Primrose Everdeen

"I don't care if we're rich. I just want you to come home. You'll try, won't you? Really, really try?"

- Primrose Everdeen

Primrose "Prim" Everdeen was Katniss Everdeen's younger sister. Unlike her sister in many ways, Prim's heart is full of compassion and has not experienced the pain Katniss has until Mockingjay.

Work
Prim had a goat, named Lady, whose cheeses and milk she sold at the Hob to help support her family. Katniss rescued the goat and gave it to Prim on her 10th birthday after having shot and sold a young buck in the woods with Gale. Having so much money, they first thought to get Prim a hairbrush or cloth for a dress, but decided instead on a goat that had been injured. Prim loved animals, and was soon able to heal Lady with her mother's help. The sustenance provided by the goat helped Prim and her family to survive in the poor region of District 12.

Other than her animals, Prim also has household chores and helps to take care of patients that people bring to her mother. Later, after Katniss escapes from the Quarter Quell, she turns out to become a very skilled doctor while living in District 13. During the war she would work with her mother in the hospital and then go out to help the injured in the midst of battle, although this ultimately leads to her death. While covering an injured Capitol child with her coat, exploding parachutes sent by a hovercaft went off before Katniss could get to her.

Early life
Not much is known about Prim's early life, she is described as a compassionate young girl.

She was born in late May, although the exact date is not said. It is quite obvious from the beginning that Prim loves all living creatures. She saved a stray cat (who Katniss promptly tried to drown) and named him Buttercup. Katniss once took her out to teach her how to hunt, but after successfully shooting a creature, Prim broke down and wanted to help the dying animal.

Prim was also a good healer at an early age, often helping her mother with patients. Katniss noted that she never appeared to be fazed by wounds or nudity.

The Hunger Games
At the reaping, it was not Katniss's but Prim's name that was pulled out of the girls' reaping ball. Katniss desperately volunteered for Prim, for she was so protective of her sister that she would die for her. She had not allowed Prim to take any tesserae and did everything she could to prevent Prim being thrown into the 74th Hunger Games, as she knew her little sister would not have lasted long in the competition, but in the end it hadn't mattered. In the hour of farewells before traveling to the Capitol, Prim fiercely makes Katniss promise to win the Games and return home safely. With some help from Peeta Mellark, her fellow district 12 tribute, she accomplishes this goal. Primrose is very excited to have her sister back in their new home in the Victors' Village.

Catching Fire
Prim is a more prominent character in this sequel, helping her mother with patients and keeping off the Capitol's toes. Prim continues to go school and lives in her new house in the victor's village with her mother and Katniss. Prim is one of the people President Snow threatens to kill if Katniss does not prove that she was insanely in love with Peeta and that the suicide threat was an act of love not rebellion. Katniss keeps her mother and Prim out of her issues between her and Snow. Buttercup returns to Prim which makes her happy. When Katniss is about to give up and let things happen with Snow in control she thinks of Prim which gives her strength to go on. When Gale is whipped, along with Katniss having an injury from blocking a lash of it, Prim and her mother treat Gale and Katniss's injuries.

When Katniss was stuck in the woods due to the electricity being on 24/7 the peacekeepers went to her house to arrest Prim and her mother to take in for questioning but Katniss made it there before them. The Capitol has arranged for a showy wedding to Peeta, complete with a contest to decide her wedding dress, decided by voting residents of the Capitol. Prim makes Katniss promise not to try on any dresses until she gets home from school. When she arrive home, she helps Katniss with her dresses and keeps Katniss calm since she doesn't like this type of thing. She does her best to comfort Katniss when she is reaped for the 75th Hunger Games. Prim hugs Katniss and tries to make her happy.

During the reaping Katniss was chosen since she is the only living female victor of District 12. After she was reaped, Prim and her mother go to the Justice Building to say their goodbyes to Katniss. After she leaves, Prim and her mother cry together knowing the odds are strongly against Katniss. When District 12 is bombed, Gale saves Prim and her mother.

Mockingjay
Prim is a larger character in Mockingjay than in either of the two previous books. She lives in District 13 with her mother, sister, and Buttercup in Compartment E for most of the book. Like before, Katniss is always trying to protect her. Prim surprises Katniss with how mature and strong-willed she has grown. When Katniss is challenged by the idea of being the Mockingjay, Prim wakes up from her sleep and asks her what she will do. Prim tells her what she would do if she had to become Mockingjay, and promises to keep this a secret from their mother before going back to sleep with Buttercup.

Prim dreams of becoming a doctor and shows her proficiency at healing as she helps the injured during her time in District 13. When District 13 is attacked by the Capitol, Prim nearly gets trapped out of the safe quarters because she goes back to rescue Buttercup, but makes it back with Gale just in time. Gale went to check the Everdeen family compartment to make sure it was clear and found Prim with Buttercup. After Mrs. Everdeen leaves to the first aid station, Prim and Katniss bond together. Prim relays to Katniss the information she was taught during orientation for new citizens and surmises that it was probably just a bunker missile. Prim tells Katniss her dream job about being a doctor. Katniss becomes worried for Peeta, but she is comforted by Prim who reassures her that President Snow wouldn't kill him because he needs him. Katniss asks her what she thinks they'll do to him and Prim replies, "They'll do whatever it takes to break you."

Prim is allowed to go to the Capitol during the final battle as a nurse, which Katniss doesn't know until she sees Prim in the barricade in front of Snow's mansion with the children being used as a guard. Before Katniss can reach her and bring her to safety, Prim is killed by the double-exploding parachutes. After the war, Peeta brings a series of Evening Primrose bushes to Katniss and they plant them around their home in District 12 as a memorial to her.

Physical description
Prim has fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, unlike the majority of the residents of the Seam in District 12, and looked very much like her mother. She had a small stature, partly due to being underfed for the majority of her life. Katniss describes her as having a face "as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named." When she wore clothing, from her Reaping gown to her medic uniform, Prim continuously had a "duck tail," one that earned her "little duck" as a nickname. This duck tail was how Katniss could identify her while she was assisting the injured Capitol children.

Personality
Prim loved all living creatures, even the most unsightly ones. She has a pet goat that Katniss gave her as well as a gruesome, ugly cat she named Buttercup. Starving and swarming with parasites, Prim brought the wretched creature home one day. Katniss intended to drown him, but Prim begged so hard for Katniss to let him live that she decided to allow the cat to stay. She, like her mother, had a passion and talent for healing. Prim stayed at her mother's side with even during the most horrid cases, even though she was "scared of her own shadow."

Prim's goat, Lady, was first adopted into her family when Katniss was browsing and trading in the Hob on Prim's birthday. An old goat herder had a sick nanny goat, mauled by a dog, the wound swollen with infections, and after much haggling and bargaining, Katniss bought the goat and a pink ribbon for her neck. Upon presenting the weak, near-dead nanny to Prim, medical attention was given to her immediately. Eventually, Lady healed well. Though purchasing the goat on a whim, Katniss does not regret her decision, for Lady pays her stay well with goat's milk and cheese to eat and to sell. Lady died in the bombings of District 12 but Buttercup managed to survive, much to Katniss's disappointment.

Family
Prim was the youngest of the Everdeen family; her sister is Katniss. Her father, Mr. Everdeen, died in a mine explosion four years before, leaving her mother, sister, and herself alone. The three of them lived in the Seam with Lady the goat and Buttercup the cat.

Katniss Everdeen
Katniss Everdeen had a strong relationship with her sister Prim. Katniss stated Prim was the only one she loved. Katniss did everything to keep Prim safe, and happy. In the first two books, Katniss is protective of Prim but in the third book, Prim has matured enough and just asks her for the truth. After that, they are more like friends than sisters. In the first book, Katniss was willing to die for her sister. In Catching Fire, Katniss did everything to protect Prim from President Snow. She reminded herself Prim is the reason why she must go on, and in Mockingjay, is heart broken when Prim was killed. You see towards the end of the book how affected Katniss was of Prim's death. After Prim died, Katniss became deeply depressed and did not want to keep going, she tried to commit suicide by starving herself and cried numerous amounts of times. When Prim's cat Buttercup travels from District 13 to 12 just to find Prim, Katniss can't hold it back anymore. Katniss yells at Buttercup and afterwards cries with Buttercup and they mourn over Prim together. Later on, Peeta comes back holding what Katniss thinks are just roses, and is about to yell at him because that was President Snow's way of breaking her, but then realizes they are not normal roses, but Evening Primrose. Peeta brought the flowers to plant around the house as a memorial to Prim.

Film portrayal
Prim will be played by newcomer Willow Shields in The Hunger Games film.

Trivia

 * Primrose was likely named after the plant "Primrose," which is a plant that grows yellow perennial flowers in the early spring.
 * Katniss has said that Rue reminds her of Prim, that the two share alike traits
 * She is the only known character in The Hunger Games to own her own animal, Buttercup the cat, as well as Lady the goat.