At the end of the 75th Games, Peeta is captured by the Capitol and hijacked to believe that Katniss is an evil muttation. He manages to fall in love with her all over again during the end of the war and the years afterward. Eventually, Katniss realizes that she is also in love with him, and they have two children.
It took time for Peeta to break out of that conditioning, and even when the possibility existed that Peeta could be a danger to Katniss, the two of them still elected to be together and build a future in a post-Hunger-Games world. Their love for one another is evident.
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.
Did Peeta actually have a crush on Katniss before?
Often, he would stare at her in school. Sometimes Katniss would make eye contact with him, only for his eyes to quickly flit away. During an interview with Caesar Flickerman preceding the Games, Peeta admits on national television to having a long-standing crush on Katniss.
The male tribute from District 12, Peeta is in love with Katniss and becomes her main ally and romantic interest during the Games. Peeta is best characterized by his love for Katniss and willingness to sacrifice himself for her.
Does Katniss Truly Love Peeta By The End Of The Hunger Games?
Why did Katniss start liking Peeta?
Katniss And Peeta Are Connected By Shared Trauma
Peeta had experienced the same trauma, which meant that Katniss could trust him with her feelings, and confide in him in a way she couldn't with those who merely saw her as the Mockingjay, a symbol of rebellion. Their connection deepened as a result.
Katniss here's this and understands that even though she may not love Peeta (then) that it's one less person who has to die. (At least that's what I have always thought.) Katniss realizes that if she pretends to be in love with Peeta people will want the capitol to let them survive.
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.
Did Katniss actually like Peeta in the first book?
Peeta always loved Katniss. However, she faked it in the first book. In Catching Fire, she began to fall for him. And in Mockingjay, in the end, she loved him..
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.
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.
Katniss thinks about how she and Peeta are supposed to be in love as she kisses him, and she also points out that she realizes Peeta's feelings have actually been to her benefit. Their relationship has attracted a great deal of attention, which in turn means more sponsors.
At the end of the 75th Games, Peeta is captured by the Capitol and hijacked to believe that Katniss is an evil muttation. He manages to fall in love with her all over again during the end of the war and the years afterward.
In the end, Katniss and Gale grew apart, as many childhood friends and young loves do. She needed something different in her life, and with Gale's link to Primrose's death, Katniss found a reason to cut ties. If Katniss ever wanted to find comfort again, she knew she had to return to Peeta for the long term.
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.
She was only 13 years old when she was killed in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and her youth only makes the tragedy that much harder for Katniss to bear after everything else she had suffered. Prim's death is a truly heartbreaking moment.
Katniss has a conflicted relationship with her mother. Following her father's death, her mother fell into deep depression and now rarely speaks. As a result, Katniss has a difficult time feeling love and affection for her mother, even as she recognizes that her mother is a kind and intelligent woman.
What does Peeta whisper to Katniss when they reunite?
Then, he opens his eyes. He has camouflaged himself in mud, leaves, and vines. He jokes with her, whispering that it's okay to kiss him since they're madly in love, but once Katniss begins to clean him in the stream, she can see how weak he is.
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.
What happened the first time Katniss kisses Peeta?
When they kiss, Katniss describes it as the first that both are fully aware of. Neither is sick or dazed by injury, and it's the first kiss that makes her want another. Because of the cold, they share the sleeping bag again, and Peeta puts his arms around her.
During the interviews for the 75th Hunger Games, Peeta lied about Katniss being pregnant to try to protect her from the Games, and Katniss later stated that she miscarried due to an electric shock in the arena to avoid further questioning.
Because Katniss feels betrayed by his request, she realizes that she must have trusted him at some point, but decides that it will be easier now if they stop pretending being friends since they will eventually have to try to kill one another.
