Chaff Mitchell

"I know Chaff by sight cause I've spent years watching him pass a bottle back and forth with Haymitch on television."

- Katniss about Chaff

Chaff was the male tribute for District 11 who participated in the 75th Hunger Games and was the victor of the 45th Hunger Games. After winning the 45th Hunger Games, and losing his hand during the process, he refused to receive a prosthetic replacement from the Capitol doctors.

Biography
Being a previous victor, Chaff was reaped for the 75th Hunger Games (3rd Quarter Quell). Along with Beetee, Wiress, Finnick, Mags, Johanna, Seeder, Woof, Cecelia, Blight and the Morphlings, Chaff was part of the rebellion and was instructed by Haymitch Abernathy to try his best to find Katniss and Peeta and to make sure they both lived after they were reaped during the 75th Hunger Games, a Quarter Quell. He was one of the few tributes who knew about the plan to get Katniss out of the arena, to District 13.

The Games
After the parade around the Capitol, Chaff and Seeder rode back to the Training center when all the other tributes had gotten together. After being introduced by Haymitch, Chaff gave Katniss a kiss on her lips which surprised her, causing her to push him away. Chaff and Haymitch laughed at her reaction. They were good friends and seemingly both alcoholics.

During training, Chaff and Peeta became close and talked quite often during training. They both were shown training together with Brutus at the spear throwing station, and had lunch together.

During Chaff's interview with Caesar Flickerman he stated that President Snow could change the Quell if he wanted to but wouldn't because he thinks it doesn't matter to anyone. After all the interviews were finished, Chaff along with the other Victors joined hands as an act of solidarity, which Snow took as an act of outright rebellion. He and Katniss were the first to join hands at the interviews, suggesting he was one of the more rebellious victors. In the film, he wore a bronze tuxedo and pants for his interview.

His pedestal was stationed next to the District 9 Female. Chaff survived the initial Cornucopia bloodbath, although Seeder, his district partner, was killed. He fought Brutus over a spear almost the whole bloodbath. He managed to escape into the jungle with an axe and a spear, where he kept in hiding.

Chaff was not seen much during the Games, most likely seeking Katniss as it was his mission to protect and rescue her so she could help the rebels defeat the Capitol. Unfortunately, he could not locate her nor Peeta until the end of the 75th Games.

Later on in the games, whilst trying to protect Peeta, he was killed by Brutus, just as Katniss was rescued by the Rebels. Shortly after, Peeta avenged Chaff's death by killing Brutus. With his death, Chaff placed 8th out of 24.

Physical description
"He's dark-skinned, about two meters tall, and one of his arms ends in a stump because he lost his hand in the Games he won thirty years ago."

- Katniss about Chaff

Chaff was at least six feet tall, probably as tall as Thresh, with dark skin, and had an arm that ended with a stump because he lost his hand in the 45th Hunger Games. He and Haymitch were friends, as they both turned to drinking after they won their Games. During the reaping recaps, Effie Trinket commented that "Chaff never could stay out of a fight," implying that may have volunteered as tribute. Chaff was in his mid to late forties when he died. He was killed at the very end of the 75th Hunger Games by Brutus at the free-for-all just minutes before Katniss Everdeen destroyed the force field surrounding the Arena.

Personality
Chaff seemed to be a troublemaker, as Effie implied when she said he "never could stay out of a fight." Chaff loved to laugh and was one of Haymitch's close friends, whom he drank with. Chaff joked by kissing Katniss on her lips and laughing with Haymitch at her reaction. However, he did have a soft side, shown when he was friendly and kind to Katniss and Peeta during the training sessions, as well as when he backed Seeder up during her interview, and when he joined hands with the other Victors at the end of the interviews without hesitation.

Film portrayal
E. Roger Mitchell portrayed Chaff in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

In the film, Chaff's image appears in the list of fallen tributes in the sky the night before the Games were ended by Katniss. How this will affect Peeta's retelling of his killing of Brutus in Mockingjay is unclear as the killing was prompted by the latter murdering Chaff.

Trivia

 * "Chaff" means husks of grasses or grains split apart during threshing.

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