Johanna Mason

"They can't hurt me. I'm not like the rest of you. There's no one left I love."

- Johanna Mason

Johanna Mason is the female tribute from District 7 in an earlier and unspecified Hunger Games, most likely the 71st or 72nd Hunger Games and again in the third Quarter Quell. It is said that she was the victor of the Hunger Games a few years earlier. She was one of the younger tributes in this Quarter Quell. She is the last living female victor of District 7, whose principal industry is lumber.

Biography
In her original Hunger Games, Johanna pretended to be a weakling, feigning hunger and fatigue, when in reality she was sly and cunning, described by Katniss as having a "wicked ability to murder." Johanna is proficient with axes, as she comes from District 7, where the main industry is lumber. It is assumed that all of Johanna's loved ones were killed by President Snow after her Games, as she tells Katniss that there is "no one left [she] loves."

The Third Quarter Quell
Johanna first meets Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark before the opening ceremonies of the 75th Hunger Games. She unnerves Katniss in the elevator when she strips off her costume, wearing nothing but forest green slippers. Katniss is immediately turned off by this action, eyeing Peeta's reaction. He later explains to Katniss that Johanna did this to get a reaction since she and the other tributes obviously see Katniss as being the most "pure."

During the opening ceremonies Johanna wears a tree costume, and she complains the tributes from District 7 have been wearing them for 40 years courtesy of their district stylist.

During Johanna's interview with Caesar Flickerman she asks if something could be done about the victors going back into the arena, since surely the Gamemakers never anticipated such attachment forming between the victors and the Capitol. Johanna holds hands with the other victors on the night of the interviews as a sign of rebellion.

After the arena is destroyed from the inside by Beetee, Finnick, Katniss, Peeta and Johanna herself, she is taken into custody by the Capitol along with Peeta, Annie, and Enobaria, a District 2 citizen and victor of an earlier Games.

Alliances
During the 75th Games, Johanna includes Wiress and Beetee, the District 3 tributes, in an alliance, because Haymitch told her that was the only way Katniss would accept an alliance. Her district partner, Blight runs into the forcefield surrounding the arena and is killed during the blood rain. After Blight's death, the three of them run into Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick, and expand their alliance to include them. Katniss, however, is positive that the real alliance lies between Johanna and Finnick, since the two of them are old friends.

Johanna is annoyed when Katniss tells her to lay off Wiress after she pushed her down, as Johanna admits she got Wiress and Beetee for Katniss. After Finnick forcibly calms her down by repeatedly dunking her in the water near the Cornucopia, Katniss discovers that the arena is shaped like a clock. There, the Careers ambush them and after Wiress is killed, Johanna buries her axe in Cashmere's chest, killing her.

When the Jabberjays that sound like tributes' loved ones begin to scream, Johanna is impatient and tells Katniss that it wasn't Prim screaming, but merely a weapon to unhinge her set by the Capitol. She goes into the area with the Jabberjays, trying to get water, but Katniss warns her not to go in there. Johanna replies they can't hurt her since she doesn't have anyone left to love.

Johanna and the group prepares for Beetee's plan to kill the remaining Career tributes using his coil of wire, the lake, and the lightning storm. Johanna and Katniss are in charge of setting up the wire and positioning it, but when they discover the wire has been broken, Johanna strikes Katniss in the temple with the metal coil and digs into her arm with the tip of a knife in order to get the tracking device out. Her motive for doing this was because if she had not, the Capitol could have tracked her past the arena, to District 13 where the tributes were preparing to escape to. However at the time Katniss believes that this is because Johanna and Finnick had had a plan to upend the alliance and kill Katniss, Peeta, and Beetee - the only ones left alive from the alliance at this point. Johanna then goes back to Finnick to continue the mission - to get them all back to District 13 alive.

At the end of the Games, prior to the escape and capture of several of the tributes from the arena, Katniss thought that Johanna attempted to kill her when she cut her left arm, when in actuality, she was removing the tracking chip placed by the Gamemakers. Johanna also led Brutus and Enobaria away from Katniss so Katniss could escape the arena and be the Mockingjay.

Victims
Johanna pretended to be weak in her first Games but later when there was a small amount of tributes, she killed viciously. In her second games (the 75th Hunger Games, a.k.a. the third Quarter Quell), she killed Cashmere by burying one of her axes into her chest. She assaulted Katniss, cutting open her arm to remove the tracker and keep her put. Her intention was to not kill her, but to cut the Gamemakers off from her, effectively preventing them from locating her.

Mockingjay
Johanna was picked up by the Capitol at the end of the 75th Hunger Games, and was held captive and tortured. She was soaked in water and then tortured with electroshocks while imprisoned. Eventually, along with Annie Cresta and Peeta Mellark, she was saved on a mission to the Capitol led by the rebels, and was taken back to District 13. Johanna is taken to receive medical attention for both the physical and mental wounds that were inflicted on her. When Katniss sees Johanna, she notes that she looks ill, bruised, covered in scabs and has had her hair shaven. This is because unlike Annie, who was only taken hostage as a weapon to use against Finnick, Johanna knew information about Katniss in the rebellion. Johanna awakens and finds Katniss in a coma in her room. Johanna takes some morphling from Katniss's supply since they cut her supply off. When she awakens, the two talk about her role as the mockingjay. Johanna tells her that the Capitol fears Katniss and explains why she hates her. Gale enters the room, and Johanna leaves so the two can be alone.

In District 13, Johanna is trained as a soldier so she can fight in the rebellion alongside Katniss. The two suffer and bond together in training and later become roommates since they both need help. Johanna meets Katniss, Gale, Beetee, Delly, Annie, Finnick and later Peeta at lunch. Johanna tells Peeta to sit next to her and announces to the group that the two are familiar with each others' screams since they were tortured together in the Capitol. When Johanna undergoes the test to see if she is ready to become a part of an official rebel squad, they flood the streets and due to her fear of water (caused by her torture) she goes into shock and is deemed unfit to fight. After this, Katniss remembers her tendency to not bathe since she arrived at District 13 and attributes it to her fear of water caused by the torture. Katniss gathers pine needles for her to take with her so she can think of home. Johanna is comforted by this and just before Katniss leaves, Johanna makes her promise to kill President Snow for her, a promise which Katniss does not fullfil.

Before President Snow's death, President Coin gathers all seven remaining victors that survived and asks if they would like a final Hunger Games, but with the children of the most powerful people in the Capitol. Peeta, Annie, and Beetee vote no, but Enobaria, Haymitch, Katniss and Johanna vote yes. Johanna watches Katniss about to kill Snow but instead kill Coin. It is assumed Johanna returned to her home in District 7.

Family
Johanna states in Catching Fire that she has no one left that she loves anymore, but she says it with such a bitterness that it is inferred there is much more to the story. In Mockingjay, it is revealed by Finnick Odair that President Snow killed them because she refused to cooperate with his plans to prostitute her.

Finnick Odair
Johanna and Finnick were friends prior to the 75th Hunger Games, most likely having formed a bond during previous Hunger Games where they were mentors. They were allied during the 75th Hunger Games, along with Wiress, Beetee, Katniss, Peeta, and Mags. Katniss believed that Johanna was only in the alliance for Finnick, when in reality, she was only protecting the Mockingjay so as not to end the rebellion early.

In Mockingjay, Katniss states that she "doesn't really know what's between Finnick and Johanna", and Haymitch says that Katniss and Finnick are the closest things Johanna has to friends.

Katniss Everdeen
"You have to kill him, Katniss." "Don’t worry." "Swear it. On something you care about." "I swear it. On my life." "On your family’s life." "On my family’s life."

- Katniss promises to kill President Snow for Johanna

When they first met, during the 75th Hunger Games in Catching Fire, both Johanna and Katniss had a strong dislike for each other. However, once inside the arena the two were thrown together into an alliance set up by Haymitch, and the rebels of District 13. Even though the two were now allies, they still didn't trust each other. During the escape from the arena at the end of these Hunger Games, Johanna 'attacked' Katniss for the purpose of removing a tracking device from her arm, then lead Brutus and Enobaria, the District 2 tributes, away from Katniss. As a result of this, Katniss began to hate Johanna, thinking she had meant to kill her, until she realized what Johanna had done.

After being rescued from Capitol clutches in Mockingjay, Johanna and Katniss start to become friends. First, Johanna, knowing that Katniss is indebted to her, begins to siphon off Katniss's morphling supply. As a result of the time spent together in the hospital, the two grow closer, and eventually become friends. Once they are released from the hospital, Johanna and Katniss willingly move into a compartment in District 13 together, proving their friendship. They train together to be sent to the Capitol. When the times comes for their tests of worth, Katniss passes, but Johanna has a breakdown and is sent back to the hospital. Katniss gives her a small bundle that smells of pine to remind her of home. When she presents it, Johanna makes her promise to kill Snow.

Personality
"It doesn't matter, you had to tell us or we never would have moved our camp in the first place, brainless."

- Johanna's blunt way of telling Katniss she needed to tell them about the clock arena. Johanna is very sly and perceptive. She understands the greater good of the districts and is willing to give up her life for freedom. She can be pert and difficult at times and is an expert at deception. She is described as sarcastic and snarky when she's not having a "victor's breakdown". She is very gutsy when it comes to showing her dislike of the Capitol. During her interview for the third Quarter Quell, she complained that the "deep bond" between victors and the Capitol should not be severed and wondered if something could be done to change the Quell. In the arena, to make Katniss feel better about the jabberjays, she assures her that Prim can't be dead, proclaiming that if she had been killed it would likely cause an uprising. In a very rebellious act, she throws her head back and yells to the camera "Whole country in rebellion? Wouldn't want anything like that!", an exclamation unprecedented in the Games. Under morphling influence, she appears much more vulnerable. Impatient and cruel at times, she can be rather vicious toward others both verbally and physically - such as when she slaps Katniss and insults her many times. However, once she becomes friendlier toward Katniss, she proves herself to be a person who has good reason to have a more aggressive approach towards fighting against the Capitol, and someone who is often just as misunderstood as Katniss was.

Physical description
Johanna is described as having wide-set brown eyes and spiky brown/black hair. In Mockingjay, she returns from the Capitol with a shaved head after being tortured by them but eventually grows pieces of her hair back. She is also very muscular.

Etymology

 * Johanna is the latinate form of Ioanna, which is the feminine form of Ioannes, meaning God is gracious.
 * Mason is an english surname and means stoneworker or layer of bricks.

Trivia

 * Johanna had adjoining cells with Peeta in the Capitol.
 * Katniss thought that Peeta was copying Johanna's strategy from her Games in "The Hunger Games" because she saw signs that he was crying at the station.