Haymitch Abernathy Character Analysis in Mockingjay

The former champion of the Hunger Games, a member of the rebel alliance, and Peeta and Katniss’s mentor, Haymitch is a crafty, intelligent, and often deeply cynical man. He blames Katniss for abandoning Peeta in the Hunger Games arena, a decision that leads to Peeta’s torture and imprisonment by the government. Nevertheless, he helps Katniss film propaganda videos for the rebel alliance, displaying an impressive level of knowledge and insight into Katniss’s personality. Haymitch can be harsh—at the end of the novel, he votes for a final Hunger Games between the children of the rebels’ enemies, even though he knows firsthand how devastating such an event would be. In the end, Haymitch’s alcoholism and depression prevent him from being at the center of either the rebel alliance or the rebels’ new government.

Haymitch Abernathy Quotes in Mockingjay

The Mockingjay quotes below are all either spoken by Haymitch Abernathy or refer to Haymitch Abernathy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Scholastic Press edition of Mockingjay published in 2014.

Haymitch holds up the notepad. "So, the question is, what do all of these have in common?"
"They were Katniss's," says Gale quietly. "No one told her what to do or say."

"Unscripted, yes!" says Beetee. He reaches over and pats my hand. "So we should just leave you alone, right?"
People laugh. I even smile a little.

Related Characters: (speaker), (speaker), (speaker), (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 75

Explanation and Analysis:

Haymitch Abernathy Character Timeline in Mockingjay

The timeline below shows where the character Haymitch Abernathy appears in Mockingjay. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The Power and Danger of Symbols Theme Icon

...they would have plausible deniability if one of them was captured.) Caesar asks Peeta about Haymitch Abernathy, the former victor who mentored Katniss and Peeta. Peeta doesn’t say whether Haymitch was... (full context)

Compassion, Callousness, and Revenge Theme Icon

...microphone. There is a painful silence—then, out of nowhere, the laughter of Katniss’s old mentor, Haymitch, fills the studio. (full context)

Katniss has just heard Haymitch’s voice coming from the studio where she’s been recording slogans for the rebel cause. The... (full context)

Role-Playing, Authenticity, Television, and the Self Theme Icon

The narrative jumps ahead one day. Katniss explains that it takes Haymitch an entire morning to convince the rebel leaders that Katniss isn’t fit to be Mockingjay.... (full context)

Katniss explains how Haymitch convinced the rebel leaders of Katniss’s limitations. Katniss enters Command, along with Plutarch, Fulvia, Gale,... (full context)

Haymitch asks the rebel leaders to name a single time when Katniss inspired them. Before too... (full context)

Haymitch proposes that the best way for the rebels to make use of Katniss is for... (full context)

With most of the rebel leaders convinced of Haymitch’s plan, Haymitch turns to Katniss herself. Katniss can’t prevent herself from saying what she’s been... (full context)

...in the ground—the Capitol is bombing District 8. Katniss hears a voice in her ear: Haymitch is communicating with her via earpiece. Haymitch explains that she mustn’t be spotted, and that... (full context)

...leaves, and guards wheel Katniss to Command, where she finds Coin, Plutarch, Gale, Fulvia, Cressida, Haymitch, and Boggs. Katniss notices that Boggs has broken his nose in the explosions in District... (full context)

...to her room, where she dozes off. Before too long, she wakes up, to find Haymitch standing over her. Haymitch dangles Katniss’s earpiece and reminds her that she is supposed to... (full context)

...At the same time, she acknowledges that he has a point—Katniss doesn’t trust Coin, Plutarch, Haymitch, or any of the other rebel leaders. Hurriedly, Finnick turns off the television. He and... (full context)

...by hovercraft, surrounded by their team. As they land in the Meadow, Katniss notices that Haymitch isn’t present, and Plutarch informs her that Haymitch has been struggling with his alcoholism once... (full context)

...leaders sitting around her are more concerned about what Peeta has said: “dead by morning.” Haymitch yells out his theory of what’s happened: Peeta has tried to signal Katniss that everyone... (full context)

In response to Haymitch and Katniss’s urgings, Coin agrees to put District 13 in a “Level Five” lockdown. Katniss,... (full context)

When Katniss awakes from her sedative-fueled sleep, she finds Haymitch standing before her. Haymitch explains that Plutarch has decided to put together a crew to... (full context)

Having just learned from Haymitch that Gale has volunteered to rescue Peeta from the Capitol, Katniss is terrified that she’ll... (full context)

Haymitch proposes that Katniss help create a decoy that will distract the government’s attention from the... (full context)

...he accuses President Snow of rising to power by poisoning his rivals. Afterwards, Katniss asks Haymitch about his own relationship with Snow. Haymitch reveals that Snow murdered his entire family after... (full context)

...arrives back at District 13. Alerted by communicuff, Katniss rushes to the hospital wing, where Haymitch tells Katniss that the mission managed to free everyone except for Enobaria. Katniss finds Johanna... (full context)

Shortly after Katniss is discharged from the hospital, Haymitch visits her in her home, and suggests that they use a novel strategy to communicate... (full context)

Delly goes to the hospital, where Peeta is staying, while Haymitch and Katniss watch from behind an observation window where they can’t be seen. Delly greets... (full context)

...if she is partly to blame for the destruction of her home. She turns to Haymitch and begs him to send her to the Capitol to confront President Snow. When Haymitch... (full context)

...As Katniss tries to reason with Boggs, she hears a voice in her earpiece—it is Haymitch. Haymitch tells Katniss that Peeta has made a great leap forward in his rehabilitation—he’s been... (full context)

Haymitch next tells Katniss that she needs to make a speech, immediately. Katniss must go to... (full context)

The chapter begins with Katniss describing herself as being “blindsided” by news Haymitch has given her. She runs to Command, where she finds the rebel leaders conversing. Haymitch... (full context)

...the team, Boggs cut her from the mission. With the young victors prepared to fight, Haymitch and Beetee—who will manage their progress from District 13—wish them good luck. Katniss and Finnick... (full context)

...operating on her, and running constant tests on her body. A little later, she sees Haymitch walking by her bed, smiling, followed by Cinna, Delly, and, bizarrely, her own father, who... (full context)

...the execution. Effie Trinket, an old Hunger Games organizer, is also present. Venia whispers that Haymitch and Plutarch had to fight with Coin to keep her alive. Gale arrives at Katniss’s... (full context)

...begins. Katniss is present, along with the surviving Hunger Games participants: Enobaria, Johanna, Beetee, Annie, Haymitch, and Peeta. Beetee explains that the Hunger Games competitors were, for the most part, killed... (full context)

...will give the Capitol “a taste of its own medicine.” The vote comes down to Haymitch and Katniss. Katniss votes for the Hunger Games, “for Prim,” and Haymitch agrees with her.... (full context)

A few days later, Haymitch visits Katniss, who is still under house arrest. Haymitch explains that Katniss’s trial is over.... (full context)

The hovercraft is taking Katniss and Haymitch back to District 12. Haymitch explains that the government has no place for him, either,... (full context)

The hovercraft arrives in District 12, and Haymitch and Katniss return to the large houses that have been built for them. The next... (full context)