Jackson was a rebel lieutenant from District 13 assigned to the sharpshooter propaganda unit, Squad 451. She was second in command to Boggs.[1]
Quick Answers
Who was Jackson's superior in Squad 451 in the Hunger Games?
Why was Jackson assigned to keep watch on Peeta Mellark?
What district did Jackson originally come from in the Hunger Games?
Who played the role of Jackson in the Hunger Games movie?
Biography[]
Jackson lived in District 13, and she was assigned to Squad 451. She trained alongside her new compatriots for several days before deployment for the Battle of the Capitol. After the death of Leeg 2 and her replacement by Peeta Mellark,[1] Boggs ordered Jackson to organize a two-person, round-the-clock watch on the boy due to his earlier hijacking and continued instability.[2]
She initially left Katniss Everdeen out of the rotation, but Boggs' word was enough to convince her, though she took watch with Katniss herself, mistrusting her. That night, Jackson told Peeta he could trust them because they were his squad, and she said he could ask them questions when he was doubting himself. In the morning, she was the one who devised the game of "Real or Not Real" in order to help Peeta sort out his confused memories.[2]
When Boggs stepped onto a pod that instantly blew off his legs,[2] Jackson immediately tried to contact camp through her field communicator to send medics, but she was unsuccessful, and she called for the squad to retreat. After Peeta lost control, she was able to handcuff him. Then Jackson argued over the ownership of the Holo; as Boggs' second in command, it should have fallen to her, but he'd transferred security clearance to Katniss instead. Katniss falsely claimed that she was on a special mission from President Coin to assassinate President Snow. Jackson doubted her, leaving everyone at a standoff with guns drawn. However, Cressida backed up Katniss's story, defusing the situation. Jackson ended up helping Katniss learn to operate the device, and she kept her gun drawn on Peeta even while he was unconscious in order to protect the group.[3]
Death[]
The squad traveled underground through the sewers into the Transfer, at which point they were attacked by lizard mutts, activated pods, and Peacekeepers who were eventually decapitated by the mutts. Jackson and Leeg 1 stayed behind to hold the creatures off at a pod known as the Meat Grinder, attempting to buy time for the rest of the squad to make it to safety. It's assumed that Jackson was either killed by the Meat Grinder or the mutts.[4]
Film adaptation[]
In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Jackson looked back to see what was making noise while the group was in the sewers, at which point she was attacked and killed by the lizard mutts.[5]
Physical description[]
Jackson was a middle-aged woman who Katniss thought looked "kind of sluggish". However, she could shoot things that the other members of her team couldn't see without a scope. Jackson claimed this was because she was farsighted.[1]
Relationships[]
Boggs[]
Jackson trusted Boggs a great deal. She was willing to add Katniss to Peeta's watch rotation when he told her to allow it,[2] and despite her initial resistance to Katniss taking the lead, she begrudgingly accepted after learning that Boggs had transferred his security clearance, and she made no further claims to the leadership position after that point.[3] After Jackson's death, Cressida asserted that she knew Katniss was lying, but that she was willing to go along with the assassination plot because Boggs had wanted Katniss to go on.[6]
Katniss Everdeen[]
Jackson's distrust of Katniss caused her to behave coldly or harshly towards her, but after Boggs' death and the transfer of the Holo, she was more willing to work with Katniss and lend her experience to further their mission.
Peeta Mellark[]
Jackson showed kindness towards Peeta when he was lucid, encouraging him to trust his squad and speak to them when he was confused by his memories. She also created the game "Real or Not Real",[2] which would stick with Katniss and Peeta for a long time. She even organized the watch rotation around making sure someone in each pair would be able to answer his more personal questions.[2]
Trivia[]
- Jackson was the oldest woman in the squad; the Leeg sisters were both in their twenties,[1] and Katniss was seventeen.[7]