2nd installment for The Hunger Games

In The Hunger Games, there is quite a transformation in the character of Katniss Everdeen. At the beginning of the novel, she is a tomboy who has to fight for survival. The circumstances that she is in require her to have that focus. Considering her character qualities of determination, survival and her tendency to be emotionally detached to those around her, fighting in the arena appeared to be a good fit for her. Katniss was blown away when Peeta tells all of Panem in his interview that he is madly in love (secretly up to this point) with Katniss!! A love relationship with a man does not fit in with her character up to this point. Katniss's first reaction to this news is to determine whether this "love affair" is legitimate or is it a strategy that Haymitch helped Peeta devise to help him win the Games. Once Katniss and Peeta get into the arena, they initially do not even have any contact with each other. When the new rule is announced, Katniss and Peeta suddenly go from enemies in the arena to allies. Katniss is determined to find Peeta, but only as an ally, not for a love relationship. The real turning point in their relationship is when they have to not only depend on each other for survival but they also have to nurture each other back to health. Through a series of events, Katniss' hard outer shell melts away and a tender emotional side is revealed. What is interesting about this transformation is that it is totally unexpected. This certainly keeps me engulfed in the book!