The death of a friend is traumatic for any protagonist no matter the genre or circumstance, but the dystopian sagaThe Hunger Gamesmakes atrue spectacle out of death. With so many young lives taken in the name of brutal tradition, twisted entertainment, and keeping the people of Panem in line, it was only a matter of time before the revolution picked up speed and used a symbol likeKatniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)as its beacon of hope and resistance. Most ofThe Hunger Gamesfranchiserevolves around Katniss’s struggles to defy the Capitol and thedeadly President Coriolanus Snow(Donald Sutherland), and she is the perfect figure for the revolution to prop up and rally behind. However, there is one other, often overlooked character when it comes to the success of Panem’s uprising. Though she only appears in the first installment of the book trilogy, Rue (Amandla Stenberg) plays a huge role when it comes to the unfolding of the story’s plot —and that’s not just because of her influence on Katniss.Rue is the driving forcebehind the entireHunger Gamesseries.
The Hunger Games
Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
There are a number of reasons to kill a beloved character, especially inYA dystopian fiction. One easily justifiable reason to murder the story’s darlings is to propel the protagonist toward a goal, and this can be highly effective. WriterJoseph Campbellstudied an interesting pattern of storytelling in mythology, which he called the Hero’s Journey. This is a type of story structure involving several steps that take the protagonist from the beginning of the story to a satisfying end. Its patterns are clearly and commonly utilized in mythological stories, but contemporary storytelling uses the Hero’s Journey to great effect as well. One of the very first steps is aRefusal of the Callto Adventure, in which, for whatever reason, the protagonist has a chance to embark on their journey but ignores it. A plot device like the death of agreat mentor, significant other, or best friend might give the protagonist the kick in the pants they need to move the story along as an active hero. This is sometimes how the protagonist moves past the Refusal of the Call and into the main portion of the story.
In the case ofThe Hunger Games,plenty of characters tragically die, but none of them hit harder in the first installment than Rue’s death. Granted, not much is known about her except that she’s young, sweet, clever, and playful, but she demonstrates these qualities through her interactions with Katniss and the other contestants very early on, becoming a more developed character as the story progresses. As the youngest and smallestTribute in the Hunger Games, Rue defies expectations right away, even earning a training score of 7 out of 12.
On the surface, Rue’s death inThe Hunger Gamesappears to fall into the unsavory category of killing a side character just to motivate the hero. Rue, a character close to the protagonist, exists in the story primarily to die, and her death is integral to Katniss' motivation (and the audience’s sympathy). However, in her short time, Rue is also explored as a person rather than just collateral damage. She isn’t a passive character, and despite having very low chances of winning, becoming a victor is still her goal. She has a charming personality, shows kindness, and makes allies.Rue is fully her own character, and unlike other sacrificial characters in fiction, Rue’s emotional effect on Katniss isn’t the only purpose she serves.
Rue Reminds Katniss of Prim, and Both are Killed by The Capitol
Katniss gravitates toward Rue right away, not just for her resourcefulness but because shereminds Katniss of her sister Primrose(Willow Shields). Katniss’s story is interesting when compared to the Hero’s Journey formula because she answers someone else’s Call to Adventure. When Prim’s name is called at the Reaping ceremony in one ofThe Hunger Games’most memorable scenes, Katniss famously volunteers as tribute to protect her sister. Katniss begins to do the same with Rue, as the two of them stay close and protect each other. Rue saves Katniss from the Career Alliance by pointing out the tracker jacker nest and later nursing Katniss back to health, and from then on, she quickly becomes a good ally and companion.
However, the crushing reality of the Games is that only one winner makes it out alive, and Rue’s chances are never particularly good. Despite being smart and clever, she is still young and unprepared to fight against fierce tributes who have been training their whole lives. When Rue and Katniss separate in their attempt to take out the Careers, Rue is captured and frantically calls for Katniss’s help. Katniss frees Rue but isn’t able to save her from aspear thrown by District 1 Career, Marvel (Jack Quaid). Rue dies in Katniss’s arms, which both devastates Katniss but also drives her hatred for the Capitol and the Games (it also foreshadows Prim’s death inMockingjay— Part 2, which Katniss is powerless to prevent).
Rue’s Death Pushes Katniss to Rebel Against the Capitol in ‘The Hunger Games’
Rue’s death propels Katniss forwardin more ways than one. Though Katniss readily answered Prim’s Call to Adventure by willingly entering the Hunger Games, there is a separate underlying Call to Adventure that hasn’t entirely made itself known yet. A rebellion simmers just below every interaction between the Districts and the Capitol, and Katniss has already been showing signs of defiance, like when she shoots an arrow at the Gamemaker during her training.Katniss will eventually answer a different Call to Adventureby becoming the symbol of rebellion for the Districts (their Mockingjay), and the groundwork for that is laid with Rue’s death. Katniss gives Rue a proper send-off with a lullaby, gently closing Rue’s eyes and surrounding her body with wildflowers. Katniss clearly grieves this loss, and by showing this level of respect for a competitor, she is undermining the Capitol’s plan to turn the tributes against each other. She then solidifies her outright rebellion by giving the Districts thethree-finger saluteto show her solidarity with them. Rue’s death becomes the catalyst for something much greater than a singleHunger Gamestragedy. She adds heartbreak and determination to Katniss’s story, but her death also becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back in terms ofthe budding rebellion.
Even though throughoutThe Hunger Games, District 13 has been quietly gathering its forces in the background, the other Districts have been satisfactorily obedient to the Capitol’s power. No show of defiance goes unpunished, and despite being forced to adhere to the Capitol’s rules,Katniss shows defiancein any way she can, and now that she’s on camera for all the Districts to see, she becomes especially dangerous to the Capitol. Rue single-handedly stirred the Districts’ love and ultimately their heartbreak and her death incites riots in District 11, giving the revolution a true beginning. Their hatred isn’t aimed at another tribute like Marvel; Katniss reminds them through the three-finger salute that the Districts stand in solidarity with each other, and against the Capitol (the true enemy).
Katniss May Be the Girl on Fire, But Rue Is ‘The Hunger Games’ True Mockingjay
Even though Katniss is the one to go on and become the symbol of the revolution, Rue stands as anunderrated player in the rebellionand one who influences some of the more important plot progressions in terms of fighting back against the Capitol. Rather than falling among the ranks of other half-hearted deaths inThe Hunger Games, Rue serves as both extra motivation for Katniss and as thetrue beginning of the Districts’ rebellion. This dual-purpose death proves that Rue’s purpose for existing isn’t just to be a side character in Katniss’s story —it’s also to make a mark on the world around her.
It’s difficult to avoid the pitfalls of killing characters when the main purpose of the character is to be sacrificed, butThe Hunger Gamesdemonstrates how to write an extremely plot-relevant sacrificial character. Rue’s influence on the story is far more wide-reaching than her short appearance in the first installment makes her appear. Not only does her death incite rage and riots among the people, leading to the rebellion that would eventually mean the death of President Snow (who is given more character depth inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and the fall of the Capitol, but Katniss’s show of love and care by giving her a proper funeral helps the Districts to see her as one of their own. Even from beyond the grave, Rue’s influence on the story continues even after her untimely end.
Every hero needs motivation, and sometimes that motivation comes in the form of a character, but that’s notalla character should be. It’s possible to write a doomed character whose purpose is to be sacrificed in the name of another character’s development; if the sacrificial character is written with great care and respect, their impact on the story can become multipurpose and unique. In the case ofThe Hunger Games, Katniss becomes the symbol of rebellion, but behind the scenes,Rue is the true Mockingjay.
