Free Katniss Everdeen Essay Example

The final Hunger Games Mockingjay book brings a transformation to the character of Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is a person that one would have describes as fairly ethical in so many of her decisions in her experiences throughout the Hunger Games. The finale brings out a different side of Katniss that the readers have not seen previously. Despite the changes that Katniss displays, her character remains ethical under the conditions she is forced to accept.
In the final book, Katniss is rescued from the Quarter Qwell, to find that Peeta was not one of the people to return with the rescued members. This upsetting news was the primary motivation in her decision to agree to become the Mockingjay. A utilitarian philosophy would be used to describe the decision Katniss makes in sacrificing herself as the Mockingjay. Against her will she agrees so that she is able to rescue Peeta, allow her sister Prim to keep her cat, provide immunity for her friends, and kill President Snow. An assumption that her decision will bring happiness to loved ones from this decision making it just in accordance with the utilitarian theory. A Kantian based ethical philosophy could also be factored into Katniss’ decision because the people were counting on her to take the lead in the fight against the Capitol. Had she disregarded the request, many may have felt let down and discouraged in their fight against the enemy. Both the Kantian and Utilitarian philosophies would declare Katniss’ decision to remain within ethical practices when she made the choice to become Mockingjay.
After Peeta’s rescue, Katniss finds herself in an unexpected situation with Peeta’s hijacking, which leaves him hating Katniss resulting in his attempt to kill her. The difficulty of the way Peeta feels toward her seems to damage her deeply, making the remainder of her decisions questionable. Her psychological condition does not appear to be stable, yet she continues to participate in the rebellion. Commander Boggs is one of the first casualties as the team, which includes Peeta, proceeds to continue the mission to kill President Snow.
Under Katniss’ leadership the team heads toward the center of the Capitol, but the majorities are killed in the process. The three primary characters left to reach the Capitol are Katniss, Peeta, and Gale who get separated as the fighting continues. A large number of rebels lose their lives, including young children. Among the lost are Katniss’ little sister Prim. President Snow is captured during the battle and when Katniss’ meets with him, she is planted a seed of mistrust against President Coin, whom Snow claims as responsible for her little sister Prim’s death. The information she receives shifts her inner dialogue that results in an unexpected change of plans.
The rebels were the group responsible for the attack, which even meant that a weapon that Gale created was the one to take the life of Prim. Katniss’ confronts Gale, yet remains cold and stoic as she is clearly under shock and ready for a complete breakdown.
Towards the end of the story, several situations arise that may have been overwhelming for Katniss’ to cope with in the midst of an already fragile condition. She has always help up so pride fully and showing strength, which she continues to display; however, the weakness, heartbreak, and trauma are clearly too much for even Katniss Everdeen in the final pages of the story.
President Coin meets with the winners from the Hunger Games to request a vote for who thinks that the new rebel leadership should continue the tradition of the Hunger Games, but this time making the remainder of citizens from the Capitol fight to each other’s death. Katniss’ vote in agreement with President Coin becomes the deciding factor toward implementation of this idea. It is at this point in the story that Katniss’ behavior becomes unethical. She no longer seems to consider that the entire rebellion was in hopes of a better world, not one where cruelty and torture ensue. Katniss’ seems to make this choice out of a moral defeat that she is struggling with during this emotionally exhausting pinnacle in the story.
When it is time to shoot President Snow, which Katniss is responsible for doing, she ends up killing President Coin instead. This choice goes back to a Kantian philosophical choice that was done for preservation in the attempt for a peaceful world. The logic here was in realizing that the rebel leader would end up ruling in an unethical manner similar to the way President Snow ruled; however this time it would just be the rebels who would take power.
Katniss finally allows her true emotions to come to the surface as she kills Coin. All the strength she kept up was impossible to remain in place, and she broke down letting herself mourn the incredibly difficult life she had been leading. The overall character of Katniss Everdeen held herself in an admirable ethical position through most of series. Not many people could have had the courage to fight for the greater good. This is the final statement to make in the character analysis of Katniss; both the Kantian and Utilitarian philosophies would support the view of her choices as ethical in nature.

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. United States: Scholastics Inc. 2010.
Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. 2nd ed. United States: Hackett Publishing Company. Inc.
Vlach, Michael. "Kantian Ethics". Theological Studies. 2012. Website. March 23, 2015. <
http://theologicalstudies.org/resource-library/phi losophy-dictionary/135-kantian-ethics >