In the book, Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, the main character, Katniss Everdeen relates on how her younger sister had matured in such a very short amount of time. Katniss’s little sister, Prim, had grown from a small child to a courageous young women, right before Katniss’s eyes. Since disaster began when Katniss took her sister’s place in a deadly game controlled by dictators in the Capitol, called the Hunger Games, Prim was forced to cope with what seemed to be certain death for Katniss. Even after Katniss survives the Hunger Games, her life was constantly on the line from then on. Katniss replaced her sister in these sinister games to achieve a main goal, protecting her family, especially her sister, taking on this role after her father died. Katniss always has seen Prim as a delicate, beautiful flower that could be harmed so easily, needing her consistent protection and support. Katniss was so focused on her own difficult situation that she had very little time to talk and bond with Prim. When some of the chaos died down, only momentarily, Katniss discovered a young lady, instead of the helpless little girl she knew. The quote, “She’s really gone then. The little girl with the back of her shirt sticking out like a duck tail, the one who needed help reaching dishes, and who begged to see the frosted cakes in the bakery window. Time and tragedy have forced her to grow too quickly, at least for my taste, into a young woman who stitches wounds and knows our mother can hear only so much,” clearly expresses Katniss’s shock and dismay of losing the child she knew.



I have seen the very thing Katniss saw with the change in her sister with a close friend. My neighbor, a year older than I, was the kind of girl not afraid to jump in the mud. She and I met at a neighborhood party when I was in 4th grade. Right away, she appeared as the easygoing, fun-loving type. She wasn’t by any means shy. On that very day of our meeting, she invited me to walk a neighbor’s dog with her. I was nervous on that walk, acting politely and stammering, afraid she wouldn’t like me. She spoke so smoothly, with such ease and friendliness that our friendship soon grew. Sure enough, we were soon bringing large amounts of snacks down to our meeting rock to feast. I would go to her house almost every day after school to work on homework. I’d practice presentations with her, and she would always write down ridiculous comments about my talk, that I couldn’t stop the laughter. We learned to know each other well. She was the person who preferred a pair of baggy sweat pants to tight jeans. We romped through our woods, making a fort, and exploring the vast stream and greenery. Together, we made our own mud ball business and crushed rocks and berries. We had everything from a secret hand shake to walking sticks we made together. In truth, she was my idol.

However, she began to grow up. I noticed it in the slightest changes, her clothing, her busy schedule and whatnot. Sometimes, she didn’t want he hands dirty. Other times, she thought what we were doing was silly. Next, she went from her glasses to contacts and soon taking down pictures in her room of animals and putting up pictures of tank tops and nail polish. More often than not, I went to the woods by myself. I missed her badly. Why did she change from that free spirited girl, to a teenager, and why did no one warn me of this painful change? I thought that life would go on like that forever.

Just as my neighbor changed, so did Prim in Katniss’s eyes. Prim was no longer the girl that needed care and having childish dreams, as my neighbor was not the adventure-seeking girl that I had known. Prim matured under difficult circumstances as my neighbor matured under social influence. Prim turned into a capable young lady while my neighbor transformed into a teenage girl. I can relate strongly with Katniss, in wishing to go back in time to way things were before and cherish them while possible. I still am friends with my neighbor, as Katniss still loves her sister deeply, but that past connection will never be the same. Going through this same experience as Katniss makes me see that her goal has been accomplished, he sister had grown, and can protect herself. However, this most likely leaves Katniss with the same empty feeling I felt when losing what I thought was permanent.