the Stone family and the other from the Willford family.
