Katniss's mockingjay pin, like the bird itself, symbolized a creature with a spirit of its own.

The Mockingjay Pin



Each tribute was allowed one item to remind them of their friends and family in their home district; the small pin bearing the image of a bird in flight is Katniss's.The mockingjay pin was originally given to Katniss by Madge, the mayor's daughter, before Katniss left to the Capitol to participate in the Hunger Games.

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The mockingjays appear not only on Katniss's pin, but in several portions of the novel. We learn, for example, that the bird reminds Katniss of her father, who loved mockingjays very much, and loved to whistle and sing with them. Rue, another music lover, is also associated with mockingjays, since she sings to the birds in order to send messages to the other agricultural workers back in District 11.

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Katniss's mockingjay pin, like the bird itself, symbolized a creature with a spirit of its own. As hybrid creatures that have broken free of the control of the Capitol, they suggest the inability of the Capitol to enforce their power over all living creatures. These birds are signs of resistance and rebellion. As Katniss says, they're "something of a slap in the face to the Capitol.”

This the Mockingjay Pin that Katniss carried with her throughout the Games in order to represent her district by symbolizing something that is near and dear to her heart.