The Hunger Games Love Triangle

I don't know why love triangles are so popular these days, or maybe it's just the books I'm reading. Just look at the number of them (that I can remember) in Harry Potter alone:
Harry/Cho/Cedric.
Ron/Hermione/Krum.
Harry/Ginny/Dean.
Hermione/Ron/Lavender.
Snape/Lily/James.
Mrs. Norris/Filch/ Madame Pince (OK, just kidding there. Although...)

I'm sure we can all think of a few more love triangles in other books, but there is one I'd like to talk about in particular. Gale/Katniss/Peeta from The Hunger Games trilogy. Why? Because, and I say this as someone who has a low-tolerance threshold for romance, it's perfect. I'm going to try so hard not to give any big spoilers away. This will be difficult.

So first there's Katniss/Gale. They have been best friends for years. They go hunting together, they tell each other everything, and it's clear from the beginning that Gale at least has a thing for Katniss. He even has a cute nickname for her. They are a lot alike in personality; at the end of Mockingjay, Katniss said they're both very fiery (paraphrasing). To quote the first Veggie Tales movie, they're "two peas in a pod! Two humps on a camel! They always sway the same way!"

And then there's Katniss/Peeta. Gale might be Katniss' best friend, but Peeta actually manages to rival him in that area. But where Katniss and Gale are more fiery and obviously strong-spirited, Peeta is much calmer. He's strong-spirited, too, but in a quiet way. You know what I mean? He and Katniss complement each other.

Also, put them in a cave and look how adorable they get.



They are the sweetest. Ever. But let me tell you something else about the Peeta in the books! He is not quite that *ehem* handsome. (Or British. Heaven help us all if Peeta Mellark were British...)

I can hear it now. The gasps of shock. The WHAAATs of confusion. There is a love triangle and both "options" are not drop-dead gorgeous? YES! I KNOW! He's initially described as "medium height, stocky build, [with] blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead." It is just so refreshing to see a normal-looking person in a book. We can't all be supermodels.

So get to the point, Qzie. Why did this love triangle work so well?


For just so many reasons.


1) Because the choices mean something. You could interpret the triangle in a variety of ways, but here's how I saw it. Gale represented the life that Katniss had always known (that's not necessarily a bad thing, after all). Then Peeta represented the changes in their lives and their world.

2) Because it really could have gone either way. At the beginning of the first book, Gale and Katniss actually talk about running away together. And then... well, did you see the YouTube video? Point is, they both had a fair chance.

3) Because Gale and Peeta's characters weren't totally dependent on Katniss. One wasn't the Designated Love Interest and one wasn't the Other Boy. Their characters were totally fleshed out, and we're able to sympathize with all players.

4) Because when either of them were gone for an extended period of time, Katniss didn't have a complete meltdown. She was still able to function. And that's all I'll say about that...

5) Because we don't have to hear about it every other page! And it's not like over-the-top declarations of love! That YouTube video was the soppiest it got. And the actors actually made it soppier. It's gotta be one of the more honest portrayals of love I've read.

So yeah. That's why this particular triangle worked.