Rue’s death inThe Hunger Gamesis the most heartbreaking moment in the first movie for me, but all these years later, I know it had to happen.The Hunger Gamesmovie, and the franchise that expanded from it, is inspired by the novel by Suzanne Collins. Set in the dystopian world of Panem, every year, one boy and one girl from each district in the country is chosen to fight to the death as a way to remind the citizens of their bloody past.
Rue (played by Amandla Stenberg) is one of the youngest tributes inThe Hunger Games. Just 12 years old, she is from District 11 and becomes an ally to Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) about halfway into the games. She is a bright spot in the movie because she is not bloodthirsty like the career tributes and her moments with Katniss help to bring the very human element back to the games.Rue is a reminder that everyone in that arena is a literal child, and that is why her death hits us so hard.
Why Katniss Connects With Rue
Rue Reminds Katniss Of Prim
Katniss cannot help but see how a shy Prim would be around the other tributes in the face of Rue.
Katniss first notices Rue when all of the tributes are brought to the Capitol for their weeks of fittings and interviews and training before actually entering the arena. This time gives the mentors and the tributes alike the chance to make alliances, but Katniss is not interested in making any alliances. It’s easy to understand why she would not want to - to survive, she will have to kill everyone she meets.
She, like me and the rest of the audience, cannot help but be amused by Rue laughing at the squabbles of the career tributes when one is missing a knife.Rue has the knife, but she has climbed up to the top of the netting in the training area where the other tributes do not even notice her observing them. Katniss does though, and that is the first hint we get that she is going to like this little girl.
What really allows Katniss and Rue to connect is that Rue is gentle and sweet.She minds Katniss of her own little sister, Prim, whom she volunteered to enter the games in place of.Katniss cannot help but see how a shy Prim would be around the other tributes in the face of Rue.
Likewise, Rue having medicinal knowledge of plants and helping Katniss in the arena, even though it puts her in danger, is very much something Prim would do.Prim is quick with medical knowledge herself and even wants to become a medic when the rebellion eventually unfolds. There are so many clear lines between Rue and Prim that it’s no wonder that Katniss feels the need to protect the little girl.
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How Rue Dies
Rue Dies Right In Front Of Katniss
After Katniss and Rue become allies in the arena, they spend most of their time in the trees above the other tributes. While Rue is light and small, giving her an advantage over older and heavier tributes when it comes to climbing, Katniss has climbing experience from her hunting trips outside of District 12.
Rue is used to climbing high above everyone else because she’s from District 11, which isthe Panem district responsible formost agricultural production. While the movie leaves this detail out, in the novels, she is the one who climbs the trees and whistles to signal to the rest of the workers that it is quitting time.
Katniss and Rue climbing works to keep them out of harm’s way at first. Eventually, they have to come to the ground and play the game, whether they want to or not. I cannot be the only one who would have liked for Rue to just keep climbing trees a little bit longer.
Rue and Katniss split up with the aim of distracting other tributes with fires (Rue) while stealing supplies from the cornucopia where the games started (Katniss). They even use the whistle that has become the theme of the movies to signal one another.Unfortunately for Rue, she gets caught in a trap set by the members of the career pack of tributes. The idea is to use the trapped Rue to lure out Katniss, which works to an extent.
Marvel is the one who ultimately kills Rue. Just after Katniss has freed her, he sends a spear her way, impaling her. He is really aiming for Katniss, but she dodges, and Rue ends up in the path.Though Katniss reacts quickly and sends an arrow back at him, there’s nothing she can do to save Rue. It remains one of the most heartbreaking andimportant moments in theHunger Gamesfranchiseas Katniss sings to her as she dies and arranges her among the flowers.
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Rue’s Death Still Haunts Marvel Actor
Jack Quaid Has Spoken About It
Though Jack Quaid is best known these days for his role in The Boys, his turn asMarvel inThe Hunger Gameswas his breakout role, and fans will not let him forget that he is responsible for the death of Rue.He’s spoken about his time in the arena in interviews and has had fans reach out to him on social media.
In 2021 on Twitter (now X), when a fan realized it was him in theHunger Gamesand tagged him in their revelation,Quaid replied, “In all fairness, I met my demise VERY quickly afterwards. I was brainwashed by my luxurious District 1 upbringing. But yes incredibly sorry.”He has been apologizing to fans, it seems, ever since the movie premiered.
In 2022,Amandla Stenberg playfully addressed Quaidin an interview via E! at San Diego Comic Con that year. She told him:
Hello, Jack. It’s been so many years. It’s taken me time to recover. Sometimes I still get a jabbing pain through my abdomen, and I’m reminded of the time you murdered me. But we all have our faults and I forgive you.
Quaid, for his part, committed to the bit and was so excited by her words that he dropped to his knees to thank her because people had been “spitting [on him] on the streets for years” as a result of the role. While the exchange is all in good fun for the actors, it’s true that there are still fans who see Quaid as the teenager who murdered Rue despite all of the different roles he has had since.
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Rue’s Death Galvanizes Katniss
The rebellion does not kick off inCatching Firewhen people start making plans behind her back. The rebellion kicks off the moment Katniss starts singing to Rue.
While Rue’s death in the arena is heartbreaking and still makes me cry every time I watch the scene, I know that it had to happen.Katniss seeing Rue killed so brutally, one of the few people in the arena she wanted to protect more than herself, is what galvanizes her.It’s what makes her get through the games and ally with Peeta. It’s what makes the rest of the districts see Katniss as the face of the rebellion.
The rebellion does not kick off inCatching Firewhen people start making plans behind her back. The rebellion kicks off the moment Katniss starts singing to Rue. She shows the districts that not all of the tributes in the arena are trained to be cruel.Katniss reminds the audience that they are human.When she raises her three-fingered salute as a sign of respect for Rue, Rue’s family sees it and District 11 adopts it as a sign that they stand with Katniss. Thewhistle that Rue and Katniss useto communicate becomes a sign of rebellion.
Rue’s death is what prompts Katniss and the citizens of District 11 to act against orders from the Capitol.Though Katniss has already been threatened by President Snow about inciting any rebellion, she is very careful about what she says on the Victory Tour inCatching Fire. She thanks District 11 for allowing her to get to know Rue and even offers a small eulogy for the little girl. Her words remind those who witness them of the cruelty of the Capitol. At least one man is killed following her speech for leading the District in the three-fingered salute.
Without Rue’s death, citizens of Panem would never have seen Katniss go against the norm in the arena to mourn a fallen tribute. Without Rue’s death, those already primed to rebel would not have seen someone who could become a symbol of everything wrong with the country.As much as we might have hated to see Rue fall in the arena, Katniss had to witness that tragedy to become the Mockingjayand bringThe Hunger Gamesto an end.
The Hunger Games
Cast
The Hunger Games is a dystopian thriller set in Panem, where annually selected tributes from twelve districts compete in a televised battle to the death. The story follows Katniss Everdeen, who must navigate the brutal competition and rely on her instincts and mentor’s guidance to survive and possibly return home.
