Peeta Mellark

"I want to show them I'm more than just a piece in their Games."

- Peeta Mellark

Peeta Mellark is one of the main characters of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Peeta is the boy tribute from District 12, picked alongside Katniss Everdeen to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games, a competition that forces children to fight to the death on live television that everyone is required to watch to remind the nation of Panem to not rebel against the Capitol. Peeta and Katniss both win, though this is against the rules, and after the games, President Snow kills Seneca Crane for allowing them both to win. Peeta and Katniss have a complicated relationship throughout the series, but as later on in the series in Mockingjay, Peeta is hijacked by the Capitol (the vast majority of his good memories of Katniss were twisted and turned negative). He will be portrayed by Josh Hutcherson in the film adaptation of the book.

Biography
Peeta was the baker's son, which makes him wealthier than most people in District 12, the coal mining district. His family never goes hungry, although they can't afford to eat the delicious fresh baked goods, only the stale things that no one bought. He doesn't live in the Seam like Katniss Everdeen, but in the center of town above the family bakery. Peeta's favorite color is orange; not bright orange but like a sunset. Peeta attended school with Katniss, but was never brave enough to talk to her. When Peeta is chosen for the Games, Katniss recalls that he saved her life by giving her bread when she was about eleven. At this time, the district had given her family money for her mother to get a job after Mr. Everdeen died, but Mrs. Everdeen didn't look for a job so Katniss takes over as the provider of her family. In an attempt to make some money, Katniss unsuccessfully tries to sell her younger sister's old clothes when she nearly faints from hunger. Katniss walks behind the Mellark's bakery and scrummages through the trash while Peeta's "witch" of a mother tells her to scram. Peeta, who saw this, burned two loaves of bread purposely and pretending to give them to the pigs instead gave them to Katniss. He was beaten by his mother for burning the bread. This act of kindness gave Katniss the will to survive. Katniss never talked to Peeta until the Games. Throughout the Hunger Games, she feels indebted to him. In her mind, she owes him her life and the life of her mother and sister, Prim.

Early life
Peeta Mellark did not have a desirable childhood. Although he grew up in the merchant area of District 12, his family life needed major improvement. His father was kind, but his mother was known as a witch, and was liable to beat Peeta and his two brothers if they messed up. The family devotion was lax, and his mother didn't place faith in him when he was chosen as a tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. He also played with most of the other kids of the "rich" part of town including Delly Cartwright as revealed in Mockingjay.

Ever since he was was five years old, Peeta Mellark had a crush on Katniss Everdeen. He remembered eleven years before, on his first day of school, his father pointed out another small child entering the school yard with him. Peeta was fascinated with the girl, in her red plaid dress and her hair in two braids. Peeta told Katniss that his father said, "See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner." Peeta had then replied, "A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner when she could have had you?" His father answered, "Because when he sings... even the birds stop to listen." The two never spoke until the 74th Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games
Peeta is introduced when he is chosen for the boy tribute in the Games. Katniss recalls that he took a beating from his mother after burning bread from years ago on purpose, then giving it to her because she was starving. When interviewed before the competition, he confesses that he has secretly been in love with Katniss since he first saw her at school, which Katniss takes as a ploy for popularity with supporters watching the Games. In the Games, Peeta surprisingly teams up with the "Careers," a pack of tributes from the higher, richer districts who band together until they are forced to fight among each other for the victory. That was just a ploy to protect Katniss. Later, Peeta is injured with a deep sword cut in his leg from Cato. He develops blood poisoning, which will kill him if left untreated. Katniss joins up with him after a new rule is announced, which states that if both tributes from a district are alive at the end, then both can be crowned victors. The two decide to pretend to be "star-crossed lovers" to win sympathy from the viewers which may result in gifts. Their mentor, Haymitch, helped them devise this plan in the beginning with Peeta, which partly results in Peeta confessing his love for Katniss during his three minute interview. Eventually, Katniss is able to get medicine for Peeta by attending a "feast," which is in a specific area in the Arena, where tributes will find backpacks filled with items for their use and is used to draw the remaining tributes together. During the feast, Katniss is nearly killed by Clove, another tribute. Thresh, from District 11, kills Clove, when she admits in taking part in killing Rue, saving Katniss. She finds a hypodermic needle in her pack, which she jabs into Peeta, saving him. Cato, Katniss, and Peeta are the final three left in the games when giant 'mutts' attack them. They climb up the Cornucopia to avoid the mutts that resemble the deceased tributes. Peeta is bitten in the leg and is seriously injured. Eventually, the mutts get Cato. Katniss kills him out of mercy. At the end, Katniss and Peeta are the last alive and believe that they will both be saved, but suddenly the Gamemakers change the rules back to only allow one survivor. Katniss suggests that they attempt suicide so they will both die together. They are about to do it when the Capitol is forced to intervene; there must be a victor in the Hunger Games. Peeta must get an artificial leg due to the mutt bite later when the Capitol heals him and Katniss. Peeta finds out that Katniss was partially pretending to be in love with him, and he becomes slightly depressed and distant.

Catching Fire
Peeta and Katniss go on the Victory tour, an event strategically placed in between each Games where the victors visit the other districts and remind them of the Games. Peeta proposes to Katniss because President Snow is forcing them to show they are madly in love, but supposedly it fails his inspection. Soon it becomes known that there are uprisings in several of the districts, which seems to be sparked by the fact that two tributes were allowed to live. Katniss and Peeta think they are going to become mentors for the 3rd Quarter Quell, the Hunger Games that occurs every twenty-five years and comes with a change in rules. The criteria for this Quarter Quell is that the tributes will be chosen from living victors. District 12 has only three living victors: Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch, their drunken mentor who won the 50th Hunger Games (the 2nd Quarter Quell). Katniss is obviously drawn for the girls' tribute and Haymitch is drawn for the boys' tribute, but Peeta volunteers to take his place, wanting to keep Katniss alive. In an interview before the Games, Peeta lies to the people of Panem and tells them that he is married to Katniss and that she is pregnant. During the Quell, Peeta runs into a force field and his heart stops, but their ally Finnick Odair, from District 4, restarts it by using CPR. At the end, a hovercraft arrives and tries to take Katniss, Peeta, and their allies, revealing that a team consisting of people from different districts were planning to bail them out. But Peeta is among those captured by the Capitol, while Katniss saved from the arena and is forced to move to District 13 (which is rumored to still exist) since District 12 was destroyed by the Capitol.

Mockingjay
In the third and final book, Mockingjay, Peeta is held captive by President Snow and used against Katniss. He first appears in an interview with Caeser Flickerman, stating that a cease-fire is the best option for the rebels, otherwise, human life may cease to exist. Katniss notes he appears healthy and still alive.

Katniss also decides to be the Mockingjay, with the condition that once Peeta, Johanna, Annie and Enobaria are rescued, they must not be held liable for any mistakes they may make.

After more propos begin airing from the rebels, Peeta appears in another interview, fifteen pounds thinner, and completely ill in appearance. He states that Katniss shouldn't trust anyone, and also implies that District Thirteen will be bombed after saying, "And you...in Thirteen...dead by morning!" As Beetee fights for reception with the Capitol, Peeta is seen being beaten and his blood splatters across the screen. After the bombing - and much thinking - Katniss has a breakdown in the middle of shooting a propo. She knows the Capitol is using Peeta, torturing him to try to break her, so she will stop the rebellion, and let the Capitol regain power. Katniss can't stand this and loses it when she's asked to film. Finnick does too.

After witnessing both Finnick's, and Katniss' breakdowns, a rescue mission is staged. After distracting the Capitol with live propaganda, Peeta is saved. Katniss runs to his side, only to have him attempt to strangle her. It is revealed that he was 'hijacked', and Peeta's memories of Katniss are severely distorted in frightening, life threatening ways and as a result of this he is driven insane, and becomes very hysterical and unstable. He believes that Katniss is a mutt designed by the Capitol intent on destroying him who tried to kill him, and succeeded in killing all of his friends and family. He lashes out in uncharacteristic fits of aggression, retreats into his own head, temporarily loses the power of speech, cannot differentiate between what is an illusion and what is reality, and at one point argues with himself in a fit of madness as though he is two different people. He is only allowed to be treated by people he never knew before so not to trigger anything harmful. Delly Cartwright is the only one able to make contact with him in the beginning, as they share old childhood memories. Peeta's perception of Katniss improves.

After Katniss is shot in District Two, Peeta is noted to have improved slightly, even being able to frost Annie and Finnick Odair's wedding cake. Haymitch states that he has certain episodes, sometimes becoming rabid, acting like two different people, or even primal. It also mentions that he could only sleep if he was in shackles.

Peeta is sent by President Coin to join the group of Special Sharpshooters, containing Katniss, Gale, and Finnick. He is watched over 24/7 and denied the nightlock pill, which will deliver an unpainful death when taken. To help him cope with his confusion between memories that were real and memories that have been hijacked, the team devise a game to play with him called "Real or Not Real?" At one point during a fight with enemies, he freaks out and kicks a member of the team into a trap, that when set off, releases a net of barbed wire. He feels very guilty about it later and insists that they leave him to the Capitol. When Katniss tries to take the handcuffs off of Peeta, he disagrees and tell her that they help him grip reality (Pressing the cuffs sharp edges down against his wrist). When they are underground, Peeta huddles himself together. He is frightened of everything that he knows, thinks, and how he acts. Katniss finally gets him to keep going by kissing him. They later go undercover into crowds of evacuating people, splitting up, and Peeta going first, nightlock given to him and all.

On the day of President Snow's execution, Katniss kills President Coin with the arrow that was meant for Snow's execution. Katniss tries to commit suicide when the guards come for her, but Peeta stops her. He implies later that he too went mad after Coin's death and that Aurelius, Katniss's mental doctor, was treating him too. He returns to District Twelve weeks after Katniss and Haymitch, where he plants several evening primroses along the house in honor of Katniss's dead sister, Prim. When she starts to write a book about their experiences during the Hunger Games, along with things she is unwilling to forget about it, Peeta and Haymitch join her. Although Peeta still has some "episodes" where the hijacking will try to take over again, he is mentioned clenching onto a chair until it passed. Otherwise, he displays signs that he has returned to his former self. Finally, Katniss accepts that she is in love with him, too. The pair get married and have two children, though it took long years of convincing from Peeta, they have a girl with her mother's dark hair and her father's blue eyes and a boy with his father's blond hair and his mother's gray eyes.

Characterization
Peeta is described as having "ashy blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead," blue eyes, and a stocky build, and medium height. He had his left leg amputated at the thigh and uses an artificial one, the result of an injury sustained at the end of the 74th Hunger Games. Collins refers to Peeta as handsome in his interview during the 74th Hunger Games.

Personality
Peeta is bold, having announced that he was in love with Katniss to the whole nation; smart, figuring out strategies to use in the Games; and willing to go to extremes to keep Katniss alive. However, in the first book, Peeta told Katniss that he did not expect he would win. He is a great public speaker and is very brave. Peeta is also loving and cares about the people around him, and hates killing unless the pursuer is a threat to himself or Katniss; selfless, for sacrificing his own life for Katniss'; funny, for making those around him laugh even when times were tough; and he always knows exactly what to say to make you feel better and to cheer you up. It is noted throughout the series his deep understanding of situations such as the Hunger Games where he says "I don't want to be just a piece in their Games." It took Katniss much longer for her to understand the same concept. Peeta is usually the more sentimental of any of the main characters.

Peeta is described as sweet, gentle, strong and steady by Katniss several times. He tends to make jokes. When he's hijacked, he becomes out-of-control, homicidal and suicidal. Eventually, through seperating "shiny" hijacked memories and real ones, he essentially cures himself.

Abilities
Peeta's main talents are baking, painting and camouflage. These artistic talents developed from helping out at his parents' bakery by making bread, etc. and decorating cakes. His larger build and strength also gives him an advantage during hand-to-hand combat and wrestling. In the Games, he usually carries a knife or a sword, although he rarely uses them in battle as he is not particularly violent and dislikes killing unless it is completely necessary. Peeta has a lot of strength from working at the bakery; Katniss says she's seen him lift bags of flour over a hundred pounds. It is also revealed in Catching Fire that Peeta has a talent for painting. Peeta also has a talent for speaking to crowds for he can always pick the right words to say to win them over. Katniss says that he can "change his pain into words that will move people." She thinks he should have led the rebellion, with his talent for public speaking. Peeta is an excellent liar. Katniss is unsure for much of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire whether he's lying about his love for her.

Family
Peeta's family consists of five people. His father, a baker, is known for being gentle and kind to everyone, as well as a buyer of poached squirrels when the wife isn't around (Peeta's father told his son that he loved Katniss's mother but she went off with the coal miner). Peeta's mother, on the other hand, is commonly known as a witch. She snaps at people and is very harsh and unmoving (like when Peeta was younger and he burnt bread, she slapped him so hard she blackened his eye). Peeta also has two unnamed older brothers, one who was too old to take his place in the 74th Hunger Games and the other who could have taken his place but didn't. As Katniss says, "Family devotion only goes so far for most people on reaping day." His eldest brother would be around age 19-23, and the other would be around 17-18 in the first book.

It is quite obvious that Peeta's family is neither close nor very happy. Peeta angrily states how his mother put no confidence in him winning the Games, but in fact placed Katniss higher on the totem pole than her own son. He didn't try to hide his hurt or anger over the encounter. In Catching Fire, Peeta says to Katniss that his family wouldn't be too worried about his death and that they could go on living without him, further implying the fact. In Mockingjay it is revealed that all of his family was killed in the bombing of District 12.

In the epilogue of Mockingjay, it is revealed that Katniss and Peeta have 2 children about 15 years after the last book. The first is a daughter, and the second a son, born probably 2 to 3 years after the girl.

Victims
In the 74th Games, Peeta killed the District 8 girl as part of the Career pack. Cato had thought he killed her but Peeta went back to finish her off. Later, as an ally to Katniss, he accidentally killed Foxface when she ate some of the Nightlock he had been collecting, thinking they were edible. He also states in an interview with Ceaser Flickerman that he killed Brutus during the Quarter Quell Games right before Katniss shot out the force field.

Katniss Everdeen
Ever since he met her, Peeta was in love with Katniss. She came to know this when he announced it to the whole of Panem in the 74th Hunger Games interviews. On the train ride back to District 12, Katniss admits that her feelings are confused and Peeta goes all silent around her.

In Catching Fire he and Katniss assume a cool relationship while by themselves but they soon agree to be just friends. Peeta holds back his true feelings about her.

In Mockingjay, while he is hijacked, he tries to kill Katniss but it soon wears off and by the end of the book, he and Katniss are married and have two children. After talking to Finnick, Katniss finally realizes that she loves Peeta and chooses him over Gale.

Film portrayal
Peeta will be played by Josh Hutcherson in the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, which will be released on March 23, 2012.

Trivia

 * Peeta's favorite color is orange.
 * Katniss reveals that he always double-knots his shoelaces, sleeps with the windows open, and never takes sugar in his tea.
 * Peeta is great at hand to hand combat and wrestling.
 * Peeta has two older brothers.