Peeta first appears when he is selected as the male tribute for District 12 in the reaping ceremony for the 74th Hunger Games. We learn that he and Katniss attend the same school but have never interacted, aside from when Peeta intentionally burned two loaves of bread in order to give them to Katniss five years prior.
Katniss stays with Rue as the 12-year-old is dying and Katniss covers her body with flowers. Then Rue's home district, number 11, sends Katniss a loaf of silver bread covered in seeds, an important gift in the arena when tributes must fight or scavenge for any food they get.
Years after he gives her the bread, she still isn't convinced that he would have dropped the bread in the fire on purpose. She doesn't know why he would want to help her, someone who is essentially a stranger to him, and even questions his handshake at the end of the chapter.
She essentially credits Peeta giving her the two loaves of bread years earlier with restoring her hope and saving her after her father's death. Without this act, she thinks she and her family may have starved, and she also thinks about how Peeta was present when she realized she would have to take care of her family.
The Hunger Games: Katniss and Peeta Bread Flashback [HD]
Did District 11 send Katniss bread?
The people of District 11 show their gratitude for Katniss' kindness by sending her a loaf of bread. This is unique in the Games' history; never before has a district sent a gift to a tribute that was not its own.
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.
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'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.
The Hunger Games Catching Fire: Gale Kisses Katniss (Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence) - YouTube. Gale (Liam Hemsworth) surprises Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) when they return from hunting.
Katniss never hallucinates about her dad's death after being stung by tracker jackers. Rue's dad doesn't start a riot in District 11 after his daughter's death. Haymitch doesn't convince the Game Maker to change the solo victor rule.
This warm loaf of bread from district 12 is a symbol of home and safety for Katniss. Later in the book it represents a memory of the woods and Gale for her. When Peeta is chosen as the boy tribute, a memory flashes into Katniss mind. When she was younger, there was a time when her family was close to starvation.
Bread is also a catalyst for change in The Hunger Games. First, there's Katniss's memory of the time Peeta saved her life by throwing burnt bread loaves her way. His act of kindness gave her hope and made her realize that there was a way she could keep her family alive—by foraging and hunting in the woods.
Also, Haymitch sent Katniss notes of advice with her gifts, like when she received burn cream, she received a note saying 'Apply generously and stay alive - H' and when she and Peeta Mellark received soup from Haymitch, the note that came with it said 'You call that a kiss? - H' referring to the kiss Katniss and Peeta ...
Bread is also a gift from God: when Moses fed his people in the desert with food which fell from heaven, and during the last supper, when bread became the body of Christ. When Jesus multiplied the bread to feed the crowd, bread became a sign of sharing. It also symbolised the Word of God which nourished the crowds.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Peeta is captured by the Capitol and is tortured physically, emotionally, and mentally. His feelings and memories are distorted with hallucinogenic tracker jacker venom, in a mind-control technique known as "Hijacking."
Katniss is acquitted of murder by reason of insanity and sent home to District 12, while her mother leaves for District 4 and Gale for District 2. Other District 12 natives later return, including Peeta, who has recovered his memories and his love for Katniss.
