The world in The Hunger Games is a cruel one. What can you expect from a society that forms part of its foundation in watching a collection of children murder each other in a battle royale? As characters in this messed-up story, each person we met while reading (or watching) The Hunger Games series did some terrible things over the course of the story.
For the most part, we don’t blame them for their actions; they were done under horrible circumstances. But certain characters had a choice, and they chose to do some of the worst things imaginable. Read on if you want to know what were the worst things the main characters of The Hunger Games series did, ranked from least to most immoral.
Primrose Everdeen: Endangered Others For A Pet
Primrose Everdeen is unarguably the kindest character in The Hunger Games series. Hardly any action she takes is to the detriment of others. There is just one exception. When the Capitol began bombing District 13, the inhabitants of the underground refuge had to go to emergency bunkers. Instead of rushing to these bunkers, Prim went back to her apartment for her cat. This is an understandable and relatable action, but it still put her family and friends who went back for her at risk.
Peeta Mellark: Killed Ally On Accident
When Peeta was captured by the Capitol, he was subject to torture and some mental process called a Hijacking. He was brainwashed into hating Katniss. The worst thing Peeta ever did was shove a member of District 13 into a deadly trap in an attempt to get at Katniss. It was a shocking death, but the fault cannot be laid solely at Peeta’s feet. Due to the Capitol meddling in his mind, he was not entirely responsible for this action.
Finnick Odair: Murdered Quite A Few Fellow Tributes
Sadly, none of the characters who participated in the Hunger Games can escape the fact that they murdered people. Of all the things that Finnick Odair has done, participating in the slaughter of fellow children and Tributes was the worst. He was an efficient and practiced killer, but the true culprit of Finnick’s actions is the society that built him.
Finnick would not have had to murder anyone if the Capitol had not created the Hunger Games. All things considered, Finnick turned out to be a good person nonetheless.
Katniss Everdeen: Ignored The Struggles Of Others
Katniss Everdeen found herself in a difficult position. Even though the survival of herself and her family was of primary importance to her, she became a symbol of freedom from the Capitol. This role forced responsibilities on her, responsibilities which she frequently shirked. Unless injustices were personally placed upon her, Katniss was more than willing to keep her head down and ignore them. It is only when things directly affected her that she chose to act.
Haymitch Abernathy: Chose To Drink Instead Of Helping Tributes
Tributes who win the Hunger Games get to return to their own district. Once there, they become mentors for future Tributes. Mentors are critical in assisting in the survival of a district’s Tributes. Unfortunately for many of District 12’s Tributes, Haymitch was a less-than-willing mentor. Disheartened by the whole process, Haymitch chose to drown himself in drink instead of facing his troubles head on and trying to help the hapless Tributes under his guidance.
Johanna Mason: Voted To Reinstate The Hunger Games
Johanna Mason is a true product of the cruelty of the Capitol. Many of the terrible things she has done in her life was a direct result of the threat the Capitol posed. Thus, it makes sense that she would want to enact vicious revenge against the people who razed her life to the ground. The worst thing Johanna did in The Hunger Games series was to let her wrath overtake her empathy and reason. When Coin suggests reinstating the Hunger Games against the Capitol as a form of punishment, Johanna is for it. In essence, she is willing to recreate the horrors she went though upon others.
Effie Trinket: Worked Alongside The Capitol In Murdering Children
Being steeped in the culture of the Capitol placed blinders over Effie Trinket’s eyes. Though she is frequently seen as the comedic relief character, Effie perpetuates the cruel ignorance of the citizens of the Capitol.
Year after year, she witnessed the terrible slaughter of children she “reaped” from her district, and the discomfort it caused her was based solely on the fact that she was the Capitol escort to a “losing” district. This kind of callousness is immoral in its own right.
Gale Hawthorne: Built The Bombs That Might Have Killed Prim
Gale Hawthorne is a very likable character because he chooses to stand up against the Capitol. More than Katniss, Gale has a very structured sense of right and wrong. However, he gets caught up in the heat of war and ends up becoming exactly like the Gamemakers behind the Hunger Games. Along with Beetee, Gale crafts bombs and weapons to use in the fight against the Capitol. These devices are cruel and deadly in their design, and this is proved when one of Gale’s bombs kills Prim as she attempts to heal wounded soldiers on the battlefield.
Alma Coin: Abused Her Power And Tried To Recreate The Hunger Games
Though Coin starts out as the figurehead for the rebellion against the Capitol, it quickly becomes clear that her intentions are not as noble as they appear. She has an eye for filling the same spot that the evil President Snow did. Rather than redesign the structure of government and society in the Capitol the way she should, Coin looks to keep the status quo, which includes maintaining the Hunger Games. She is willing to subject the children of the Capitol to this barbaric practice regardless of its similarity to what the Capitol did.
President Snow: Presided Over A Fascistic Regime
Of all the characters in The Hunger Games series, clearly the most immoral is President Snow. He rules the Capitol and the surrounding districts with an iron grip. He forces the districts to send children to their death. He allows for a disparity of wealth to exist despite the suffering of poorer districts. He is the embodiment of evil in the story. He is notorious for his cruelty and willingness to maintain power. The worst things the other characters did in the series do not compare to President Snow’s.
