Years after the films took the world by storm, theHunger Gamesfranchise is experiencing a resurgence and part of that includes illuminating prequels. With the newest book,Sunrise on the Reaping, recently released and the adaptation of it already in the works, fans are once again visiting Panem, but after 2023’sThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the original films already have more context.The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesfocuses on the villain, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) as a young man. The prequel shows the audience how he formed his warped worldview, which he holds decades later as the leader of Panem. Therefore,The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesgives insight into one of the enemy’s most baffling choices in the original film.
The first installment of the franchise,The Hunger Games,takes place 64 years after the prequel asKatniss (Jennifer Lawrence)and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) go into the arena for the first time. Hating the Capitol and refusing to follow their expectations of her, Katniss unintentionally becomes the face of the rebellion. Despite her being a child, Snow (played byDonald Sutherlandin the first four films) turned Katniss into a nemesis, targeting her for her defiance, butThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakessuggests there is more to his hatred of her, especially afterthe end of her first games. So much of the story goes back to Katniss' decision to eat the poison nightlock berries at the end of the 74th Games, andThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesubtly reveals another layer to that event.
‘The Hunger Games’ Big Moment of Rebellion Requires an Odd Flip from the Gamemakers
The Hunger Games' final moments included a near-tragic ending for Katniss and Peeta when they learn they cannot both be victors. After the pair caught the Capitol citizens' attention with their star-crossed lovers' story, the Gamemakers chose to change the rules, allowing two tributes to win the Games as long as they were from the same district. The film frames this asHaymitch’s (Woody Harrelson)suggestion of a way to quell the growing rebellion inthe districtsby refocusing the story, and Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) agrees against Snow’s warning about rooting for an underdog. While the unprecedented change, on the surface, may seem like an understanding gesture on the part of the Gamemakers, who offer the chance for Katniss and Peeta to have a happy ending of sorts, it becomes sinister.
In the end, Katniss and Peeta take advantage of this change, surviving together and becoming the final two standing. But when allthe other tributes are dead,the Gamemakers repeal their change to the rule, pitting Katniss and Peeta against each otheras they attempt to force one to kill the other. If the change were truly about distracting the rebels, this repeal would make the situation worse by providing another injustice for them to fight against. If it were about appeasing the Capitol citizens who were rooting for the couple, it is also nonsensical to rip that hope away from them. While Crane certainly could have chickened out at the last second, Snow isn’t likely to leave control to others, and his plans are never so simple. This issue becomes even more interesting after his arc inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesgives a darker motivation for this choice.
Before the Film Adaptation, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Has Already Broken a Huge Franchise Record
The prequel novel follows a young version of Haymitch Abernathy.
Going back to his youth, the prequel shows how Snow sees the world, and that helps to explain what he might have wanted at the end of the 74th Games.The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesshowsCoriolanus learning the real meaning of the Hunger Games: to show the innate evil in humanity. Byforcing children to fight to the death, the Games show the districts to be full of savage monsters, but after an experience inside the area himself,Coriolanus comes to believe that all people are like that,as he justifies his own actions. Snow comes into his own power as a staunch supporter of the Hunger Games because he believes them necessary as a reminder that people need to be controlled. The Games show the tributes, who have no options, fighting to the death, always complying with the Capitol’s rules, but not Katniss.
Katniss challenges Snow’s belief by being a good person. She volunteers to protect her sister. In the arena, she takesRue (Amandla Stenberg)under her wing despite the probability that Rue will die, and when that happens, Katniss mourns her. Even the Capitol loved Katniss for these choices. By giving Katniss and Peeta hope that they could go home together, the Gamemakers pushed the odds in their favor only to tear it away at the last second. The film shows Snow doubting this plan, but what if he turned it around and made it his own? After they make it to the end, the Gamemakers, and, by extension, Snow, want Katniss to kill Peeta, doing what she had to do to survive, and she briefly holds on to her bow as Peeta suggests she do just that.If Katniss had given in, it would have served as horrific evidence of Snow’s theory about the innate evilness of humanity. Betraying Peeta (even at the Gamemakers' instance) would make Katniss an object of hatred and destroy any rebellion that she may have represented. That is a plan worthy of President Snow.
Katniss' Defiance in ‘The Hunger Games’ Challenges Snow’s Worldview
Snow hates Katniss for many reasons, including her ability to insight rebellion and the parallels between her andLucy Gray (Rachel Zegler), but her choice in the arena is an important one. Whether or not Snow was manipulating the situation for an intended result,Katniss challenges everything Snow believeswith her suggestion that she and Peeta eat the berries, killing themselves if the Gamemakers won’t allow them both to survive. She resists the dark impulses that Snow embraces inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesto show that people have the capacity to be noble and selfless. And that becomes the basis of the rebellion and Snow’s hate for Katniss.
The public act of rebellion against the Capitol is bad enough, but even without it, the moment is a personal affront to Snow, giving more insight into why he so quickly hated Katniss.Catching Fireshows that Snow doesn’t believe it was the act of a girl hopelessly in love, but a more direct choice that he cannot understand, which makes her terrifying to him. As the Mockingjay, Katniss becomes a symbol of hope and humanity, but to Snow, she represents something he cannot understand or control – goodness.
