Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist of The Hunger Games series, but truth be told, she likely would have ended up as another victor at best and another victim of the Games at worst were it not for Peeta Mellark.
Peeta didn't become the spark that started a revolution or a symbol of rebellion against tyranny, but Panem's revolt couldn't have happened without him. With that said though, he's not a character without flaws or weaknesses either. What were Peeta Mellark's biggest strengths and weaknesses as a character?
Strength: His Inner Strength
Although Katniss becomes the powerhouse behind the destruction of the Games and the destruction of Panem's system itself, she never could have become that without Peeta and his ability to create an image of Katniss that captivated the nation.
And, considering what Peeta himself was going through, it's amazing that he had enough fortitude to do it. He went into The Hunger Games expecting to die, and yet he still found the inner strength to have a huge impact on the world and potentially save his hometown ally.
Weakness: His Sentimentality
In a normal world, most of Peeta's biggest weaknesses would be seen as positive personality traits. However, because he is forced into constant life-or-death situations, characteristics like his sentimentality become threats to his safety rather than strengths.
In and out of the Games, the ultimate goal for most people is to survive and outlast their enemies. But Peeta's inability to separate his nostalgia and empathy from his actions is something that has caused him a great deal of pain in the long run.
Strength: His Intelligence
For someone who seems like he'd be little more than cannon fodder, Peeta is actually astoundingly savvy and exceptionally skilled at doing exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.
He manages to ingratiate himself with the career pack while it serves him, but he knows just when he should break free of them, and he actually convinces them that he's on their side all while somehow portraying himself as a lovesick teen to the audience. The layers of his thought processes are impressive.
Weakness: His High-Mindedness
Peeta's ability to put himself on the line for his own ideals or for the greater good makes him an enormous threat to the status quo, but it also puts him in nearly constant danger.
He's contrasted with Katniss in the sense that he's much more politically, socially, and morally minded, but that devotion to his sense of right and wrong even if it's at the expense of his own safety or survival is a dangerous mentality to have in his position.
Strength: His Kindness
Despite Panem being a dog-eat-dog world, it's clear that Peeta's inherent kindness has gotten him pretty far in life. The most obvious and direct example of that is the fact that being Katniss' "boy with the bread" may have literally kept him alive in the long run.
But in a broader sense, his ability to empathize with and relate to people made him into more than just any competitor in the Games in the eyes of everyone watching, and he knew how to captivate the audience with his genuine personality.
Weakness: His Open Emotions
For every positive aspect, there comes a negative. And, while Peeta's ability to be open, to be himself, and to share his sincere feelings enabled him to manipulate the people around him, it also put him in a position where he could easily be manipulated.
No one on earth could endure the torture that Peeta went through without being horrifically traumatized, but the fact that he was so forthright about his love for Katniss didn't do him any favors in that department either.
Strength: His Charm
Katniss might have Peeta beat in terms of survival skills, but when it comes to showmanship, she can't even hold a candle to him.
Although Katniss ultimately became the Mockingjay, it's almost certain that she couldn't have become a symbol of the revolution without Peeta's incredible ability to charm people and make them see what he wants them to see. He did a better job of creating an enthralling Games than the actual gamemakers themselves did.
Weakness: His Sincerity
In the books, despite the fact that Katniss has just volunteered herself for a battle royale to the death, she is actually somewhat distracted by the fact that Peeta is so unabashedly emotional about being selected for The Hunger Games himself.
Katniss unsurprisingly thinks that makes him an easy target, but she fails to realize what most victors have to learn. It's nearly impossible to win if the audience doesn't care about you. Ultimately, Peeta's genuine and open nature did him a lot of favors in that sense.
Strength: His Ability To Manipulate
Peeta is clearly in touch with his own emotions, but that emotional intelligence seems to give him an astounding amount of insight into the thoughts and feelings of other people as well.
He's exceptionally talented at reading his audience (whether that's an audience of one or of the entire nation) and influencing them in ways that they don't even realize. All of the PR people in the Capitol didn't stand a chance against Mr. Mellark's machinations, which is astonishing.
Weakness: His Quitting Attitude
Peeta is actually a brilliant player who likely could have won The Hunger Games on his own if he actually set his mind to it. The problem is, he didn't.
Despite all of his talents and abilities, Peeta had essentially given up on victory before the Games had even started, and that defeatist attitude should have gotten him killed in any other circumstance. Were it not for Katniss' feelings towards him, Peeta would have ended up dead just like he expected to.