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"I don't care if we're rich. I just want you to come home. You'll try, won't you? Really, really try?"
—Primrose Everdeen to Katniss Everdeen[src]

Primrose "Prim" Everdeen was Katniss Everdeen's younger sister and Mr. and Mrs. Everdeen's youngest daughter. She grew up in the Seam, the poorest section of District 12, and had two pets: a cat named Buttercup and a goat named Lady.

A talented young healer with blonde hair and a gentle personality, Prim was the opposite of Katniss in both looks and character. Despite this, the two had a close relationship and cared for each other above anything else in the world. When Prim was reaped for the 74th Hunger Games at twelve years old, her sister volunteered in her place, an act of sacrifice previously unheard of in District 12.[1] Prim's death near the end of the Second Rebellion left Katniss devastated and temporarily mute.[2] Several months later, Peeta Mellark planted primroses in front of Katniss's house in her memory.[3]

Biography

Early life

Primrose Everdeen 12

Primrose "Prim" Everdeen

She was born in late May.[4] As a toddler, Prim sang "The Hanging Tree" with Katniss in their home, making necklaces out of old rope to match the song. However, her mother abruptly took the necklaces away and yelled at Prim's father for teaching his children the song, causing Prim to cry.[5]

Prim loved all living creatures from an early age. She saved a stray kitten and named him Buttercup, insisting his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower.[1] Because of her love for animals, when Katniss took her out in the woods beyond District 12 to teach her how to hunt, Prim broke down in tears after successfully shooting a creature and wanted to help the dying animal.[6]

On Prim's tenth birthday, Katniss shot and sold a young buck in the woods with Gale Hawthorne. With the money they received, they first thought to get Prim a hairbrush or cloth for a dress, but instead decided to buy an injured goat. The goat could easily have died, making the spent money a waste, but Prim and her mother healed it with home remedies. Prim named the goat Lady and slept with her by the fire that night. The milk and cheese Lady provided helped Prim and her family survive in the Seam.[4] She sold goat cheese at the Hob, District 12's black market, and often traded with the baker.[6]

Other than her animals, Prim also had household chores and helped take care of patients that people brought to her mother, the local healer. Prim herself was already a talented healer at an early age. Katniss noted that she never appeared to be fazed by wounds or nudity, even though she was "scared of her own shadow." At one point, an unconscious young man who had been fatally injured in a mine accident was brought into their home, and Prim helped her mother treat him despite knowing he would die.[7]

The day of her father's death, alarms sounded in the school, and seven-year-old Prim waited in her classroom until Katniss came to collect her.[8] Afterward, Prim's mother fell into a deep depression and the family slowly began to starve. They only regained hope when Katniss brought home bread that Peeta Mellark, the baker's son, had given her.[9] The following day, Prim and Katniss scavenged dandelions in the Meadow and learned how to feed themselves with help from the family's plant book.[10]

The Hunger Games

Primheadshot

Prim at the reaping.

At the reaping in The Hunger Games, it was Prim's name that was originally pulled out of the girls' reaping bowl[1], but Katniss volunteered to take Prim's place, much to Prim's horror. She had not allowed Prim to take any tesserae and did everything she could to prevent Prim from being thrown into the 74th Hunger Games, as she knew her little sister would not have lasted long in the competition, but in the end, she was reaped. Prim tried to stop Katniss, but Gale Hawthorne held her back and carried her away as she yelled, "No, Katniss! No! You can't go!"[11] In the hour of farewells before traveling to the Capitol, Prim makes Katniss promise to win the Games and return home safely. Prim watched the Games with her mother and hoped Katniss would survive. With some help from Peeta Mellark, her fellow District 12 tribute, and Rue, a twelve year old District 11 female tribute, she accomplishes this goal. In the film Katniss gives Prim the mockingjay pin she got from Madge, the mayor's daughter, but when Katniss volunteers for the Games Prim gives it back to her for good luck. She is seen sitting on Gale's shoulders when Katniss comes back to District 12 with Peeta, happy to see her sister safely returned.

Catching Fire

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Prim being held back, yelling for Katniss.

Prim is a more prominent character in the sequel, helping her mother with patients and keeping off the Capitol's toes. Prim continued to go to school and lived in her new house in the Victor's Village with her mother and Katniss. Prim was one of the people President Snow threatened to kill if Katniss didn't prove that she was insanely in love with Peeta and that the suicide threat was an act of love and not rebellion. Katniss kept her mother and Prim out of her issues between her and Snow. When Katniss is about to give up and let things happen with Snow in control, she thinks of Prim which gives her the strength to go on. When Gale is whipped, along with Katniss having an injury from blocking a lash of it, Prim and her mother treat Gale and Katniss's injuries. When Katniss was stuck in the woods due to the electricity being on all the time[12], the Peacekeepers went to her house to arrest Prim and her mother to take in for questioning, but Katniss made it there after being forced to jump over the fence[13]. The Capitol had arranged for a showy wedding to Peeta, complete with a contest to decide her wedding dress, decided by voting residents of the Capitol. Prim makes Katniss promise not to try on any dresses until she gets home from school. When she arrived home she helped Katniss with her dresses and kept Katniss calm since she doesn't like this type of thing. During the reaping, Katniss was chosen since she is the only living female victor of District 12. After she was reaped, Katniss wasn't able to say goodbye to Prim because of a new procedure. When District 12 is bombed, Gale saves Prim and her mother.

Mockingjay

Katniss Prim Catching Fire

Prim and her sister Katniss.

Prim is an even larger character in Mockingjay than in either of the preceding books. She lived in District 13 with her mother, sister, and Buttercup in Compartment E for most of the book. Like before, Katniss was always trying to protect her. Prim surprised Katniss with how mature and strong-willed she had grown. When Katniss is challenged by the idea of being the Mockingjay, Prim wakes up from her sleep and asked her what she will do, and telling her that she knows how much her mother can hear. Prim told her what she would do if Katniss had to become the Mockingjay, and promises to keep this a secret from their mother before going back to sleep with Buttercup. At this moment, Katniss realized that the little girl who she had volunteered for at the reaping was gone.[14] Prim dreamed of becoming a doctor and showed her proficiency at healing as she helped the injured during her time in District 13.

The everdeen family in mockingjay part 1

When District 13 is attacked by the Capitol, Prim nearly gets trapped out of the safe quarters because she went back to rescue Buttercup, but makes it back with Gale just in time. Gale went to check the Everdeen family compartment to make sure it was clear and found Prim with Buttercup. After Mrs. Everdeen leaves for the first aid station, Prim and Katniss bond together. Prim relays to Katniss the information she was taught during orientation for new citizens and surmises that it was probably just a bunker missile. She visits Katniss in the Hospital after Peeta strangled her.

Before Katniss goes to the Capitol with her squad, Katniss says her final goodbye to her family. Prim says, "Next time we see each other, we'll be free."

Although she is not yet 14, Prim is allowed to go to the Capitol during the final battle as a nurse, which Katniss is unaware of until she sees Prim in the barricade in front of Snow's mansion. Katniss only notices Prim when she sees her plait down her back and her untucked shirt at the back, just as it was on the day of the reaping. Katniss also notices Prim giving her coat to a small child.

Death

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Prim sees Katniss seconds before the secondary explosion.

After the Capitol children barricaded at President Snow's mansion were injured by explosions caused by a hovercraft dropping parachutes— identical to the ones used to deliver sponsor gifts in the Hunger Games— carrying bombs that the rebels made, Prim runs in with other District Thirteen medics, to help injured children and hears Katniss calling her name. Before Katniss can reach her and bring her to safety, the second wave of bombs explodes, killing Prim and other medics and badly burning Katniss. Prim's last words were, "Katniss." Katniss becomes so unhinged after Prim's death that she loses her voice for several days. It is easy to see that Katniss deeply cared for her sister and was heartbroken by her death.

Legacy

Katniss wondered why Prim was sent in, due to her young age. She later realizes, after a conversation with the imprisoned President Snow, that President Alma Coin sent Prim to her death (which was caused by a hovercraft by the rebels) both to sway the Capitol citizens to Coin's side by making them think Snow was bombing the children, and to swing Katniss to her side through the death of her sister, as Katniss disliked Coin and was a threat to her power base. Katniss also realizes that, even though Gale had nothing directly to do with Prim's death, the bombing trap that killed her was based on one of his designs, which makes both him and Katniss feel he is somewhat responsible. She avenges her sister by shooting President Coin when she is supposed to publicly execute President Snow. Later, after the execution, Katniss asks Gale if it was his bomb that killed Prim. He responds with "I don't know."

After the war, Peeta brings a series of evening primrose bushes to Katniss and they plant them around their home in District 12 as a memorial to Prim. When Prim's cat Buttercup comes back to District 12 looking for her, Katniss finally lets out her grief for her sister and starts to recover. She and Peeta write about Prim in their book on those who died in the Hunger Games and the second rebellion.

Physical description

Primrose Everdeen 12

Primrose "Prim" Everdeen

She has been described to have a merchant's child look, much like her mother. Prim had fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes (however, in the film, they are hazel), unlike the majority of the residents of the Seam in District 12. She had a small stature, partly due to being underfed for the majority of her life. Nevertheless, Katniss remarks in "Catching Fire," that Primrose is nearly her height. Katniss describes her as having a face "as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named." When she wore clothing, from her reaping outfit to her medic uniform, Prim continuously had a "duck tail," one that earned her "little duck" as a nickname. This duck tail was how Katniss could identify her while she was assisting the injured Capitol children. In the book "The Hunger Games" she was also described to weigh less than 70 pounds, but this probably changed as did her height.

Personality

"I look at my little sister and think how she has inherited the best qualities our family has to offer: my mother’s healing hands, my father’s level head, and my fight. There’s something else there as well, something entirely her own. An ability to look into the confusing mess of life and see things for what they are."
—Katniss, on Prim[src]

Prim loves all living creatures, even the most unsightly ones. She has a pet goat, Lady, that Katniss gave her as well as a gruesome, ugly cat she named Buttercup. Starving and swarming with parasites, Prim brought the wretched creature home one day. Katniss intended to drown him, but Prim begged so hard for Katniss to let him live that she decided to allow the cat to stay. She, like her mother, has a passion and talent for healing. Prim stayed at her mother's side even during the most horrid cases, even though she was "scared of her own shadow." According to Johanna Mason, after Katniss Everdeen won the 74th Hunger Games along with Peeta Mellark, all of Panem adored her.

Prim's goat, Lady, was first adopted into her family when Katniss was browsing and trading in the Hob on Prim's birthday. An old goat herder had a sick nanny goat, mauled by a dog, the wound was swollen with infections, and after much haggling and bargaining, Katniss bought the goat and a pink ribbon for her neck. Upon presenting the weak, near-dead nanny to Prim, medical attention was given to her immediately. Eventually, Lady healed well. Though purchasing the goat on a whim, Katniss does not regret her decision, for Lady pays her stay well with goat's milk and cheese to eat and to sell. Lady died in the bombings of District 12, but Buttercup managed to survive, much to Katniss's disappointment.

Prim is also very smart and supportive of her sister. In Mockingjay, she even gives Katniss the idea to require District 13 and President Coin to agree to some things Katniss wants, in order for Katniss to be the Mockingjay. She is very delicate, as Katniss said, "The community home would squash her like a bug." It said in The Hunger Games that every morning she would clean off the layer of coal dust on her dead father's shaving mirror because he hated the dust. She also braided her motionless mother's hair every morning before she went to school.

Prim with mother and gale

Prim with Mrs. Everdeen and Gale after the reaping.

Family

Prim is the youngest of the Everdeen family; her sister is Katniss. Her father, Mr. Everdeen, died in a mine explosion four years before, leaving her mother, sister, and herself alone. The three of them lived in the Seam with Lady, Prim's goat, and Buttercup, Prim's cat.

Relationships

Katniss Everdeen

"I wish I looked like you."
"Oh, no. I wish I looked like you, little duck.
"
—Katniss and Primrose[src]
Katniss prim hug

Katniss comforts Prim after she has a nightmare about being reaped.

Katniss Everdeen had a strong relationship with her sister. Katniss stated that Prim was the only one she was sure she loved. Katniss did everything to keep Prim safe. She worked very hard to keep Prim alive and happy, hunting for food, selling, and trading at the Hob. Katniss once wanted to give Prim a gift for her birthday even though she had no money to spend, but bargained for a goat which Prim later named Lady. Katniss even tolerated her sister's ugly cat she found and kept as a pet named Buttercup. Katniss was very protective of Prim and planned and did everything to make sure Prim wouldn't have to take tesserae so she would have a better chance of never being reaped into the Hunger Games. This backfired when Prim was reaped to participate in the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss was willing to die for Prim and volunteered for her. Prim tried to stop Katniss since she knew she would most likely not survive the horror of the Games; but Gale Hawthorne held her back. Katniss' bravery was strong in this part.

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Gale taking Prim away at the reaping.

In Catching Fire, Katniss tried her best to protect Prim from President Snow. She reminded herself Prim is the reason why she must go on. After Gale got flogged, Prim is outside helping Katniss collect Snow, and tells Katniss everything will be okay and she'll be by her side. In Mockingjay, Katniss and Prim's relationship grew much deeper and the two become closer than ever when Katniss struggled with her fear for Peeta's safety while he was being held at the Capitol. Prim would always comfort and listen to Katniss and give her some advice on her problems. Katniss was heartbroken and became depressed enough to attempt suicide by trying to starve herself to death and wept many times after Prim was killed in a bombing that could have been from one of Gale's bombs. When Prim's cat, Buttercup travels all the way from District 13 to 12 just to find Prim, Katniss yells at him "She's dead!" and later the two mourn over Prim together. Later on, Peeta comes back holding what Katniss thinks are just roses, and is about to yell at him because she thought that was just another one of his hijacked actions, meant to break her, but before she does she realizes they are not normal roses but evening primrose, the flower that Prim was named for. Peeta brought the flowers to plant around the house as a memorial to Prim.

Gale Hawthorne

Prim and Gale

Gale and Prim.

Gale and Prim seemed to have a good relationship, through Gale's best friend and Prim's sister, Katniss. Gale carried Prim away from the reaping after Katniss volunteered, and was shown to be comforting Mrs. Everdeen and Prim. Also, he promised Katniss that he would feed her family when she was in the arena, and he showed remorse at her death in Mockingjay. Of course, there was some debate over whether he made the bomb that killed her.

Buttercup

Prim had a strong, loving, relationship with her cat Buttercup. Buttercup had a smashed-in nose and was the ugliest cat Katniss had ever seen. Katniss wanted to kill him, but Prim saved him. Prim found and healed Buttercup. Prim would always sleep with him and she would always watch over him during the night to make sure he would stay safe. In Catching Fire, though he did not like the new house he lives in with the Everdeens in the Victor Village, he would often leave and go back to their old house, but come back for Prim. In Mockingjay, the two were glad to be able to be with each other after Katniss made a request to keep Buttercup for Prim's sake. He continued to protect her over the night and slept by her. Prim was willing to be killed for Buttercup after she almost died during the bombing of District 13 by the Capitol. Prim realized he was still in her room and went there to retrieve him so he wouldn't be killed, but both of them would have died if not for Gale Hawthorne. At the very end of the series, Buttercup traveled all the way from District 13 to 12 just to find Prim but was sad when he did not find her. Katniss yells at him "She's dead", and the two mourn together for Prim. Katniss keeps Buttercup as he is the only thing left of Prim.

Mrs. Everdeen

After Mr. Everdeen was killed, Mrs. Everdeen all but abandoned Katniss and Prim. Although Katniss held a grudge against her, Prim maintained her love for her mother, even brushing and plaiting her hair before leaving for school in the mornings as Mrs. Everdeen sat in stillness. This routine lasts until the incident with the bread, when Mrs. Everdeen comes 'back to life', figuratively speaking, and reclaims her role as mother figure.

In the film adaptation of The Hunger Games after Katniss volunteers, Mrs. Everdeen is seen comforting Prim by hugging her. Before Katniss leaves for the Capitol, Mrs. Everdeen promises to take care of Prim and watch out for her while Katniss is gone.

After Primrose is killed in Mockingjay, Mrs. Everdeen unexpectedly moves away from District 12 to District 4. Katniss Everdeen's hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne, also flees to District 2. As of Katniss' later years, she is the only Everdeen living in District 12. It is not known if Katniss lives in her old home, but she marries Peeta Mellark, her partner in the 74th and 75th Hunger Games.

Peeta Mellark

Not much is known about Peeta Mellark and Prim's relationship, but they have similar interests and are seemingly friends. Prim comes up with an idea to restore his original memories after Peeta's hijacking, although it only leads to confusion.[15] In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Prim tells a hijacked Peeta that District 12 has been destroyed.

Trivia

  • Primrose is named after the plant "Evening Primrose," which is a plant that grows yellow perennial flowers in the early spring. Where it grows wild it is often one of the very first flowers of spring, and is plucked before others even appear. Evening Primrose is a healing herb, and Prim is a healer.
  • Katniss has said that Rue reminds her of Prim, that the two share alike traits such as their demeanor.
  • She is one of the few known characters in The Hunger Games to own her own animal. Her animals are Buttercup, a cat, as well as Lady, a goat.
  • Although Katniss and Prim love one another the two are very different, personality wise. Prim is very forgiving, unlike Katniss. Also, Katniss tried taking Prim hunting once but she was afraid of the woods and also would talk about how they could heal a shot animal.
  • In the book, it is said by Katniss that neither Prim nor Rue could "tip the scale at seventy pounds soaking wet", suggesting that she weighed less than seventy.
  • While in District 13, Prim hoped to become a doctor, as she was skilled in the medical field.
  • In the third film, she shared some characteristics with her sister Katniss, e.g. when the former nearly risked her life running back up the stairs in District 13 to rescue Buttercup.
  • In a deleted scene, it shows a dream sequence of Prim in the Hunger Games wandering around in a jacket.
  • Primrose is the only named District 12 citizen who was a part of the rebellion that died.
  • In the film, it is Prim rather than Delly Cartwright who attempts to talk to the hijacked Peeta in District Thirteen.
  • Prim's District 13 uniform and nurse outfit were dresses instead of the standard shirt and trousers.

Etymology

Prim's name comes from the flower primrose, which is one of the first to appear in the spring. Her surname, Everdeen, comes from Bathsheba Everdene, the main character in Far from the Madding Crowd.[16]

Gallery

The Hunger Games film

Screencaps

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Promotional

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Hunger Games, Chapter 1
  2. Mockingjay, Chapter 25
  3. Mockingjay, Chapter 27
  4. 4.0 4.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 20
  5. Mockingjay, Chapter 9
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 3
  7. The Hunger Games, Chapter 13
  8. Mockingjay, Chapter 15
  9. The Hunger Games, Chapter 2
  10. The Hunger Games, Chapter 4
  11. The Hunger Games, Chapter 2
  12. Catching Fire, Chapter 10
  13. Catching Fire, Chapter 11
  14. Mockingjay, Chapter 3
  15. Mockingjay, Chapter 14
  16. https://ew.com/article/2010/08/12/suzanne-collins-on-the-books-she-loves/
The Hunger Games trilogy
Novels The Hunger GamesCatching FireMockingjay
Main Characters Katniss EverdeenPeeta MellarkGale HawthorneHaymitch AbernathyEffie Trinket
Supporting Characters Primrose EverdeenPresident SnowCinnaMrs. EverdeenMr. EverdeenPresident CoinClaudius TemplesmithCaesar FlickermanMadge UnderseePaylorPlutarch HeavensbeeSeneca Crane
Tributes MarvelGlimmerCatoCloveFoxfaceThreshRueMaysilee DonnerTitus
Past Victors Augustus BraunAnnie CrestaBeetee LatierBlightBrutusCashmereCeceliaChaffEnobariaFinnick OdairGlossJohanna MasonLymeMags FlanaganMorphlingsPorter Millicent TrippSeederWiressWoof
Groups RebellionGamemakersPrep teamTributesVictors
Locations PanemThe CapitolDistrict 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11District 12District 13
Behind the Scenes Suzanne CollinsGary RossFrancis Lawrence
Films The Hunger Games (film)Catching Fire (film)Mockingjay - Part 1Mockingjay - Part 2
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