Gale Hawthorne Character Analysis in Mockingjay

A friend of Katniss Everdeen and a fellow resident of District 12, Gale undergoes arguably the most shocking transformation in Mockingjay. Though he’s known Katniss for her entire life, he displays subtle signs of moving away from her, even as he continues to love her—both romantically and as a friend. It is Gale who callously proposes that the rebels bomb a civilian area in District 2, reasoning that the government has already bombed his own home—a rationale that horrifies Katniss. In the end, Gale represents a harsh, vindictive mindset that Katniss finds attractive, but ultimately can’t embrace. While Katniss settles down with Peeta, a far gentler person, Gale takes a prestigious job in the rebels’ new government, indicating that his talents for cold, almost inhuman decision-making will serve him well.

Gale Hawthorne Quotes in Mockingjay

The Mockingjay quotes below are all either spoken by Gale Hawthorne or refer to Gale Hawthorne. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Haymitch holds up the notepad. "So, the question is, what do all of these have in common?"
"They were Katniss's," says Gale quietly. "No one told her what to do or say."

"Unscripted, yes!" says Beetee. He reaches over and pats my hand. "So we should just leave you alone, right?"
People laugh. I even smile a little.

Related Characters: Katniss Everdeen (speaker), Gale Hawthorne (speaker), Haymitch Abernathy (speaker), Beetee (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 75

Explanation and Analysis:

It's only now that he's been corrupted that I can fully appreciate the real Peeta. Even more than I would've if he'd died. The kindness, the steadiness, the warmth that had an unexpected heat behind it. Outside of Prim, my mother, and Gale, how many people in the world love me unconditionally?

Related Characters: Katniss Everdeen (speaker), Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Primrose (Prim) Everdeen, Katniss’s mother

Page Number and Citation: 195

Explanation and Analysis:

"I brought you this." Gale holds up a sheath. When I take it, I notice it holds a single, ordinary arrow.
"It's supposed to be symbolic. You firing the last shot of the war."
"What if I miss?" I say. "Does Coin retrieve it and bring it back to me? Or just shoot Snow through the head herself?"
"You won't miss." Gale adjusts the sheath on my shoulder. We stand there, face-to-face, not meeting each other's eyes.
"You didn't come see me in the hospital."
He doesn't answer, so finally I just say it.
"Was it your bomb?"
"I don't know. Neither does Beetee," he says. "Does it matter? You'll always be thinking about it."

Related Characters: Katniss Everdeen (speaker), Gale Hawthorne (speaker), President Alma Coin, President Coriolanus Snow, Beetee

Related Symbols: Arrow, The Double Bomb

Page Number and Citation: 366-367

Explanation and Analysis:

Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real."

Related Characters: Katniss Everdeen (speaker), Peeta Mellark (speaker), Gale Hawthorne

Page Number and Citation: 388

Explanation and Analysis:

Gale Hawthorne Character Timeline in Mockingjay

The timeline below shows where the character Gale Hawthorne appears in Mockingjay. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

As Katniss thinks about Peeta, her best friend, Gale, calls her over the headset she’s wearing. Gale asks Katniss if she’s all right. Katniss... (full context)

Compassion, Callousness, and Revenge Theme Icon

Katniss remembers the lives Gale saved recently. Gale had been toying with the idea of leading the people of District... (full context)

After Gale saved people from District 12, he led them away from the ruins of their old... (full context)

...Buttercup, Prim’s beloved cat. Quickly, she calls Buttercup and carries her away from the house. Gale tells her that she needs to leave District 12 before she’s discovered. As Katniss turns... (full context)

Katniss and Gale are standing in their hovercraft, flying away from District 12, back to District 13. As... (full context)

Katniss and Gale return to District 13 and walk to visit Katniss’s mother and sister, who are stationed... (full context)

Katniss and Gale walk to Command. There, Gale is prevented from walking any further. Katniss walks inside, and... (full context)

...before the leaders can say anything about Peeta. In the hallway outside Command, she finds Gale, who’s been given a bloody nose for trying to come inside Command. Katniss is instantly... (full context)

Gale asks Katniss what she’s going to do. Katniss thinks of the destruction in District 12,... (full context)

The next morning, Katniss encounters Gale at breakfast. Katniss tells Gale that she’s planning on assuming the role of Mockingjay, with... (full context)

Katniss and Gale walk to Command. Gale is reluctant to accompany Katniss, but she insists that his presence... (full context)

...leaders readily accept. Her second condition, that she be allowed to hunt above ground with Gale, causes Plutarch some concern, but Coin eventually agrees to it. The third condition is that... (full context)

...Plutarch and Coin’s willingness to manipulate her public appearance, but since they’ve agreed to allow Gale to assist her, she moves on to her next condition. Katniss asks that Peeta, along... (full context)

Fulvia and Plutarch continue to “prep” Katniss for her duties. Fulvia tells Katniss and Gale to follow her, and she and Plutarch lead them to an elevator, which takes them... (full context)

Katniss leaves the hospital, remembering the terms of her contract—she’s entitled to go hunting with Gale above ground. They proceed by elevator to the surface of the Earth, armed with bows... (full context)

Katniss and Gale return from their hunt with a large number of kills. They take their food to... (full context)

Katniss eats breakfast with her prep team, along with Gale. The food is disgusting, like most of the food in District 13, but it’s also... (full context)

At lunch, Gale and Katniss are scheduled to go see Beetee. They’re directed to the “special defense” room,... (full context)

Beetee leads Gale and Katniss to the weapons he’s been designing. He presents Katniss with a lethal-looking bow... (full context)

Katniss and Gale proceed from Beetee’s workstation to a room on a higher floor, where the prep team... (full context)

...Haymitch convinced the rebel leaders of Katniss’s limitations. Katniss enters Command, along with Plutarch, Fulvia, Gale, and her prep team. She’s surprised to see Haymitch, along with a few people from... (full context)

...death of Rue, a contestant in the first Hunger Games; when she saved Peeta’s life. Gale realizes what Haymitch is getting at—Katniss is at her most charismatic when she goes off-script. (full context)

Plutarch briefs Katniss, who’s accompanied by Gale, on her mission. There are multiple wars going on between the Capitol and the 12... (full context)

Katniss, Boggs, and Gale fly away from District 13 in a hovercraft, headed for District 8. Their TV crew... (full context)

Gale points out that it’s a bad idea to assemble the wounded in one place—any contagious... (full context)

...heal their diseases. After a considerable amount of this, Katniss walks out of the hospital. Gale praises her for her inspirational manner. Boggs explains that Katniss will be doing a great... (full context)

...Paylor, impressed with her courage, advises her to use her flaming arrows. Together, Katniss and Gale fire at a “V” of hovercrafts. Katniss succeeds in setting fire to the leading hovercraft’s... (full context)

...shrapnel injuries from the bombing, and possibly a concussion. Finally, Katniss realizes that she and Gale will be punished for violating the rebels’ orders in District 8. (full context)

Katniss’s mother leaves, and guards wheel Katniss to Command, where she finds Coin, Plutarch, Gale, Fulvia, Cressida, Haymitch, and Boggs. Katniss notices that Boggs has broken his nose in the... (full context)

After talking with Finnick, Katniss returns to her housing and eats dinner with Gale. He doesn’t mention Peeta at all. Katniss worries that her actions as the Mockingjay have... (full context)

The next morning, Katniss encounters Gale during “Production,” the time when Katniss is supposed to be working on propaganda videos with... (full context)

Katniss and Gale travel to District 12 by hovercraft, surrounded by their team. As they land in the... (full context)

Katniss walks through District 12, lost for words. Gale is similarly disgusted and shocked by what he sees: dead bodies, decaying buildings, and more.... (full context)

...they move on, Katniss worries that she’s losing her bond of trust and affection with Gale—by failing to mention Peeta, he broke her trust. Nevertheless, Katniss resolves to continue being friends... (full context)

Katniss and Gale walk to Katniss’s former house. Inside, Gale points to the kitchen, and notes that Katniss... (full context)

...no way to manipulate Katniss. Katniss realizes that Prim is exactly right: Katniss’s connections to Gale, Peeta, and her family put her at a considerable disadvantage. Katniss asks Prim what Snow... (full context)

...13, and gather propaganda footage. Katniss “suits up,” accompanied by her usual entourage, including Boggs, Gale, and the TV crew. She returns to District 13, which she finds in ruins. She... (full context)

...Peeta from the Capitol. The volunteers for this dangerous mission include Boggs, and—much to Katniss’s displeasure—Gale. (full context)

Having just learned from Haymitch that Gale has volunteered to rescue Peeta from the Capitol, Katniss is terrified that she’ll lose both... (full context)

...of her in the hospital, feeding her soft foods and talking with her. Beetee and Gale visit her, showing them weapons that they’ve been collaborating on. One weapon appeals to a... (full context)

Katniss walks through District 2 with Gale. Gale tells Katniss that he is no longer jealous of Peeta—-on the contrary, he feels... (full context)

...which involves seizing the Nut’s entrance in a sudden surprise attack. As the rebels argue, Gale impatiently weighs in: the easiest thing to do would be to blow up the entrance,... (full context)

Gale has just proposed that the rebels bomb the Nut, thereby rendering it easy to enter,... (full context)

The next person to respond to Gale’s suggestion is Boggs, who tries to reach a compromise. The rebels could cause an avalanche... (full context)

Johanna departs, and Katniss turns to see that Gale is standing near her bed. Gale is glad to see Katniss, but Katniss immediately brings... (full context)

...her affection for him was real. Peeta asks Katniss, a little angrily, if she loves Gale. Again, Katniss doesn’t know how to reply, and she walks out of the room. Peeta... (full context)

One night, the trainees, including Finnick, Gale, Katniss, Johanna, and Delly, have dinner with Peeta. Peeta is improving, but he still requires... (full context)

Katniss, Finnick, and Gale are summoned to Command, where Plutarch shows them what they’ll face in the Capitol. Surrounding... (full context)

At dinner, Gale asks Katniss if she’s prepared to kill Peeta in the event that he attacks her... (full context)

The next morning, Katniss, Gale, and Finnick shoot at a nearby building, filmed by the TV crew for propaganda purposes.... (full context)

...large, smoking building, and the TV crew will add in sound effects—mostly gunfire—later. Katniss and Gale run toward a Pod, which, Plutarch has ascertained, will shoot bullets when it’s triggered. The... (full context)

Jackson reluctantly agrees to follow Katniss’s lead and head toward President Snow. Finnick, Gale, and the rest of the team (including Cressida’s TV crew) resolve to follow. A few... (full context)

...next day, the group plans its next move, consulting the Holo for help. Finnick and Gale agree that, since the area above ground is highly dangerous, the best course of action... (full context)

...split from the rest of the group, as she’d planned to do several days earlier. Gale and the other members of the mission, however, refuse to abandon Katniss. (full context)

...fire guns at Katniss and her team. Jackson stays behind to fight the mutts, while Gale, Peeta, and Katniss run away. Katniss notes, impressed, that Peeta seems to be the calmest... (full context)

Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and Cressida run away from the mutts through the tunnels. They find a ladder... (full context)

...alert others to her presence. In the woman’s house, the team finds clothes and makeup. Gale, Cressida, and Pollux change clothes, and Peeta and Katniss use the makeup to disguise their... (full context)

Tigris helps the group take care of Gale’s neck injury. As Peeta and Katniss care for him, Peeta recalls Katniss risking her life... (full context)

...she’s been lying: she was given no instructions to kill President Snow. To Katniss’s surprise, Gale isn’t surprised by this news at all. He insists that everyone knew Katniss was lying:... (full context)

...Snow’s mansion. At the end of the day, she overhears a conversation between Peeta and Gale. They are talking about Katniss. Peeta insists that Katniss loves Gale, while Gale is convinced... (full context)

Katniss is shocked and hurt by what she’s just heard Gale tell Peeta about her. Gale has implied that Katniss acts out of cold calculation, not... (full context)

The next morning, Katniss is still thinking about Gale’s words. Nevertheless, she’s distracted by Beetee’s latest “hijack”—he’s aired a broadcast on Capitol TV about... (full context)

...suppress it. In the confusion, Katniss loses sight of Peeta, Cressida, and Pollux. She and Gale run away from the riot. (full context)

Gale and Katniss run toward President Snow’s mansion. There is another gunshot, and Katniss and Gale... (full context)

As Katniss weeps for Gale, she hears cries of, “The rebels!” and realizes that they’ve broken through the Peacekeepers’ forces.... (full context)

...time and attention to fighting Katniss, the Mockingjay. Katniss remembers the weapon she discussed with Gale and Beetee: it consisted of two bombs, and was designed to appeal to people’s compassion.... (full context)

...friends have died, she thinks to herself: Finnick, Boggs, Prim, Cinna, etc. She wonders where Gale is now—the last time she saw him, he was being dragged away by Capitol guards. (full context)

...Venia whispers that Haymitch and Plutarch had to fight with Coin to keep her alive. Gale arrives at Katniss’s house, and shows her a single arrow, with which she’s supposed to... (full context)

...He explains that the government wants nothing more to do with him, and adds that Gale has gotten a “fancy job” in District 2. (full context)

...Katniss still remembers the sight of her sister dying. Katniss realizes that she doesn’t love Gale, and that his passion and energy are, deep down, motivated by hatred. Instead, she needs... (full context)