CHARACTERS

Katniss Everdeen - The narrator of the story and the female tribute from District 12. At age 16, Katniss volunteers to enter the 74th Hunger Games after her sister, Primrose, is chosen to be a tribute. Her father, a coal miner, died in a mine explosion; since then, Katniss has become the primary supporter of her mother and younger sister. She gets food by hunting illegally in the forest outside District 12. Because of this, Katniss has strong survivalist instincts and is a wonderful archer. Katniss has straight long black hair, which she normally pulls back into a long braid, olive skin, and gray eyes. She is also known as "the girl on fire" during the Hunger Games; she earns this title from her fierce personality and the outfits created for her by her stylist, Cinna.

Peeta Mellark - The male tribute from District 12. He is the son of the town's baker, and has two older brothers. On live television, Peeta first confesses his lifelong love for Katniss, having had a crush on her since they were five years old. He is skilled at camouflaging and baking, and is very strong. Peeta is of medium height, has a stocky build, "ashy blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead", and blue eyes. Katniss knows him as "the boy with the bread" from when he gave her two loaves of bread after he saw her scrounging for food in the baker's garbage cans.

Gale Hawthorne - Katniss's best friend, whom she met while hunting in the forest four years prior to the beginning of the novel. Gale is the oldest child in his family and also feels responsible for feeding his mother and his siblings, as his father died in the same mining accident as Katniss's father. Katniss felt a connection with him upon their first meeting. Katniss thinks Gale can have any girl he wants, which she can tell "by the way girls whisper when he walks by in school", and admits to feeling jealousy because of this (though Katniss explains this is only because he is her hunting partner and nothing else). Gale has strong opinions about the Capitol, which he often voices to Katniss in the safety of the woods, and which cause him to have a distaste for those who are better off. He is 18 and has straight black hair, olive skin, and gray eyes. Katniss is unsure if her feelings for him are romantic or platonic.

Primrose "Prim" Everdeen - Katniss's sister. She is, against all odds, picked as the female tribute from District 12 at her first reaping, but Katniss volunteers in her place. Katniss notes that many people seem to genuinely like Prim. Prim is described as being very pretty, with a face "fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named", with light hair and blue eyes. She is 12 years old. She has a goat named 'Lady' which Katniss bought for her, something Katniss claims is her favorite memory, outside those she shares with Gale.

Haymitch Abernathy- As of the beginning of the book, he is the only living District 12 winner of the Hunger Games. Because of this, he assumes the role of mentor for both of District 12's tributes. Haymitch is, until Peeta and Katniss force him to sober up, a drunk, after years of training hopeless tributes. He is described as paunchy and middle-aged. During the Games, he "speaks" to Katniss through his giving of gifts, or lack thereof, from sponsors.

Source: Wikipedia