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Madge Undersee is the daughter of District 12's mayor and an early companion of Katniss’s. They are both quiet and subdued and therefore drawn to each other. Madge underscores the theme of class hierarchy. Although no one is truly well-off in District 12, Madge enjoys a heightened status and wealth as the mayor's daughter. As a result, Madge is the object of some anger from those less fortunate than she, particularly from Gale. Gale belittles Madge on the day of the reaping by commenting that there is no chance of her name being chosen, and that by the age of twelve, he had already had his name in the reaping pool six times. Katniss defends Madge and argues that this disparity is not her fault. The exchange of tesserae for more entries in the reaping pool is a tactic employed by the Capitol to further divide the districts. The Capitol relies on division for stability, and Madge is representative of this strategy. It is difficult for people like Gale to not resent people like Madge who don't need to enter their name extra times for food. The Capitol purposely manipulates citizens into resenting one another instead of directing their anger at the Capitol itself, the true source of their suffering. This division ensures that the districts are never unified enough to rise up in rebellion against the Capitol like they did prior to the events of the novel.
Though barely present in the book, Madge is significant due to the mockingjay pin that she gifts Katniss. She comes to visit Katniss to say goodbye before she leaves for the Capitol and gives her the valuable pin as a token, prompting Katniss to reflect that perhaps Madge was a true friend and not just a convenient companion. This seemingly small gift becomes a piece of recurring imagery throughout the series. After wearing the pin in the arena, Katniss becomes known as the Mockingjay, and she also becomes the primary symbol of resistance against the Capitol in subsequent books. It is Madge who introduces us to the mockingjay, and later Rue who imbues it with meaning.
