- "Our nation would be nothing without District 2's superb stonework. It builds and fortifies our cities and its citizens are known individually for their strength."
- —Description from The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide[src]
District 2 is one of the thirteen districts of Panem. Located in the Rocky Mountains, extremely close to the Capitol itself, it is one of the largest and wealthiest districts. Publicly, District 2 is presented solely as the home of the nation's stone quarries and masonry workers, but it is also where many Peacekeepers are recruited, trained, and where weapons are manufactured for their usage.
History
After the alleged loss of District 13 in the First Rebellion,[1] the seat of the Capitol's military power and manufacturing moved to District 2.[2][3] Peacekeepers were also commonly sourced from District 2 from then on, becoming a secret second industry unknown to the other districts.[2]
Relationship with the Games
1st-10th Hunger Games
In the first ten Hunger Games, District 2 and District 1 were noted as being "more Capitol-friendly" and turning out "better-fed" tributes, resulting in more victors; this implies that District 2 had already won more than once in the earliest years of the Games. Districts 4 and 11 were also "contenders", though, so 1 and 2 had not won them all.[3]
Despite this, District 2's tributes did not fare well in the 10th Hunger Games. Sabyn fell to her death in a failed escape attempt before the Games began,[4] and while Marcus successfully escaped, he was soon recaptured, brutalized, and displayed in the Capitol Arena.[5] He was the first official kill of the Games, mercy-killed by Lamina.[6]
Career district
Eventually, alongside District 1 and District 4, District 2 began to train Career Tributes. Although technically against the rules, their children were trained to prepare them for combat inside the arena.[7] Career training made District 2 tributes popular bets among sponsors. Despite their success in the Games and outward loyalty to the Capitol, some in District 2 secretly resented their arrangement and later sided with the rebels.[2][8]
Second Rebellion
District 2 was the main loyalist stronghold for much of the war. All but one of its victors were killed during the war and the Victors' Purge. The only survivor was Enobaria.[8]
Battle of District 2
Although the district did not rebel as a whole, certain villages either sided with or were captured by the rebels[2] before the conflict ended with one final assault on the Nut. Rebels deliberately triggered avalanches to block entrances on the direction of Gale Hawthorne and Beetee Latier.[9] At this point, the district surrendered and unified under the rebels' banner.
Reconstruction
Directly after the war, Gale Hawthorne was described as "mopping up Peacekeepers in District 2".[10] Following a brief return to the Capitol for the execution of President Snow, Gale took "some fancy job" in a more permanent move to District 2.[11]
Culture
The close relationship between the Capitol and District 2 is reflected in their naming conventions: both draw names from ancient Rome (e.g. Cato and Brutus from 2, Coriolanus and Seneca from the Capitol).
People from District 2 had a funerary tradition of sprinkling bread crumbs over the bodies of the fallen, so they'd have food on their journey "back where they came from".[12][13]
Sejanus Plinth said the taste of goat's milk reminded him of his childhood in District 2,[14] implying that it was something they drank often.
Known tributes
- "Cato. Clove. Brutus. Enobaria. I've seen their eagerness. I've seen their bloodlust, too."
- —Katniss Everdeen[src]
Children from District 2 were raised with a warrior mindset in preparation for becoming Peacekeepers or tributes. Like other Careers from Districts 1 and 4, those from District 2 tended to be strong and well-prepared, but they had an additional level of brutal discipline. They often volunteered to compete in the Games.[7] From the tributes we've seen, on average, both female and male tributes place 6th.
Tributes
- Marcus - Male tribute in the 10th Hunger Games, was mercy killed by Lamina. Placed 15th.[6] In the film he placed 13th.
- Sabyn - Female tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. Tried to escape from the arena during an explosion, but died from a fall before the games had even begun. Placed 19th.[4] In the film, she was presumed to be killed in the bombing, placing 22nd.
- Cato - Volunteered to be the male tribute in the 74th Hunger Games. Shot in the head with an arrow by Katniss Everdeen after being viciously mauled by wolf mutts. Placed 3rd.[15]
- Clove - Female tribute in the 74th Hunger Games. Her skull was crushed with a rock by Thresh after he heard her bragging about the Career pack killing his young district partner, Rue. She placed 6th.[16]
Victors
By the reaping for the third Quarter Quell, Districts 1, 2, and 4 had accrued the largest pool of victors.[17]
- Brutus - Victor of an unknown Hunger Games, and volunteered as the male tribute in the 75th Hunger Games.[17] Killed by Peeta Mellark on the third night, placing 7th.[18]
- Enobaria - Victor and volunteer in the 62nd Hunger Games,[19] and tribute and survivor of the 75th. After the war, she was the last surviving victor from District 2.[8]
- Lyme - Victor of an unknown Hunger Games "a generation ago".[2] Killed during the Second Rebellion in the Victors' Purge, sometime after the Battle of District 2.[8]
- Unnamed male victor - Victor[20] of the 73rd Hunger Games.[21] Killed in the purge.
- Unnamed male victor - Victor of an unknown Games.[22] Killed in the purge.
- Female victor - Victor of an unknown Games.[22] Killed in the purge.
- Female victor - Victor of an unknown Games.[22] Killed in the purge.
Location and geography
According to the map of Panem featured in The Hunger Games Adventures, District 2 is located directly to the south of the Capitol, primarily centered in the states of Colorado and New Mexico. This supports District 2's reputation for having close ties and strong loyalty to the Capitol and its industry, masonry, as it's situated in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains.
The district consists of one main town and a number of smaller villages spread out across the mountains. Each one was originally built around a stone mine or quarry, but eventually, they were devoted to training and housing Peacekeepers. A train system runs from the Nut into the main town, and like other districts, District 2 has a central square where their Justice Building is located.[2]
The Nut
The Nut is a virtually impenetrable mountain in the center of District 2, with much of the Capitol's military arsenal housed inside.[2]
Trivia
- In an early version of the first film script, Caesar Flickerman said the victors of the two previous Games were District 2 tributes.[21]
- Districts 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10 were not involved in the rebel plot during the third Quarter Quell.[23]
- By the time Katniss became openly involved in the Second Rebellion, District 2 was the last district openly allied with the Capitol. Although the district did not rebel as a whole, certain villages either been sided with or were captured by the rebels before the final assault against the Nut.
- Ironically, District 2 was also the richest district with a known rebel (Lyme).
- The function and fortification of the Nut are similar to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex that houses NORAD, and the rebel strategy at the Nut is similar to the total war strategy employed during Sherman's March to the Sea.
- In both the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, both District 2 tributes made it to the top 7.
- Additionally, both District 2 male tributes volunteered, and were the last to die in each of their Games, killed by a tribute from District 12.
- According to the Capitol.PN, District 2 has 7 quarries in operation with a population of 231,354, making it the second largest district, in terms of population.
- According to the Capitol.PN, District 2 claims 1,937 in tesserae, making it the second richest district.
- If the population is 231,354 and they claim 1,937 tesserae, that would equal to 0.008 tesserae per person, making it the richest District per capita.
- Based on the arena wear for the 74th Hunger Games, the district's color seems to be red oxide (#5a2520 – ).[24]
References
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Mockingjay, Chapter 14
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 11
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 13
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 14
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 7
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Mockingjay, Chapter 26
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 15
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 25
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 27
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 7
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 16
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 25
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 25
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 21
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 14
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 2
- ↑ https://capitolcouture.tumblr.com/post/61062352046
- ↑ The Hunger Games (film)
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 https://www.screenwritersnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/The-Hunger-Games-1-Script.pdf
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 27
- ↑ File:Anatomy of an arena costume.jpg