Rue Brownlow

"*Everything beautiful brings her to mind. I see her in the yellow flowers that grow in the Meadow by my house. I see her in the mockingjays that sing in the trees.*"
―Katniss on Rue**Rue Brownlow** was the 12-year-old female tribute from District 11 who was reaped for the 74th Hunger Gting to the Capitol that Rue was not just a piece in their games. This sparked revenge and riots in the districts.

## Biography

### Early life

"*I'm usually up highest, so I'm the first to see the flag that signals quitting time. There's a special little song I do. And the mockingjays spread it around the orchard. That's how everyone knows to knock off.*"
―RueRue lived in District 11 prior to the 74th Hunger Games. She was the eldest child in her family, with three younger sisters and two younger brothers. She worked from sunrise to sunset in the orchards in District 11 alongside the other citizens of her district. Despite her size, she was able to jump from tree to tree in the orchards, even on the slenderest branches. She could scale the tallest trees in District 11, allowing her to see the flag that signaled quitting time, after which she would sing her four-note song. The tune would be picked up by the mockingjays in the area, which would spread the message through the orchards that the working day was over. Rue claimed that these mockingjays were her special friends.

### Reaping

Rue was chosen during the reaping at the age of 12 for the 74th Hunger Games along with Thresh, District 11's male tribute. When Rue was chosen, her district escort asked if anyone would like to volunteer for Rue's place, but the district answered with silence, and the only sound that could be heard was the wind. Katniss was deeply disturbed by this, as she was the same age and size as Primrose, her sister. Inside the Justice Building, Rue's mother and siblings all cried while saying their goodbyes, clinging to her because they were too scared to let go of her.

### Training and Interview

Rue, along with her district partner, dressed up a farmer to represent her district's industry, agriculture, during the tribute parade. During the training sessions, Rue showed her swift and silent abilities by swiping Cato's knife while he wasn't looking, causing him to attack another tribute, much to the amusement of her district partner, Thresh.

While all the tributes were training, Rue observed them closely, to see their strength and weaknesses. She watched Katniss and Peeta in particular. Peeta informed Katniss they had "a shadow", Rue peeked out of a corner and, in response, Katniss and Peeta smiled at her. She managed to get a seven out of twelve in her private session with the Gamemakers. She climbed on the training course and used slingshots on targets.

During her interview with Caesar Flickerman, she told him not to count her out because she was fast, and if they couldn't catch her, they couldn't kill her. Caesar replied by saying he wouldn't count her out in a million years. He then concluded Rue's interview.

### The Games

In the arena, Rue managed to stay alive by staying off the ground, much like Katniss did. Since most of the tributes could not climb trees, they would have extreme difficulty in killing her, which gave Rue a massive advantage. Also, most of the other tributes were too big to climb as high as she can. She used her extensive knowledge of plants to collect food for the first few days. She went hungry, but it didn't affect her because she was used to poverty. She retrieved a backpack from the outskirts of the Cornucopia in the beginning of the Games, but it only contained a ball of twine, a small waterskin, and an extra pair of socks because she had to get away from the Cornucopia fast, so she grabbed the closest bag she could find. She found a sharp shard of rock she used as a knife. She made a slingshot for herself as well. She used her extra pair of socks to keep her hands warm during cold nights. She sang to the mockingjays when she was bored. Her following of Katniss in the training center continued in the arena.

After the forest fire (in which many of the tributes, including Rue and Katniss, suffered burns) Rue climbed a tree to avoid the approaching Career pack. Noticing Katniss in a tree nearby, she alerted her to a tracker jacker nest on a higher branch. In the morning, Katniss alerts Rue that she is about to drop the nest; Rue nods, and leaps from tree to tree to get out of range once the wasps were unleashed.

After the tracker jacker attack, Rue continued following Katniss. While Katniss is attempted to make a fire, she heard a branch crack, and she knew it was Rue because she saw her boots sticking around the tree. She told Rue the careers weren't the only ones who could make an alliance. Rue came out from behind the tree and said she could heal Katniss's tracker jacker wounds with leaves. Katniss was relieved by her wounds being fixed and offered Rue treatment for her burns. Rue said Katniss had good sponsors, for that was where she got the burn ointment, and Katniss asked her if she had gotten anything yet, to which Rue replied no. Katniss told Rue not to worry because the more she advanced in the Games the more sponsors would recognize her for her survival skills.

The first night that the two spent together, Rue was surprised by the sleeping bag that Katniss had gotten in the beginning of the Games. Rue examined the contents of Katniss' pack and explained what some of the things were. Rue told Katniss about the night vision glasses that Katniss had gotten, which Katniss mistook for sunglasses at first, and how important the glasses were in Rue's district. Rue was very comfortable with Katniss, which was indicated by the fact that she immediately snuggled up close to her in the sleeping bag. Katniss offered her a groosling leg, which surprised her, who never had a whole leg to herself. Katniss and Rue talked about their life in their districts. Rue told Katniss all about her siblings and her favourite part about each of them. She also explained how a boy named Martin was hanged in the trees for breaking a minor rule by accident. After the conversation, Rue explained to Katniss about the Career's camp and the strategy they had for protecting food and supplies. This gave Katniss the idea of evening the playing field between them and the careers by destroying their supplies.

Rue said she trusted Katniss when she saw that Katniss was wearing the mockingjay pin. She proceeded to help Katniss with her plan to destroy the career alliance's food. Katniss devised a plan with Rue; Rue must act as a decoy and light up three fires to distract the careers away from the camp site, while she destroyed the food somehow. Rue managed to light the first fire, but she died soon after Katniss' successful attempt to destroy the Careers' stash of supplies. After lighting the first two fires, she stumbled upon a net on her way to start the third and final fire. After following the sound of the mockingjays, Katniss found Rue trapped in a net. But the moment she heard her name escape Rue's lips, Marvel speared Rue in the abdomen, earning him an arrow through the neck as Katniss tried in vain to save her. Katniss rushed over to Rue and cut her out of the net and put Rue's head on her lap. Katniss held Rue's hand as a lifeline as if it were she who were dying and Rue holding her. Rue asked if she blew up the food and Katniss confirmed that she destroyed everything. Rue pleaded for Katniss to win and Katniss promised she'd win for the both of them. When Marvel's cannon fired, Rue told Katniss to stay with her and Katniss lingered right by her side. As a last wish, Rue asked Katniss to sing to her, and Katniss sang a lullaby that she used to sing to Prim until Rue's eyes fluttered shut and she died. The mockingjays soon picked up Katniss's song and sang it through the entire arena.

To show the Capitol that Rue was more than a piece in the Games, Katniss covered her corpse in brightly colored flowers she found nearby to cover up her wounds and her body. As a final goodbye, Katniss gave her the same farewell salute that the entire District 12 gave Katniss when she left for the Games, placing the three middle fingers of the left hand to her lips, then lifting her arm out toward Rue. The gesture was often used by the residents of District 12 at funerals, signifying respect and admiration. District 11 then sent Katniss a loaf of bread as a gift of appreciation. This ended up leaving a lot of people in District 11 going hungry that night and it was unheard of to send a gift to a tribute that was not from your own district, but they felt they owed Katniss something. The loaf of bread was originally meant for Rue, but as she died, they thought they would give it to Katniss as a sign of respect and appreciation.

During the feast, Clove pinned Katniss down and teased her about Rue's death, planning to kill Katniss. However, Thresh overheard Clove laughing about Rue's murder, and quickly ran over to Clove and lifted her up. He yelled at her, asking her what she did to her, before bashing her head with a rock. In honour of Rue, Thresh had a temporary truce with Katniss, which surprised her. Katniss was sad when Thresh was killed by Cato, as she felt like if they lived in the same district and weren't reaped, they could be friends.

Rue placed **7th** out of **24** tributes and survived **9 days**.

### Legacy

Rue's death caused riot in District 11. In the initial uprising, twenty rebels and seven Peacekeepers died, but this number grew as more uprisings happened.

When the Capitol showed Katniss and Peeta the video of the 74th Hunger Games, they did not show the part where Katniss put the flowers on her body as the filmmakers thought it was too rebellious. When Katniss and Peeta were on their victory tour, she thanked Rue for everything she did for her. Katniss said that she felt Rue was still with her and that everything beautiful brought Rue to mind. Katniss thanked District 11 for their tributes, Rue and Thresh. Katniss told Thresh's family that she admired him for being solitary, and even when the Career tributes wanted him, he turned them down.

During his private session for the 75th Hunger Games, Peeta painted Rue covered with flowers on the floor, earning a 12 from the Gamemakers in order to make him a target to the other tributes. Katniss' only 'good' dream between her two Hunger Games was one where she followed Rue as a mockingjay, singing and "talking". Peeta asked where Rue was taking her, to which Katniss replies, "they never arrived, but they felt happy". In the arena, Katniss remembered Rue's vast knowledge about plants and realized that a distinct disadvantage to being a District 12 tribute is that they didn't get to learn their district's main purpose and skills until they were 18, while the other tributes from other districts learned it at a young age. While watching Haymitch's Hunger Games video tape, and after watching Maysilee Donner's death on the tape, she remembered how Katniss was too late to save rue as Haymitch was too late to save Maysilee.

Rue's mother and three of Rue's siblings died during the war. After the war, Katniss and Peeta compiled a memory book about all the people who died because of the Hunger Games, including Rue and her family.

## Personality

Rue had a gentle and kind nature. Her greatest joy in life was music, and she loved singing with the mockingjays at home. The mockingjays liked her and were used to her; a few were even her special friends because she was the one who sang a four-note melody that signaled the end of a workday out in the fields.

Rue reminded Katniss of her sister, Prim. Like Prim, Rue sometimes stood on her toes with her arms slightly extended. Katniss described her as "birdlike", and after the Games, could barely look at Prim without noticing Rue in her and being reminded of her death. However, while in the arena, Rue showed excitement at the prospect of adventure - one character trait that Katniss noted differed her from Prim. Small, quick, intelligent, and young, Katniss and Rue had many similarities, which led Katniss to make Rue her ally. Rue was very observant of her surroundings and clever, noting every piece of information she saw when spying on the Careers.

Being the eldest child in her family, Rue was a caretaker and always made sure her younger siblings were tended to. Similarly, she helped heal Katniss in the arena and willingly shared her supplies and knowledge. Once allied with Katniss, Rue put a great deal of trust in her, falling asleep quickly that night and agreeing to Katniss's schemes.

## Appearance

"*And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that, she's very like Prim in size and demeanor.*"
―Katniss Everdeen, while watching Rue's reaping.Being the youngest of the tributes at the age of 12, Rue was naturally the smallest - but this still gave her the advantage of being light on her feet and agile. Rue had dark brown skin, with thick dark hair, dark satiny brown skin and golden eyes. She was 4' 8." Her pre-games interview costume was a sheer dress with shimmering gossamer wings.

She always stood leaning forward, on her toes, with both arms slightly extended as though she was about to take off flying. This is how Prim, Katniss' sister, also stood, which brings back memories of Rue whenever Katniss sees her own sister. This stance made her look like a bird, ready to take flight. Her swift and almost invisible movements through the treetops added to the bird-like description. Rue says that what she enjoys most in life is music, something which greatly confused Katniss when she considered the hardship Rue endured on the fields in District 11.

## Abilities

* Slingshot
* Climbing trees/agility
* Knowledge of plants
* Singing

## Relationships

* Katniss Everdeen (friend, ally, protector)
* Thresh (district partner)
* Mrs. Brownlow (mother)
* Anne Brownlow, Roger Brownlow, and three others (siblings)

Katniss and Rue knew that the Careers needed to be eliminated, and the only way they could possibly make that happen was to take away their ample food and other supplies. At first, the feat seemed nearly impossible, but Katniss and Rue concocted a plan with the intention of destroying or even stealing the supplies. Rue, being the smaller of the two, was in charge of setting three fires in various areas in the forest. This would distract the Careers and get them moving as Katniss would try to figure out a way to get their precious supplies. Katniss and Rue decided to communicate by fires and the mockingjays. Rue would sing her four-note melody to let Katniss know that all was going well. The four-note melody was also the tune that Rue sang to the mockingjays in District 11 to signal the end of the work day; because she worked so high in the trees, she was the first of the workers in the orchard to know when it was time to go home.

## Possessions

Rue's tribute token was a grass necklace with a wooden star used as a good luck charm. She received a ball of twine, a waterskin, and an extra pair of socks from the Cornucopia, the latter of which she used to keep her hands warm. She also made herself a slingshot, which seemed to be of good quality, and a knife that she made from a sharp shard of rock.

## Family

Rue was the eldest of six children. She had five younger siblings, who all lived in poverty in District 11.

She usually gave her food rations to her younger siblings and foraged in the fields to provide more food for them. District 11 had very strict laws and Rue could be punished for helping her family in this way. On the Victory Tour, Katniss saw Rue's family and her siblings looked just like her. Her parents were also seen weeping. A man in the back whistled her four note tune and started a small uprising. The man was shot shortly after. After Katniss saw the man get shot, she heard two more shots. At the Quarter Quell, Seeder assured Katniss that Rue's family was safe. However, months later, all but two of them died in the war.

## Muttation

Rue's mutt was one of the creatures that appeared at the end of the 74th Hunger Games. It was described as the smallest of the wolf-mutts with a curly dark brown coat. It also wore a woven collar made of plant fibers and straw. Rue's district number, 11, was woven into the collar as well. Her mutt was not emotionally connected to Katniss whatsoever, as it tried to kill her like the rest of the mutts.

## Trivia

* Rue's name has two roots.
	+ One is a small mountain flower called *Ruta graveolens*. Symbolically, both Ruta graveolens and primrose blossoms close at night.
	+ 'Rue' means a feeling of deep regret, which is the was Katniss felt after her death.
* If Katniss had not volunteered for her sister, Prim, there would have been two 12-year-old girls participating in the 74th Hunger Games from the poorer districts.
* She was the shortest female tribute in her Games.
* Rue received a training score of 7, which was a very high score for her age and size.

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `THG 15`
2. ↑ *The Hunger Games*, Chapter 16