The Three-Finger Salute is also a sign of respect and admiration for someone. It is a hand gesture that is adopted by the rebels to show their unity and solidarity with each other during the Second Rebellion. The three-finger salute is created by raising the right hand with the index, middle, and ring fingers extended outwards, with the thumb and pinky touching each other.
What is the Three-Finger Salute?
The Three Finger Salute is a hand gesture in the ‘Hunger Games’ universe. It is made when one raises their hand in the air with their index finger, middle finger, and ring finger pointing upwards, and their thumb and pinky joined together. More often than not, the people who raise their hand in such a gesture will give the first three fingers a small kiss before raising them in the air.
The three-finger salute is used to say goodbye to a person who is loved. It is also used as a sign of respect and admiration.
History of the Three-Finger Salute
During the Reaping Ceremony
The three-finger salute is an old and almost forgotten gesture from District 12. The gesture is used to show respect and admiration for the person you love. It is also used to say goodbye. Thus, the gesture of the three-finger salute is revived in District 12 when Katniss Everdeen volunteers in the reaping for her sister, Primrose Everdeen, during the 74th Hunger Games.
The act of volunteering for the Games is nearly nonexistent in District 12 and, therefore, the gesture stirs the crowd. They are aware of the injustice that has led to Katniss volunteering for her death. Unfortunately, under the tyranny of the Capitol, they are unable to do anything about it. All they can do is show Katniss that they love, respect, and admire her.
“At first one, then another, then almost every member of the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.”
‘The Hunger Games’
Katniss’ Goodbye to Rue
After the death of her friend and ally, Rue, in the arena of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss decides to show the Capitol that she is more than just a player in their Games. She decides to give Rue a proper farewell by singing her a simple lullaby and covering her in wildflowers.
“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.”
‘The Hunger Games’
Before departing, Katniss turns back to perform the three-finger salute in Rue’s direction as a way of saying goodbye.
“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.
‘The Hunger Games’
The Three-Finger Salute in the Second Rebellion
The Three Finger Salute is first used as a sign of rebellion during the Victory Tour of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in ‘Catching Fire.‘ Katniss gives a speech to honor the lives of the District 11 tributes, Thresh and Rue. In response, an old man sings Rue’s four-note tune, and the citizens of the district perform the hand gesture of the Three Finger Salute.
“What happens next is not an accident. It is too well executed to be spontaneous, because it happens in complete unison. Every person in the crowd presses the three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips and extends them to me. It’s our sign from District 12, the last good-bye I gave Rue in the arena.”
‘Catching Fire’
Katniss recognizes this gesture as a sign of rebellion and is immediately filled with fear. This is because she has been instructed by President Snow to cull the stirrings of protests in the districts, or else the lives of her loved ones, including her mother and her younger sister, Prim, would be in danger. However, it seems as though the use of the Three Finger Salute during the Victory Tour was an orchestrated event, to demonstrate that the citizens are revolting against the Capitol.
The Three Finger Salute is later adopted by the rebels during the Second Rebellion to show their support for the resistance, and that they do not condone the injustices of the Capitol.
The Three-Finger Salute in the Real World
The Three Finger Salute was popularized by ‘The Hunger Games’ in 2010, and was later adopted by many Southeast Asian countries as a pro-democracy gesture.
It was first used by activists during the Thailand coup d’etat in 2014 when the hand gesture was declared illegal due to its use as a symbol of democracy. The use of the hand gesture was revived in 2020 during the Thai political crisis. By 2020, people had ascribed further meaning to the Three-Finger Salute. They propounded that the three fingers represented the three ideals of the French Revolution: equality, liberty, and fraternity.
The symbol is also used in Hong Kong in the military coup against the Chinese government. The Three Finger Salute is popularly used as a symbol of resistance in Myanmar and Cambodia as well.
FAQs
Who started the Three Finger Salute in ‘The Hunger Games’?
The origin of the three-finger salute in ‘The Hunger Games’ is unknown. Katniss Everdeen mentions that it is an old gesture from District 12 that is rarely used. It is possible that the Three Finger Salute was used during the First Rebellion to symbolize resistance against the Capitol and later went out of use after the rebels were defeated.
What do the three fingers mean in ‘The Hunger Games’?
The Three Finger Salute is used as a hand gesture in ‘The Hunger Games’ to say goodbye to a person you love. It is also used as a symbol of admiration and respect. Later in the trilogy, the Three Finger Salute comes to be used as a symbol of the uprising against the Capitol. It was, therefore, adopted by the rebels and used during the Second Rebellion.
Where did the Three Finger Salute come from?
The Three Finger Salute was originally popularized by the publication of The Hunger Games in 2010. The hand gesture was later adopted as a pro-democracy symbol in the real world as well by several Southeast Asian countries. For example, the symbol was used during the 2014 Thai coup d’etat, the Umbrella Movement of Hong Kong in 2014, the Myanmar coup d’etat in 2021, and the resistance in Myanmar against the current government of Hue Sen.
