Finnick: Once a Victor, Twice a Tribute, Forever a Hero

Those of you who've read Mockingjay must have felt the emotional turmoil that I am going through now. So many lives needlessly lost, so many Hunger Games victors willingly sacrificing themselves in painful, excruciating ways after being pulled into the arena for the second Quarter Quell, to save Katniss in the name of the Mockingjay. So many other victors slaughtered in an effort to find out more about the rebellion. And countless others, innocents and those involved with the rebellion, sacrificed for the promise of a better future.

The old man in District 11. Cinna. Mags. Prim. Darius. Johanna.

None of their deaths affected me as much as Finnick's.

Oh, Finnick.

I was extremely affected by Finnick's death. I thought it was bad when Mags sacrificed herself during the second Quarter Quell, but it was much, much worse when it came to Finnick's time. Finnick was the most likeable victor, the one who seemed least affected by the games, and yet he was someone who had suffered more than usual at President Snow's hands. 

He was the example that Snow was trying to make when he implemented the second Quarter Quell:

On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.

- President Snow, Catching Fire

Though it was directed at Katniss, to me, Finnick was the ultimate Mockingjay. He survived the Games twice despite the odds. He survived the after effects of the games, only to enter another type of game with President Snow, where he willingly became a sex slave in order to save Annie and those he loved. That too, he overcame, and became stronger in the aftermath. He survived better than Haymitch or even Katniss, and to see him die in such an awful, almost off-handed way: in the line of duty, pieces of body left to rot somewhere in the sewers made it much, much worse to bear. Even Katniss's monologue about feeling like Finnick in his last moments, his life flashing before his eyes, didn't seem enough to truly appreciate Finnick and the sacrifice he made.

After Peeta's hijacking, there was no one who was truly good that I felt like I could root for, except for Finnick. After losing Peeta, to lose Finnick was doubly worse, especially when following Katniss's narrative, I had forgotten that Finnick was in the sewers next to them, and was only reminded of his presence upon Katniss's safety and his death. The good thing that I could see coming out of Finnick's death was that Annie seemed to have a better hold of herself, an assumption I made only during her two sentence cameo at the end of Mockingjay. That gave me hope for their son's upbringing.

His death drove home the price of war, where countless lives are lost in the line of duty, and some in ways that just don't make sense, but so easily forgotten. He had such potential, played such a big part in the series, uprising and rebellion that it made his death was even crueler. He didn't have a flashy death while killing some Capitol operative, he didn't even get to die near his beloved ocean or while protecting Annie.

From Catching Fire, I knew that Finnick would play a big part in the revolution and Katniss's life. The moment he won me over was when he saved Katniss's life early in the arena and saved Mags.

I admit that I was furious with Katniss for not saving him, especially when Katniss herself admits that she owes him over and over, and she and Peeta would have been dead without him. Perhaps saving Annie made up some of the life debt she owed him, or perhaps to Finnick, just doing that meant that she had more than paid her debt in full.

But I think I know Finnick well enough to say that he went into combat, fully prepared to die for the cause and Katniss's safety, if it meant that the reign of terror wielded by Snow stopped. He had his happy ending of sorts, being reunited and married to the woman he loved, and a short period of bliss, which is more than some others could say. And that he wouldn't begrudge his death, but be glad, even somewhat smug, that he was one of the last lines of defense against the mutts, that he had saved Katniss's life again.

So here's to Finnick, who made me laugh at his antics, feel for him, and bawl my eyes out upon his death. The only character who, with his trident, can fully rival the kickass effect that Katniss has with her bow and arrows.

Here are some favourite Finnick moments.

"Finnick?" I say. "Maybe some pants?"
He looks down at his legs as if noticing his outfit for the first time. Then he whips off his hospital gown, leaving him in just his underwear. "Why? Do you find this"--he strikes a ridiculously provocative pose--"distracting?"

- Mockingjay

“It's like you're decomposing,” says Finnick. But I guess the itching wins out, because after a minute Finnick begins to treat his own skin, too. Really, the combination of the scabs and the ointment looks hideous. I can't help enjoying his distress.
“Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?” I say.
“It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?” he asks.

- Catching Fire