Katniss does love Peeta. She loves as an action, not as an emotion. This is not to say she doesn't have affection and desire and other emotions connected to Peeta, she does. But her choice is what defines her love and she chooses Peeta.
How does Katniss feel about Peeta in The Hunger Games?
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. By then, they had gone through two games together.
Peeta Mellark served as Katniss' crucial confidant, seeing as he went through it all firsthand, not once, but twice. Despite the terror he faced, Katniss viewed Peeta as a symbol of comfort and salvation.
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.
She, again, fears losing Peeta, this "boy with the bread" as she calls him; she feels a stirring inside her chest when they kiss, a kiss that leaves her curious and wanting more; in Peeta's arms, she feels safe and secure; and then, during his descriptions of her as a child, she wonders if none of his feelings were ...
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.
Interestingly, Katniss is taller than Peeta only in the film versions of The Hunger Games novels—so it's not that the film is simply staying faithful to the source material. In fact, the books contain subtle text clues that Peeta is the taller of the two.
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.
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.
Later, the two learn President Snow considered their actions to be an act of rebellion against the Capitol. After their last interview, in which the two continue to affect their romantic feelings for one another, Peeta comes to the realization Katniss has staged her love for him all along.
Snow can't stand to see a young woman betray a young man's affection—his view of what happened 65 years ago. And so he takes out his old, festering wound on Katniss.
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.
Peeta thanks Katniss for finding him and she says that he would have done the same. He talks about what Katniss should do if he doesn't make it back. She's worried that he might die, and to keep him from speaking of such things, she kisses him. It's her first kiss.
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.
For example, Katniss Everdeen has a fatal flaw of valuing others (beginning with her sister) and putting herself last. She does this numerous times, especially with Peeta. This major flaw in her character nearly gets her killed several times. She must overcome it to survive.
Peeta is said to be good looking, he is much more friendly and sweet than katniss, his family is much less poverty than average folk in district 12. the one who catch Peeta's eye would be one of the most lucky girl in the district.
Katniss normally wears her hair in a long braid down her back. She is thin and not very tall, but is strong for her size from hunting to feed her family in the woods outside of District 12. Katniss is sixteen years old during the 74th Hunger Games, and seventeen years old during the Quarter Quell and the Rebellion.
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.
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 Catching Fire, people who have never met or barely know them think that Gale is her cousin. Gale admits to have fallen in love with Katniss in Catching Fire.
'Peeta & Katniss Kiss In The Arena' Scene | Hunger Games - YouTube. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and an injured Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) share a tender moment and a kiss, as Gale (Liam Hemsworth) watches from District 12.
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.
