Katniss Everdeen plant can be eaten, as Katniss does in the book. Her father once said: "As long as you can find yourself, you'll never starve." The plant also shares its name with a constellation in the Zodiac called Sagittarius, or "The Archer", which may also reference Katniss's skills in archery. Her last name comes from Bathsheba Everdene, the central female character in "Far from the Madding Crowd" by Thomas Hardy. According to Collins, "The two are very different, but both struggle with knowing their hearts". "The Hunger Games" takes place in the ruins of North America: a country called Panem (in
Katniss Everdeen the Games, Katniss forms an alliance with Rue after Rue helps Katniss escape the Careers with a tracker jacker nest, getting her a bow in the process. After healing Katniss' wounds from the tracker jacker poison, Rue is killed by Marvel, the male tribute from District 1. Later, the rules are changed so that if the remaining two tributes come from the same district, they will both become victors. Katniss hurries to find Peeta, who is seriously injured from saving Katniss from Cato, the District 2 male, and they resume their "star-crossed lovers" reputation, gaining sympathy from sponsors. While Katniss