Summary

• The three-finger salute first appeared in The Hunger Games and represented goodbye, admiration, and unity among the people of District 12.
• The salute evolved to symbolize resistance against the Capitol and became a gesture of rebellion and support for the pro-democracy movement.
• The three-finger salute is inspired by Roman gladiator games and has similarities to blowing a kiss and military salutes. It is a formal gesture seen in certain situations and has been adopted by real-world protest movements.

The three-finger salute first appeared in The Hunger Games when members of District 12 used it to say goodbye to Katniss, but its meaning expanded over time. After its first use, the Hunger Games salute came to represent resistance from the Capitol, and later became a symbol of the pro-democracy rebellion led by Katniss. The use of the salute in real-life precedes the publication of The Hunger Games, although its meaning differs. After the movies were released, however, several pro-democracy movements adopted the gesture, with the Hunger Games salute being used as a sign of solidarity during protests.

The three-fingered salute is first introduced in The Hunger Games when Katniss is taken away by the Capitol to compete in the 74th Hunger Games. After Katniss volunteers as tribute to save her younger sister Prim from the games, the people of Hunger Games' District 12 bring the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and raise them in a salute to her. Katniss is surprised by the motion, saying it is "an old and rarely used gesture of (District 12), occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love.” Katniss later uses the salute to say goodbye to Rue, the young District 11 tribute she couldn't save. This prompts a mass three-fingered salute in response by the people of District 11, a gesture of solidarity and unity that leads to a riot.

Related: What Happened To Hunger Games' Panem After The Second Rebellion

How The Hunger Games Three-Finger Salute Evolved Throughout The Series

During The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the three-fingered salute is still used as a gesture of goodbye, but also comes to represent the anger and grief people feel toward the Capitol at taking their children to be killed. The people of District 11 use the salute in response to Katniss' speech remembering Rue. The old man who first salutes Katniss is publicly executed, so from then on, the salute becomes a gesture of rebellion and support, a way of saying, "I'm with you, I too defy the Capitol." The salute is more than just an expression of personal feeling: it's a way to join the revolution.

The Inspiration Behind The Hunger Games' Three-Finger Salute

Author Suzanne Collins has said The Hunger Games was partially inspired in part by the Roman gladiator games, in which people were forced to fight to the death for entertainment. Collins' inspiration raises a question about whether the three-finger salute was inspired by the Roman or gladiatorial salute. The Roman salute was a military gesture in which the arm was extended with the palm facing down, similar to the salute seen in The Hunger Games. Additionally, gladiators were rumored to have raised their weapons in a gesture to the Roman emperor before entering the ring. As seen in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, this accompanied the oft-quoted Latin phrase, "We who are about to die salute you," which is an apt sentiment for both Katniss and the oppressed people of District 12.

Other Meanings Of The Hunger Games' Three-Finger Salute

The three-finger salute is also reminiscent of blowing a kiss, a motion that expresses love and affection towards someone important. Like the salute, blowing a kiss is something that can be done silently and from a distance, a way of saying, "I'll miss you." Katniss also mentions it is a gesture sometimes seen at funerals, perhaps similar to the formal salute of the military at funerals for soldiers and law enforcement officials. Like a military salute, the three-finger salute is a formal gesture only seen in certain situations, making it more significant. The respect it conveys is a higher form of recognition, granting the recipient status among an admired few. This is hinted at as Katniss salutes when Rue dies and gives her a proper tribute.

Since 1908, a similar three-finger salute has been used by Boy and Girl Scouts, representing the three parts of the scout promise: to honor God and country, help others, and obey Scout Law. The meaning of The Hunger Games salute is likely also threefold, perhaps representing the three meanings Katniss outlines — gratitude, respect, and grief. In recent years, the gesture has been adopted by protest groups, becoming a real-world symbol of democracy. It was used after a 2014 coup in Thailand, subsequently outlawed and revived by protestors in 2020. The gesture has also become a symbol of protest in Myanmar, representing opposition to a 2021 coup. As in the fictional book series, the meaning of the three-finger salute in real-world application has changed over time.

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Hunger Games' Three-Finger Salute Is Not In Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Though some fans might have expected to see the three-finger salute in the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it never appears in the movie or the book. The movie focuses on the origins of President Snow, however, and does have plenty of other nods to the future that the audience has already seen play out. Rachel Zegler's Lucy Gray Baird writes "The Hanging Tree" that Katniss learns from her father, Snow implements many of the changes that turn the Hunger Games into a spectacle, and other little moments build for fans.

According to director Francis Lawrence (via USA Today), there was initially a plan to include the three-finger salute when Lucy Gray Baird's name was announced at the Reaping in District 12. It was even filmed, but it ended up being scrapped at the insistence of Suzanne Collins who penned all of the novels on which the Hunger Games franchise is based. According to Lawrence, "Suzanne has a bible of Hunger Games mythology, and according to her timeline, people weren't using that salute yet. Luckily we had versions of the reaping without the salute."

It's not entirely clear then when the salute began being implemented in District 12, since it does seem to be unique to that district until Katniss forms a bond with Rue in the arena and District 11 adopts it next. It's possible that fans could see the origin of the three-finger salute in a future Hunger Games project if Collins has plans for more stories in the world she created.

• 

  The Hunger Games

  Created by:

  Suzanne Collins

  First Film:

  The Hunger Games

  Cast:

  Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Willow Shields, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman

  Movie(s):

  The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes