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Spoiler Alert! This page may contain plot details relating to Sunrise on the Reaping or unintentionally spoil elements of the book. |
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- "Tick, tock."
- —Wiress[src]
Wiress of District 3 was the victor of the 49th Hunger Games. Known for her odd demeanor and eccentricities, similar in nature to her fellow victor and district colleague Beetee Latier, she was relatively well known for her nickname "Nuts". A woman of impressive intellect, Wiress mentored many tributes over the years following her victory including the District 12 tributes in the 2nd Quarter Quell. Despite the trauma she had suffered as a result of her games, and the aftermath of her indirect involvement in Beetee's rebel machinations, Wiress continued to serve the rebellion, joining the victor alliance following her reaping into the 75th Hunger Games. [2]
Quick Answers
Who portrayed Wiress in the Hunger Games movie series?
What was Wiress' significant contribution to her allies in the 75th Hunger Games?
How did Wiress figure out the operation of the arena in the 75th Hunger Games?
What district did Wiress represent in the Hunger Games?
What was the cause of Wiress' death in the Hunger Games?
Biography[]
Early life[]
Wiress was born approximately 31 to 37 years after the Treaty of Treason and the institution of the Hunger Games in District 3. Thanks to her district's primary export of technology, Wiress would have been well-versed in the crafting and engineering of cutting edge tech for the the Capitol's benefit.
49th Hunger Games[]
Sometime during her adolescence, Wiress was reaped into the 49th Hunger Games. After being transported to the Capitol, Wiress and her fellow tributes were kept locked up in the barracks. During training, the Gamemakers laid out an assortment of clues as to the nature of the arena: foil blankets, metal bowls, and a small round mirror at the fire station.[4]
The arena would prove incredibly disorientating to the tributes, who were forced to wear shimmering tunics, with reflective surfaces placed everywhere. While the others were driven insane by the mind-bending environment, Wiress was able to outwit her competition by navigating the light beams projected by the shiny reflective surfaces. She quickly discovered a rock over a lake that was a blindspot, where she was able to hide for a majority of the games. At the final two tributes, Wiress did not have to fight as her final remaining competitor caused his own death by cracking his skull on the surface she was hiding near and drowning in the lake. Wiress was declared the victor, having outsmarted the Gamemakers.[4] During these Games, Beetee Latier was her mentor.[5]
Second Quarter Quell[]
One year after her victory, Wiress was assigned as a mentor for the District 12 tributes reaped into the 2nd Quarter Quell along with District 4 victor Mags Flanagan, as there was no living victor available for mentorship. Wiress took her new role seriously, and told the four tributes Haymitch Abernathy, Maysilee Donner, Wyatt Callow, and Capitol replicant Lou Lou (a hijacked young girl brought in to replace deceased tribute Louella McCoy) of her experiences during her own games, hoping to aid them in their strategy. [4]
Although Wiress and Mags were not directly involved in Beetee and his son Ampert's plans to sabotage the arena, they were tortured all the same due to their perceived roles. Following this torture, Wiress suffered a severe mental break that she would never fully recover from.[6] In the years following, Wiress and Beetee would grow close.
Third Quarter Quell[]
Beetee and Wiress are reaped for the 75th Hunger Games.
As one of the few living District 3 victors , Wiress was once again reaped for the 3rd Quarter Quell along with Beetee. During the chariot rides, Wiress and Beetee were dressed with studded electrical lights, signifying District 3's export, as was customary.[7].
During this year's training sessions, Wiress and Beetee were approached at the fire-making station by Katniss Everdeen, who had been prompted by her Haymitch to seek out allies for the games. After Wiress identified a "chink" in the "armor" if the invisible force field surrounding the Gamemaker's balcony, an impressed Katniss expressed her desire to enlist both District 3 victors into her alliance. Although most of the other victors took Wiress and Beetee less than seriously, Haymitch would honor Everdeen's request and begin collaborating with the eccentric pair.[2]
Wiress listens to Beetee in the Training Center.
Wiress survived the initial Cornucopia bloodbath, and she and Beetee managed to escape with the help of Johanna Mason and Blight, where they headed into the one to two o' clock section of the arena. During the first night of the games, Wiress was able to surmise rather quickly the clock-like design of the arena, due to the twelve bell tolls, and attempted to communicate this with her allies. However, Johanna dismissed her theory as her acting crazy. As the disasters began, they were caught in a blood rain torrent, and Blight was killed after he ran headfirst into the force field.
They eventually made it back to the beach, and stumbled upon Katniss, Peeta Mellark, and Finnick Odair. Katniss treated and cared for her and Beetee, washing the blood off their worn and damaged bodies. Wiress continued to try to communicate, uttering "Tick, tock" over and over again. Eventually, Katniss was able to figure out her meaning, concluding the arena's design, and causing Wiress relief.[8]
Wiress's portrait in the sky.
On Day 2 of the 75th Hunger Games, a large spool of wire was specifically placed in the arena by Plutarch Heavensbee, so Beetee could destroy the force field surrounding the arena, and consequentially Katniss' alliance could leave the arena[9]. After Katniss figured out the arena was a clock[8], Wiress went to clean the wire for Beetee, in the water surrounding the Cornucopia. While she cleaned the wire she sang the song 'Hickory Dickory Dock', a children's song that seemed to please her. When the song stopped, it alerted Wiress' allies of impending danger. Katniss was the first who noticed that Wiress has stopped singing. As Katniss turned to look for Wiress, she saw that Wiress' throat had been slit open by Gloss. Katniss avenged Wiress' death by killing Gloss shortly after he killed Wiress. After Wiress died, Katniss had just enough time to say goodbye to Wiress by closing Wiress' eyes and retrieving the wire from her dead body. Wiress placed 12th out of 24.[9]
Personality[]
Wiress was described to be shy by Katniss, who mentions that in the training room, she seldom completed her sentences and Beetee had to finish them for her[2]. When she, along with Johanna and Beetee, team up with Finnick, Katniss, and Peeta, she could only recite comments and songs about clocks - referring to the clock shaped arena[8]. Beetee said that Wiress was not only smart, but intuitive[9]. She was an intellectual genius, inventive, and clever. As shown where for both the 49th Hunger Games and the 75th Hunger Games, she was the first to successfully figure out the mechanisms and tricks of the two arenas in order to use them to her advantage.
Relationships[]
Beetee[]
Beetee, Wiress and Katniss in the Training Center.
Beetee and Wiress were shown to be close friends. They were allies in the 75th Hunger Games and both part of the rebellion. He was also her mentor during her first Hunger Games.[5] Beetee often finished Wiress' sentences, suggesting then he was used to working with her.
After Wiress dies, Katniss says that Beetee was with her in his thoughts. Also, in the movie, Beetee seems to be saddened by her death.
Haymitch Abernathy[]
First avoid the slaughter,
Get weapons, look for water.
Find food and where to sleep,
Fire and friends can keep.
She was assigned as his mentor for the 50th Hunger Games next to Mags Flanagan. Abernathy at first didn’t trust her, as she hadn’t fought for her win in the previous games and hadn’t yet mentored anyone. Eventually, he grew to be fond of her, giving him the idea to break the arena like a machine and giving him a little song that he used to figure out his next steps during the games.
Years later, Wiress and Abernathy remained close and were a part of a rebel plot to break Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark out of the 75th Hunger Games. It is unknown of Haymitch reacted to Wiress's death.
Katniss Everdeen[]
Katniss helps wash the blood off of Wiress.
During training, Katniss, Wiress and Beetee were talking together at the fire-making station where Wiress points out a force field, which helps them later in the Games[2].
Katniss later realizes that Wiress' "tick tock," actually hints that the arena is a clock with 12 sections that each hold a new disaster that repeats[8]. She begins to understand Wiress, which no one but Beetee has accomplished. When Wiress' throat is slit open by Gloss, Katniss closes her eyes and says goodbye[9].
Physical description[]
In Catching Fire, Wiress, like Beetee, is described as having ashen skin and black hair.[2]
Trivia[]
- Her name includes the word "wire", which is appropriate as she is from the technology district. The suffix "ess" can represent her being a woman.
- Wiress was one of a few characters to be parodied in the Sesame Street sketch "the Hungry Games". In the sketch she is referred to as the "Tick Tock Lady". She, along with her allies Cookieness, Peeta, and Finicky win the Hungry Games.
- Johanna calls her and Beetee Nuts & Volts[2].
- Wiress is the only one applauding Katniss after she shoots arrows during training, while the other tributes were surprised[10].
- In the novels, Beetee, Wiress and the District 3 male were all described by Katniss to have ashen skin. This was probably a characteristic of the district's people.
- Sunrise on the Reaping implies that Wiress' state in Catching Fire is a result of the torture that she suffered after the 50th Hunger Games.
- In the European Portuguese translation of Catching Fire, she's nicknamed "Ampere" instead of "Nuts."
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Catching Fire, Chapter 16
- ↑ Grober, Matt (May 14, 2025). Maya Hawke Joins ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping’ As Wiress. Deadline. Retrieved on May 14, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 6
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 8
- ↑ Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 25
- ↑ Catching Fire, Chapter 15
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Catching Fire, Chapter 22
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Catching Fire, Chapter 23
- ↑ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire