Book Boyfriend: Gale Hawthorne

We decided that Thursday needed a little pizazz and stumbled on this meme while hanging out at one of our favorite blogs, A Book and a Cupcake. So we took ourselves over to The Unread Reader to see what it was all about and join the fun. The Unread Reader features this meme on Wednesdays, but we figured moving our participation to Thursday wouldn't hurt anything. We'd love it if you'd leave a comment if you participate in this so we can check out your book boyfriends as well. 

This week's Book Boyfriend is Gale Hawthrone from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

Nickname: Gale 

 Appearance: 

 Gale is 18. 

Gale has olive skin, straight black hair, and gray eyes. 

He is over six feet tall, and has looked like a man to Katniss since he was about 14 years old. 

 Facts about Gale: 

 He met Katniss in the woods outside District 12, as they were both hunting game to feed their families. 

Both Gale and Katniss lost their fathers in the same mining accident when they were 14. 

Gale didn’t trust Katniss initially, but grew close to her as he spent more time hunting with her, until they became best friends. 

Gale calls Katniss Catnip. 

Gale single handedly supports his family of three younger brothers & sisters, and his mother. 

Gale signed up for more tesserae so that his family wouldn’t starve. He is determined that his other siblings will not have to do the same. 

While Katniss is away at the Hunger Games, Gale takes care of her family and makes sure they have enough to eat. 

Gale does love Katniss, and when she comes home the Capitol recognizes him as a threat to the story of Katniss and Peeta, so he is cast as her cousin. 

 Quotes: 

 “Hey, Catnip,” says Gale. Pg 7, The Hunger Games 

“We could do it you know,” says Gale. “What?” I ask. “Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it,” says Gale. I don’t know how to respond. The idea is so preposterous. “If we didn’t have so many kids,” he adds quickly. Pg 9, The Hunger Games 

 “Through the crowd, I spot Gale looking back at me with a ghost of a smile… But suddenly I am thinking of Gale and his forty-two names in that big glass ball and how the odds are not in his favor. Pg 20, The Hunger Games 

 I can feel someone pulling her from my back. I turn and see Gale has lifted Prim off the ground and she’s thrashing his arms. “Up you go, Catnip,” he says, in a voice he’s fighting to keep steady… Pg 23, The Hunger Games 

 “Katniss, it’s just hunting. You’re the best hunter I know,” says Gale. Pg 40, The Hunger Games 

 “You know how to kill.” “Not people,” I say. “How different can it be, really?” says Gale grimly. Pg 40, The Hunger Games 

 Why he’s my Book Boyfriend: 

 Gale started out the trilogy as my book boyfriend, although I did eventually move over to Peeta. What I liked about Gale was that he was who Katniss could truly be herself around. He knew her, understood where she came from and what drives her to succeed, and he accepted that. He had a huge weight of responsibility on his shoulders in caring for his family, which he did without complaint, and then he agreed to watch over Katniss’s family too. He has that quiet, deep thing going on too. He isn’t afraid of standing up for what he thinks is right, and that trait gets him in trouble.