I think the beginning of the District's revolution was Rue. As Katniss walks away, grief-stricken over the senseless murder of a child, she stops, faces the cameras, and makes the District's sign:
"It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love." ―Katniss Everdeen
What strikes me about that scene is that it really takes a tragedy that personal and that horrific to spur people to fight their oppressors.
What strikes me about that scene is that it really takes a tragedy that personal and that horrific to spur people to fight their oppressors.That's how things really go though. One minute, everything appear to be fine, or at least everyone is looking around thinking "why won't someone do something?" and the next instant, the facade cracks, and its on.
What I like best about this movie is that the main character Katniss does not want to be heroic at all. She, like everyone else, has family to protect. But she is such a focus of attention that she becomes a symbol of revolution whether she wants to be or not, and the revolution is played out through symbols.
Arnold Schwarzenegger played this role too in the Running Man, but he can't help but be heroic about it.