Peeta may not realize it at first, but he's just as responsible for sparking the rebellion as Katniss is. In fact, he's the one who plants the ideas in her head in a way that she can understand. Before the first Hunger Games, he's thinking about preserving his identity, while she's just worried about survival.
RELATED:15 Most Memorable Quotes From The Hunger Games Movies
He sticks by Katniss's side throughout almost the entire series, even if he doesn't entirely agree with her. They understand each other in a way that nobody else can, and at their cores, they share the same values. It takes them a while to align their worldviews, but in the end, it's what makes them such a compatible pair, both romantically and platonically. Here are some of his best lin
"Careful, There's A Forcefield Up There."
The arena inCatching Fireis one of the most interesting and creative settings of the series. It's surrounded by a force field that, when hit, sends everything around it flying. Katniss can spot it thanks to Wiress and Beetee in training, but Peeta can't see it as he's leading the group through the jungle.
He's sent flying back through the air and is even dead for a few moments. Finnick resuscitates him, but Katniss is an emotional wreck, sobbing all over him. Peeta takes it lightly for her sake, joking that his heart is fine now. He even quips, "Careful, there's a forcefield up there."
"They're Coming, Katniss. They're Gonna Kill Everyone, And In District 13 You'll Be Dead By Morning!"
Katniss is horrified to see Peeta gaunt and traumatized as he delivers an address from the Capitol. He speaks directly to the camera, which makes the experience even worse for Katniss. He warns the districts against the dangers of war. He's interrupted, however, by clips of Katniss singing "The Hanging Tree".
Suddenly, his voice changes and he speaks to Katniss directly. Ominous music starts playing and Peeta raises his voice, rushing to get the words out before he's cut off. The footage turns to static just as Peeta is seen being dragged away by officials. District 13 is thrown into turmoil as Peeta's words echo, leaving Katniss reeling.
"You Love Me. Real, Or Not Real?"
After being hijacked by the Capitol, Peeta can't tell the difference between what's real and what's been fabricated in his mind. The others in his unit encourage him to ask them what's real and what's not, so he comes up with a system where he asks, "Real or not real?" to confirm facts.
RELATED:
At the end of the series, after Katniss returns to District 12, she finds Peeta there. They spend every waking momentjust being together and getting to know each other in their new normal.After a while, Katniss decides she can't even be separated from him in sleep. She goes to his room and lays beside him, safe and secure. "You love me. Real, or not real?" Peeta asks. After a moment, Katniss responds, "Real."
"If It Weren't For The Baby."
Peeta is known around Panem for dropping bombshells at the Tribute interviews. Before both Games, he says something that shakes everything up right before the Tributes are sent into the arena. InCatching Fire,the nation is on the verge of rebellion, and Peeta's words might just be the last splash of fuel to the flames.
By this point, everyone believes that Peeta and Katniss are engaged to be married, butPeeta reveals that they already married in secret. He says he might not have any regrets if it weren't for one thing. Caesar presses him, and he finally stutters, "If it weren't for the baby." A moment of silence ensues, followed by an eruption of screams from the Capitol audience. Haymitch raises his flask to salute Peeta.
"What Do All Those Deaths Mean? They Mean That Our Lives Were Never Ours."
Peeta slowly regains his old personality over the course of the last film. He still gets moments where even he can't trust himself, so it comes as a surprise when he seems to speak as himself and give hope to the group - especially Katniss. Sheadmits that there was no special mission from Coin and that it was her own quest for vengeance that killedother members of their unit.
Peeta lists the names of people they've known who have died. "What do all those deaths mean? They mean that our lives were never ours. There was no real life because we didn't have any choice. Our lives belong to Snow and our deaths do, too. But if you kill him, Katniss, if you end all of this, all those deaths - they mean something.
"Because She Came Here With Me."
Peeta's first interview with Caesar Flickerman gives him a reputation to remember and makes him an instant hit with Capitol fans. Caesar asks him if he has agirl waiting for him back home, but he bashfully brushes the question aside. However, this is all part of a plan he's devised with Haymitch to help both Katniss and Peeta get sponsors.
RELATED:
Caesar helps Peeta look like the shy, innocent schoolboy when he encourages Peeta to win the Games so he can return to the girl he has a crush on. But Peeta says that won't help him. "And why not?" Caesar asks. Peeta takes a shaky breath and drops a bomb: "Because she came here with me."
"Always."
Katnissfinds comfort inPeeta's presence and wants to protect him, but she doesn'trealize that her feelings are romantic. After the first Games, she and Peeta spend a lot of time together as friends. She wakes from nightmares almost every night and asks him to stay with her. "Always," he says, putting an arm around her.
InMockingjay,Katniss dreams that she wakes from a nightmare and that Peetacomes to check on her. "Will you stay with me?" she asks, and he responds, "Always." She wakes and finds that he isn't there. Later in the Capitol, where Peeta is slowly returning to himself, Katniss helps to ground him. "Stay with me," she pleads. The phrase seems to spark his memory. "Always," he says.
"If I'm Gonna Die, I Wanna Still Be Me."
Before the first Games, Peeta seems to spend a lot of time thinking about who he is and who he wants to be. He's about to go in front of an audience for what he assumes will be his final days - and he wants those days to count.
RELATED:The Hunger Games: 10 Things Only Book Fans Know About Peeta
"I just don't want them to change me ... turn me into something I'm not," he tells Katniss. He's afraid of being turned into a murderer in the arena, even though he's already accepted that it probably will happen. What scares him is that he will no longer be able to live by his own values and set of rules. He no longer belongs to himself.
"But Our Lives Aren't Just Measured In Years; They're Measured In The Lives Of People We Touch Around Us."
For the first act of Catching Fire, Peeta and Katnisstravel Panem for their Victory Tour. Effie gives them pre-written speeches to deliver for each District, but when they get to District 11, Peeta can't bring himself to read out the meaningless words.
Peeta drops the cards and wings it. Katniss is always awed by how good Peeta is with words, and he really proves himself on this occasion. He talks about how Thresh and Rue impacted their lives, and that without them, neither Katniss nor Peeta would be standing there today.
"I Just Don't Wanna Be Another Piece In Their Game."
"I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them that they don't own me." It takes Katniss a long time to come around to this way of thinking, but at this moment, she can't think of anything but getting home to her sister.
This only proves that she never meant to start a rebellion and that it's Peeta's morals that are strongest. He sees the bigger picture of the Games, but Katniss doesn't yet. He wants his time on Earth to mean something, and he's worried about this at such a critical moment that it's just a testament to his character.
NEXT:
