“'At any rate, she has to be something. I mean, obviously this'—Fulvia moves in on me quickly, framing my face with her hands—'won’t cut it'” (Collins 81) (Situational Irony)
As Plutarch’s assistant Fulvia is also in charge of filming the Mockingjay propaganda videos. This quote from her comes shortly after Katniss has agreed to be the rebellion’s Mockingjay, a role only she is equipped to play. It is ironic that Fulvia says Katniss being herself “won’t cut it," when the leaders of the rebellion were so desperate for Katniss to be the face of their movement.
Gale’s Plan for the Nut (Situational Irony)
The Nut is an impenetrable Capitol stronghold in the heart of District 2. This district is the lone Capitol holdout—all of the others have fallen to the rebels. In order to triumph over the Capitol, the rebels must cut off the military supply line coming from the Nut. The various military minds are stumped over how to achieve this without a significant loss of life on their side; then, Gale has an idea. He proposes triggering avalanches in the mountain containing the Nut, thus trapping the weapons and killing the people inside. The Nut is an old coalmine, so Gale’s plan is the equivalent of causing a massive coal mining accident. This is ironic, considering that Gale’s own father was killed in a mining accident likely orchestrated by the Capitol.
“Why don’t I just pretend I’m on camera, Plutarch?” (Collins 246) (Verbal Irony)
In this quote Katniss is responding to Plutarch’s instructions on how she should behave during the Capitol’s bombing of District 13. Plutarch tells Katniss that now more than ever she needs to be calm, cool, and collected, as many people will be looking to her for guidance on how to handle the situation. His instructions for her are so reminiscent of how she must act in the propaganda videos that finally Katniss ironically retorts she’ll just pretend she’s being filmed.
Prim’s Death (Dramatic Irony)
Prim and Katniss’s love for her is arguably one of the foremost driving forces of the Hunger Games trilogy. Prim getting reaped during the 74th Hunger Games set off a chain reaction of events that led to the rebellion of the Districts and the end of President Snow’s rule. Therefore, it is highly ironic that the character that inspired our protagonist to begin her own journey of self and political awakening is killed on the eve of victory. Although Katniss does not see the irony of her sister’s death within the larger context of events, it is easy for the reader to realize the irony of the situation after reading the first and last books in the novel.
