Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
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.
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.
Hunger Games: Why Katniss Ends Up With Peeta, Not Gale
Why did Katniss and Gale not end up together?
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
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 cannot tell Gale she loves him because it will make everything much more complicated in her life. She is struggling as it is with her feelings for Peeta and Gale, and with all her worries of just keeping her family alive, love for him is the last thing she can think about right now.
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.
Before the Capitol battle, Gale had explained to Katniss his series of bombs designed to feed off human compassion: a small bomb would go off, and then when medical aid rushed in, a second bomb would go off, killing those people as well. Incidentally, it's this exact type of bomb that took Prim's life.
After Prim's death, Gale leaves voluntarily because neither of them can avoid the matter of Prim's death having been caused by Gale's invention, with Katniss letting him go without a word. Katniss subsequently grows back together with Peeta, whom she finds she loves again now that he is recovered from his hijacking.
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.
He was actually helpful during the revolution. Unlike Peeta who was busy being brainwashed, working for President Snow, and wearing white after Labor Day — though again, not entirely his fault — Gale fought beside Katniss during the revolution.
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.
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.
Ultimately, in Mockingjay, it was undeniable that Katniss was completely in love with Peeta. Even though both Gale and Peeta are great men who wanted the best for Katniss, there's no doubt Peeta was kinder, and more loyal and understanding. These qualities made Peeta way better as a character and as a love interest.
While the Hunger Games film never talked about it, the Catching Fire novel explained why she could only communicate through hand gestures. Katniss briefly mentioned that a previous stroke could have caused Mags' garbled speech. However, post-traumatic stress disorder could have also caused her speech incapacity.
Peeta urges Katniss to run and stays to fight fellow tribute Cato while she escapes. He survives the encounter with Cato but suffers a stab wound on his leg. He camouflages himself into the rocks and mud alongside a riverbank, slowly dying of blood poisoning until Katniss finds him days later.
Katniss is rendered deaf in one ear after she blows up the Careers' supplies, and she doesn't regain any hearing on her left side until afterwards when the Capitol gives her a hearing aid.
In the Capitol, during a televised interview with the popular host Caesar Flickerman, Peeta proposes and Katniss accepts. President Snow comes out to congratulate them, but he signals to Katniss that it's not enough.
Gale is jealous of Peeta and the relationship he has with Katniss, and he wants Katniss to decide between them, though he doesn't press Katniss during her recovery in District 13. Gale is an excellent hunter and excels at setting snares and traps.
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.
