- "I like Hazelle. Respect her. The explosion that killed my father took out her husband as well, leaving her with three boys and a baby due any day. Less than a week after she gave birth she was out hunting the streets for work."
- —Katniss Everdeen about Hazelle[src]
Hazelle Hawthorne is the widowed mother of Gale, Rory, Vick, and Posy.
Quick Answers
What was Hazelle Hawthorne's occupation in District 12?
How did Hazelle Hawthorne's husband die?
What impact did the coal mining accident have on Hazelle Hawthorne's life?
Who are Hazelle Hawthorne's children?
What hardships did Hazelle Hawthorne face as a washerwoman?
Biography[]
Hazelle lived and worked in the Seam of District 12. Her husband died in the same coal mining accident that killed Katniss Everdeen's father one January,[1] when her oldest child, Gale, was fourteen.[2]
Hazelle "worked her fingers to the bone" as a washerwoman. She would collect people's dirty laundry, wash it, and then return it to the owner. In the winter, her hands got so red and cracked that they would bleed without a salve from Mrs. Everdeen.[2] Hazelle's business did rather well until Gale was caught poaching and was brutally whipped.[3] Hazelle came to the Katniss's house in the Victors' Village, where Gale was being treated, and comforted him through his pain.[4] Soon afterward, Posy contracted the measles. Afraid to associate with the family because of the whipping, people stopped using Hazelle's services, and Rory had to sign up for tesserae. However, Katniss soon convinced Haymitch Abernathy to take Hazelle on as a housekeeper, earning her extra money and increasing Haymitch's standard of living.[5]
Hazelle and her family were among the few people who survived the bombing of District 12, and they were evacuated to District 13.[6]
Family[]
Hazelle was devoted to her family. Her husband died in a horrible mine accident, the same one that killed Katniss' father, leaving her alone at home with her three children. She was already pregnant with Posy and was only a few days away from giving birth. Gale, the oldest, helped take care of the family, bringing in food and money by hunting with Katniss. Her sons, Gale and Rory, also helped by applying for tessera when they turned twelve, although it is mentioned that Hazelle and Gale did not want Rory to take tesserae. Vick and Posy, her youngest children, were her reason for working so hard. When her only daughter Posy fell ill with measles, Hazelle worked extremely hard to nurse her back to health, and thankfully, Posy recovered. When Gale was whipped and taken to the Everdeen house, Hazelle went to stay with him. It is known that Hazelle and the rest of her children escaped the District 12 bombing. They are seen in District 13. In fact, her youngest child, Posy, is the one to comfort Octavia after she is released from President Coin's capture with Katniss' other stylists, saying that she looks very pretty.
Etymology[]
Hazelle might have been named after the hazel bush, and her surname comes from hawthorn bushes or trees, but could also be a reference to author Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Trivia[]
- Hazelle appears in a deleted scene just after Katniss gets the mockingjay pin in the Hob where she is fighting with a Peacekeeper for an unknown reason.
References[]
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 1
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 7
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 8
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 9
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 1