Catching Fire Chapter 4 Quotes
Catching Fire Chapter 4 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
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.
If I hadn't spoken to President Snow, this gesture might move me to tears. But with his recent orders to calm the districts fresh in my ears, it fills me with dread. What will he think of this very public salute to the girl who defied the Capitol? (4.87-88)
Getting accolades isn't always a positive thing, as Katniss finds out. Here she's being saluted for her bravery and her work in the arena. But to an outside eye, like Snow's, this "salute" is seen as a threat. While Katniss didn't ask for any recognition, it makes her look like she's starting a rebellion, and the realization of this fact "fills [her] with dread."
Quote 2
Instead he [Peeta] speaks in his simple, winning style about Thresh and Rue making it to the final eight, about how they both kept me alive – thereby keeping him alive – and about how this is a debt we can never repay. [...] "It can no way replace your losses, but as a token of our thanks we'd like for each of the tributes' families from District Eleven to receive one month of our winnings every year for the duration of our lives." (4.75)
As winners of the Games, both Peeta and Katniss make no secret of who they owe or how much. Here Peeta shows he's just as brave as Katniss by ignoring the rules in order to honor their debt. In another passage, Katniss explains exactly how brave Peeta's actions are, saying she can't even begin to guess at what their repercussions might be. In a way, it doesn't matter; Peeta has at least recognized and stated the debt they owe.
Quote 3
It's true that Peeta froze me out after I confessed that my love for him during the Games was something of an act. But I don't hold that against him. In the arena, I'd played that romance angle for all it was worth. There had been times when I didn't honestly know how I felt about him. I still don't really. (4.31)
In the arena, Katniss fully intended to manipulate her audience in order to get sponsors and make it out alive. What she didn't realize was how much she was manipulating Peeta as well. She thought he was in on the trick, but in fact she was leading him on. Poor Peeta.