Katniss and Peeta develop a complicated relationship throughout the novel, and conflicts of interests, plus the entire nature of their relationship can be can be easily scrutinized, once closely examined. From the beginning of the novel, Peeta goes out of his way to care for Katniss, and at one point suffers phsical abuse from his mother in order to feed her a loaf of bread. “The boy took one look back to the bakery as if checking that the coast 32 was clear, then, his attention back on the pig, he threw a loaf of bread in my direction. The second quickly followed, and he sloshed back to the bakery, closing the kitchen door tightly behind him.” (Collins 32). Katniss and Peeta also seem to have a codependent relationship, and both benefit from each other, represented best when Katniss hunts for food while Peeta collects berries; showing how both use their strengths to help each other survive. Above all, Katniss and Peeta can relate to each other, as they have both been actively thrown into a giant arena and are both fighitng for their lives.
From Katniss’ perspective, Peeta is a familar face in a time when her whole
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Throughout the book, Katniss often makes it clear to both Peeta and herself that she does not reciprocate Peeta’s feelings, and wants nothing to do with him. There’s also the fact that the Capitol is forcing their relationship, since the moment that Peeta announced to the world that he was in love with Katniss during an interview with Caesar. The two are also told by Haymitch that he “... wants them together at all times. Not one second will two spend out in public without each other, got it?” (Collins 103). There is also the fact that the majority of their relationship develops during the Games, a time when they are mentally weakend and tortured by the Capitol. Their relationship and trauma go hand in hand, and it is impossible to seperate one from the