Thoughts on Effie Trinket

Today we launch Bookstacked’s countdown to Mockingjay, Part 2–the final movie in The Hunger Games series. Join us each day as we highlight an important character from The Hunger Games books and movies and discuss who they are and what they mean to us.

How can we forget the first time we met Effie Trinket at the reaping ceremony in her pink hair and spring green outfit? At first glance, she’s only an escort for the District 12 tributes. Part of her job, that we know of,  includes drawing the Hunger Games tributes’ names every year at reapings. And  after the tributes have been selected she escorts them to the Capitol. She is always worried about manners, teaching the tributes to behave appropriately before arriving at the Capital. She meets Katniss and Peeta at the 74th reaping.

Apart from that, we don’t know anything about her family or background, or even what other things she does when she’s not at the reaping ceremony. However, we do know that she becomes a big part of Katniss and Peeta’s lives.

As we get to know her, we realize that Effie is always upbeat and happy. She tries to get the tributes to feel the same way, but as a Capitol citizen, she doesn’t understand why Katniss and Peeta don’t share her sentiment. In their minds, Effie is overly excited. She’s described by Katniss as,  “The maniacally upbeat woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the reaping.”

But Effie grows to love Katniss and Peeta. When she meets them for the first time, she’s impressed because, in her mind, they have manners, unlike any of the tributes she’s met before. It’s easy to see her affection in the movies because we always get to see her cheering and supporting them. She has a kind personality, clueless sometimes and oblivious to the situations around her, but we love her. We especially come to see that ever since book one that she really cares for her tributes–“her pearls”–and she’s genuinely happy when they win.

One difference between the movies and the books is that she’s not very present during the revolution. We know that she was imprisoned and then released. However, she’s there when Katniss gets revenge on Snow, as she has been during most of Katniss’s journey.

For me, Effie means finding  friendship in the oddest places. Katniss’s eventual acceptance of Effie’s friendship teaches us not to judge a book by its cover. You never know where you might find someone who can touch your life in a way that you never could imagine. And one of the important lessons she taught me is, to have a positive attitude towards life.  No matter what you’re going through, there’s always a silver lining, so look for it in every situation.

For those reasons, Effie Trinket is a very important character in this trilogy. It’s no wonder why she’s a fan favorite.

As she would say, “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!”