Peeta Mellark Quotes

"No," he says. "Don't [take off the handcuffs]. They help hold me together."

"You might need your hands," says Gale.

"When I feel myself slipping, I dig my wrists into them, and the pain helps me focus," says Peeta. (23.9-11)

Peeta shows courage here through his willingness to remain restrained. He doesn't want to be released because he doesn't trust himself. Yet, if he were released, he'd be better able to defend himself in the event of another attack – which could occur at any time. The fact that he's willing to risk that, to give up that self-defense, shows his bravery.

"I'm not sure exactly. The one thing that I might still be useful at is causing a diversion. You saw what happened to that man who looked like me," he says. (24.26)

Yet again, Peeta steps bravely forward. He's still not fully recovered from being hijacked and yet he's determined to "be useful" doing the "one thing" that he still <em>can</em> do to help. That's giving himself up so the other rebels, including Katniss, can get through and get closer to Snow.

"We were outside at the end of the day. I tried to catch your eye. You looked away. And then... for some reason, I think you picked a dandelion." I nod. He does remember. I have never spoken about that moment aloud. "I must have loved you a lot."

"You did." My voice catches and I pretend to cough.

"And did you love me?" he asks.

I keep my eyes on the tiled floor. "Everyone says I did. Everyone says that's why Snow had you tortured. To break me." (16.83-86)

In this poignant moment, Peeta struggles to recapture his feelings and memories after being hijacked. Yet he seems more ready to admit those feelings than Katniss, who <em>wasn't</em> hijacked. When asked directly if she loved him, Katniss sidesteps the question and explains that "everyone" else "says" that she did. The words and actions of all the people around her point to and explain this love. But she herself is unable to admit it.