Do we like Katniss Everdeen?
A character from The Hunger Games (2008)
Our score: 8 out of 10. Prickly, guarded and not always easy to like, but brave and fiercely loyal. We'd back her. She keeps choosing to protect people who can't protect themselves.
Katniss lives in District 12, the poorest district of Panem. Panem is a country built on the ruins of North America, and the wealthy Capitol rules its 13 districts with absolute power. She has become the family provider since her father died, and she hunts illegally with a bow to keep her mother and younger sister Prim fed. When Prim's name is drawn for the yearly Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers in her place.
Katniss is not a natural crowd-pleaser. She is blunt, wary and cynical, and she is far better with a bow than with people. Her real strengths are survival instincts, quick thinking and a deep protectiveness toward people she loves. Her hunting skills, tree-climbing and speed make her a serious threat in the arena. Her habit of looking after the vulnerable keeps winning us back, even when she's being stubborn or self-absorbed. That's why she scores well but not perfectly.
Her defiance in the Games, together with her partnership with fellow District 12 tribute Peeta, turns her into a symbol that frightens the Capitol. By the later books she is the face of the districts' rebellion, the Mockingjay. She is reluctant, traumatised and often used by others, but she keeps fighting to end the Games for good.