Katniss
first knew Peeta only as the boy with the
bread. When they were younger, Peeta
intentionally burnt the bread from his parent’s bakery so he could give some to
the starving Katniss. Why? Perhaps he just felt sorry for their
family. While a nice gesture at the time,
it is not enough for Katniss to trust Peeta during the Hunger Games. She knows that out of the 24 people selected that
there will only be one survivor – they can’t both win. However, this selfless attitude is prevalent
from Peeta throughout the whole book. He
has one concern on his mind: Katniss.
She is all he cares about.
Because of this, Peeta carries a freedom about himself that no one in
the whole nation of Panem has, including those who are calling the shots at the
Capitol. Anytime there is an opportunity
to do something for Katniss, he takes it.
Anytime there is something she needs, he has already thought of a way to
help her.
There
is a short book of the Bible known as the Song of Songs. It contains an erotic love dialog between a
Bridegroom and a Bride. The book opens
with the Bride saying, “Let him kiss me with kisses from his mouth” (Songs
1:2). And the Bridegroom is constantly
singing, “Ah you are beautiful, my Beloved, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves behind your veil” (Songs
1:15). The sensual imagery in this
scripture helps to combat the notion of Christianity as a prudish, lifeless
religion. But more than anything, this book frames an essential analogy for us
in understanding man’s relationship to God.
The Bride represents the Church who opens herself to the love of Jesus
the Bridegroom. Throughout the romance
of the Hunger Games, we see the heart of Jesus the Bridegroom in Peeta Mellark
who lays down his life freely for his beloved (John 10:18).
In
the arena of the Hunger Games, there is a period of time when Katniss believes
that Peeta has abandoned her. It seems
like he has betrayed her and taken sides with the ones who are seeking to kill
her known as the “career pack.” Really
Peeta has only joined up with these other tributes so that he can better
protect Katniss as an inside man. He
proves his faithfulness to her when he fights Cato to save Katniss, thereby
suffering a severe wound that left him to bleed to near death. As he lies in the mud for days wasting away,
he softly whispers one word over and over again to himself: Katniss.
Often in my life, I have felt that Jesus has abandoned me only to
realize later that he was pursuing me the whole time and never forgot about me.
Eventually,
it is announced that two victors from each district can win. Katniss and Peeta team up. Their mentor in the games, Haymitch, has
developed a strategy for Katniss’ survival by presenting her and Peeta Mellark
as “star-crossed lovers.” This image
helps people in the Capitol to like Katniss and Peeta thereby earning them
sponsors in the games. Having sponsors
are essential to survival as they can send food, medicine, or weapons to
tributes at the moments of greatest need.
Katniss wants to survive so she plays along with this “star-crossed
lovers” idea. When she flirts with Peeta
about how she loves him and kisses him, it is all because she knows those in
the Capitol are watching. She is trying
to impress them to survive. However,
Peeta is always totally genuine. When he
talks about how he loves and has always loved Katniss, he means every bit of it. Every kiss means the world to him because he
is with the one whom he loves above all else.
Peeta could care less about the people in Panem. His eyes are always on Katniss.
I
don’t know about you but sometimes I struggle with being fake in my relationship
with Jesus. Sometimes I’m just like
Katniss and say I love Jesus only to impress those around me who are
watching. Katniss’ kisses are a
lie. “Judas, you betray the Son of Man
with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48). At the end
of the book after they have both survived and they are headed home, Peeta asks
Katniss what life will be like now that they are together. Finally off camera, Katniss shows that her
heart is not totally in this relationship.
The look on Peeta’s face makes your heart want to break. I have
given up everything for you. Why did you
pretend to love me?
Jesus
wants us to be honest and authentic. Why
do we sometimes pretend? In truth, this
must be worst for him to bear than the crown of thorns. At the end of our life when we are finally
off camera, will Jesus say, “I never knew you.”
Matthew 7:23. But don’t be discouraged
just yet. After Peeta finds out the truth, he does something even more
absurd. He stands by Katniss. He doesn’t leave her and continues to allow her
to put on the act that she loves him. He
does this to help protect her from the leaders of Capitol who are beginning to
accuse her of starting a rebellion. He
meets Katniss where she is at and loves her even with the fakeness.
It
is frustrating to watch Katniss doubt Peeta’s love even up to the very
end. She tries so hard in her mind to
find excuses and ulterior motives for Peeta’s self-sacrificial love for
her. She refuses to believe that he
actually loves her that deeply and cares more about her than himself. When it is announced at the end that there
can only be one victor after all, Katniss already has her bow posed to shoot
Peeta. But before she can, Peeta has
tossed his knife on the ground without a second thought. She stares at him with her arrow pointed at
his bleeding body and begins to weep with shame. Peeta smiles with is arms open wide and can
think of nothing but offering his life for the one he loves. The boy
with the bread. This is my body, given
for you. I have heard it said that
if for some reason we needed it, Jesus would die on the cross all over again
for each one of us – personally. After
they go back home and Peeta’s heart is broken by Katniss’ fake love, Peeta
still exhibits this same love of Christ by volunteering to enter the Hunger
Games again because Katniss is forced to go.
Indeed, an
exchange between Katniss and Haymitch sums it all up.
“You
know, you could live a thousand lifetimes and not deserve him,” Haymitch says.
“I
know,” says Katniss.
There
is no good reason for Peeta to love Katniss so much. It is certainly nothing she ever did for him
– all she has ever done to him was hurt him.
And there is nothing Katniss did or could ever do to make Peeta stop
loving her. Peeta loves her freely.
“You
said you had a crush on me forever? When
did forever start?” Katniss asks.
Peeta
says, “Oh let’s see. My father pointed
you out...and I knew I was a goner.”
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