Katniss didn't really have the time to consider romance when she was worried about survival. When Peeta and Gale both made their feelings clear, Katniss wasn't entirely receptive despite caring for them both. In the end, her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged, with Peeta ultimately winning her heart.
While Katniss struggles to understand how she feels about Gale, recognizing that she does love him in some way, she can also see that he has changed and that they continue to grow more and more distant as those changes become more apparent. Still, they protect each other and each other's families.
She understands that Gale is more than a friend to her but can't admit that she has romantic feelings toward him. She recalls their time in the woods, how she is a better hunter when he is there with her because she trusts him. They depend upon one another to survive and to provide for their families.
When Gale is most in pain is when Katniss kisses him, and this is true again as we see her answer Gale's pain with a kiss. She wants to give Gale what he wants, but she can't yet completely commit to him, as she must think of her family and Peeta and being the Mockingjay for the revolution.
They worked together as hunting partners for 4 years, splitting their spoils and keeping each other alive. At some point, Gale developed feelings for Katniss, though she never knew about it before the Games. Gale was particularly skilled at snares while Katniss is an expert archer.
The Symbolism of Peeta and Gale || Not Entirely What You Might Think
Why didn t Katniss love Gale?
They have grown apart and changed; maybe that would have happened even without their roles in the rebellion. Although she will never know for sure, Katniss does recognize that she cannot be with Gale. She will never be able to forgive him for his idea — the parachute bombs — that killed Prim.
Katniss Fell in Love With Peeta During the Quarter Quell
However, it wasn't until Mockingjay -- when Peeta got kidnapped by the Capitol -- Katniss realized how much she cared about him and that she couldn't live without him.
Gale does not marry anyone in The Hunger Games. He and Katniss talk about running away together and starting a new life in the wilderness, but they never officially marry.
The woods are now ruined. Katniss decides that the Capitol views her and Gale's weekly hunting trips — and the one time that Gale unexpectedly kissed her, which Snow knows about — as flaunting her defiance in front of the entire district.
How many times did Katniss and Gale kiss in the books?
I remember three kisses between Gale and Katniss: one in the woods in Catching Fire, one when Gale was dying in Catching Fire and one in Mockingjay when they were at Katniss's old house.
Although she will never know for sure, Katniss does recognize that she cannot be with Gale. She will never be able to forgive him for his idea — the parachute bombs — that killed Prim.
8. He listened to her, even when he disagreed with her. Gale didn't always agree with Katniss, but he spent the entirety of *Mockingjay — Part 1 * following her around like a faithful golden retriever. He respects Katniss' decision-making skills, and isn't intimidated by the fact that she's a female leader.
In the beginning, Katniss did love Gale. But around the middleish/ending of the story, she finds herself loving Peeta instead. The main reason, though: Gale and Coin were designing a bomb, and Prim was killed by the bomb. After she died, Gale realized it was over with KAtniss.
Gale was responsible for creating weapons that would trigger a second wave of bombs to target first responders and combat healers. This invention potentially ended up killing Prim, but even if he wasn't directly responsible, Katniss found this tactic so abhorrent that she lost her affection for him.
He Didn't Save Peeta's Family But some people believe Gale may have had more malicious reasons for not helping them. However, Peeta's family wasn't great. His parents were abusive, or at least distant. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had his family survived, but no one missed them much.
From the start of the Hunger Games story, it was clear that Gale had feelings for his best friend, Katniss. However, Katniss was never able to explore the romantic side of her life as she was too busy providing for her family and then winning the 74th Hunger Games with Peeta.
Chaff, of course, comes right out and kisses Katniss, though his reason is more to have fun with Katniss's image than to turn it to his advantage. Finnick's and Johanna's tactics, however, are clearly deliberate attempts to manipulate Katniss, and Katniss immediately distrusts both as a result.
At the end of Mockingjay, Gale relocates to District 2 and begins working in the district's government. He helps train replacements for the Capitol's Peacekeepers. By this point, he knows that he and Katniss will never be together.
Finnick Odair is the youngest winner in history, winning at just 14 years old. District 2 has the most overall winners, producing "Career Tributes" and having the highest number of victors among all districts. Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!
It's only implied that they get it on via snuggling and other affectionate acts in close quarters — but if you have read the book, they really imply that they took their relationship to the next level.
The Hunger Games series, much like Harry Potter is for young adults, and the themes and motivations are not hard to understand. Katniss NEVER hated Peeta. She figured she'd have to kill him to survive and had no desire to like him because of that.
In Chapter 9, as Caesar Flickerman interviews Peeta before the Games, Peeta reveals to Caesar and all of Panem that he's in love with Katniss. Peeta's revelation sets in motion the storyline of him and Katniss as ill-fated lovers that carries on throughout the Games.
During The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the three-fingered salute is still used as a gesture of goodbye, but also comes to represent the anger and grief people feel toward the Capitol at taking their children to be killed.
Katniss Everdeen: As an evil, ruthless, and calculating dictator, Snow doesn't have many close relationships in The Hunger Games trilogy. His most important relationship is with Katniss, and it's one that's marked by hatred on both their parts, though they swear to always tell each other the truth.
