Plutarch slides the sketchbook across to me. For a moment, I look at it suspiciously. Then curiosity gets the better of me. I open the cover to find a picture of myself, standing straight and strong, in a black uniform. Only one person could have designed the outfit, at first glance utterly utilitarian, at second a work of art. The swoop of the helmet, the curve to the breastplate, the slight fullness of the sleeves that allows the white folds under the arms to show. In his hands, I am again a mockingjay.
observations: The best line in this book is "He frosted [=UK 'iced the cake'] under heavy guard." It is one of the bizarre things about the whole project that it is impossible to tell whether this is an actual joke. And, yes, it is easy to find oddities and questions and unevenness of tone in the books, and Katniss can be annoying. However there is one major question: is there ANY other fictional heroine like this one? She is tough, resourceful, not dependent on men. There is a true role-reversal here – she is strong and a bit unfeeling, the men adapt to her, rely on her. She isn't a heroine because of the traditional female virtues – intuition, empathy – but because of her strength and ability in hunting. This is a real question: If you know of any female role model as straightforward as this one we'd love to hear about it.
Links up with: earlier entries here and here. Is the mockingjay linked with American classic To Kill a Mockingbird, featured here?
The picture of an air pioneer is from the San Diego air and space museum archives, via Flickr; she is catalogued as individual 037.
Do you recall the photo of Mr Redding modeling headgear a bit like this - in neoprene?