One of my favorite theories of hunger games is that President Snow oversaw Haymitch's Games as head gamemaker.
Though Haymitch's Hunger Games narrative has always left me with many concerns, there is one idea that would mostly address them. Haymitch particularly claimed in Catching Fire that Snow killed his loved ones, but when I first read this, I couldn't understand why the president would get so enraged over his utilizing the magnetics to murder an opponent. Although this wasn't the intended usage for the arena, if anything would have only made the games more thrilling for the Capitol viewers. Still, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes offered some cues.
Snow would have had a major cause to despise District 12, as we know following his encounter with Lucy Gray. Thus, a male from this District arriving in and winning the games by unusual means—just as Lucy Gray did—would have been sufficient to cause an emotional reaction from the dictator. Still, killing all of Haymitch's loved ones was severe. Snow was known to use the loved ones of his victors as leverage against them, although in Haymitch's case his sentence rendered this impractical. Something must have infuriated Snow such that he neglected to consider the implications.
The New Hunger Games Movie Can Verify My Preferred Theory Regarding President Snow
Several major hypotheses about President Snow's character were prompted by his prequel narrative; nevertheless, I hope the forthcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping validates one especially. Haymitch Abernathy's 50th Hunger Games should be covered as this latest prequel in the trilogy sets 40 years following the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Though we already know a lot about these specific games, there is a fantastic chance here to cover some of the voids left in what the Hunger Games books have previously exposed.
Katniss and Peeta viewed taped footage of the 50th Hunger Games in the Catching Fire book, with graphic details of Haymitch's win against his 47 opponent. Clearly not what the Head Gamemaker would have wanted, the District 12 tribute had launched a weapon into his last opponent's skull using the magnetic forcefields around the arena. Haymitch went home expecting punishment and discovered all of his loved ones dead. One Sunrise on the Reaping will surely delve into this sad tale. Still, a lot of stuff seems strange to me historically.
President Snow's M.O. fits exactly the arena for the 50th Hunger Games.
Given the special elements of the 50th Hunger Games, the hypothesis that President Snow was the Head Gamemaker makes perfect sense. The rules were modified this time around as a Quarter Quell, and each District paid twice as many tributes. Then these 48 kids were dumped into the most exquisite arena Panem has ever seen. Rolling green meadows, almost perfect blue sky, shimmering mountain tops, and flowing waterfalls abound. But everything in sight—from the greenery to the cute animals—was deadly.
The deceptively gorgeous arena full of poison reminds me of Snow's perfumed roses that don't totally mask the rotting scent of blood during Katniss's narrative. Snow's preferred weapon was poison. This was seen in the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Prequel, when his character came to see that poison was a far more complex means of murder, and in the major Hunger Games trilogy, which showed that Snow's inclination for poison was causing his deterioration. This circumstance especially helps me to believe that the Hunger Games theory is valid. The subtly gorgeous arena full of poison reminds me of Snow's lovely roses that don't totally mask the rotting fragrance of blood during Katniss's narrative.
This Theory would make sunrise on the reaping a seamless follow-up to ballad of songbirds and snakes.
Following Katniss' narrative, I was among those seeking a Haymitch Prequel and was taken aback to see Snow's origin story instead. Still, this isn't to suggest I wasn't happy. An brilliant prelude, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quietly gave the major Hunger Games narrative more solid ground. It also retroactively made the specifics of Haymitch's games more fascinating, which naturally made me even more excited to see this story portrayed in another prequel. I'm rather happy now that Collins formally announced Sunrise in the Reaping.
If Snow was the Head Gamemaker for the 50th Hunger Games, then a prequel describing Haymitch's victory just wouldn't have worked as well without The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes beforehand. Before exploring how another triumph from a District 12 memorial would impact the head of Panem, the president's past love with Lucy Gray was essential. Of course, I trust Collins to craft a fantastic narrative still, but I hope Sunrise on the Reaping will establish more tasteful relationships with Snow's main narrative.
Suzanne Collins has revealed specifics about the forthcoming Hunger Games series novel, Sunrise on the Reaping.
Personal stakes in the 50th Hunger Games would be the only thing I know that might explain Snow's careless wrath. By now the tyrant had been president for decades, yet it is likely he would have returned as Head Gamemaker for the very important Quarter Quell. An opportunity for the best Hunger Games Panem had ever seen, he might have considered the 50th Games as a blank canvas on which he could construct his bloody art. A District 12 homage spitting on his efforts would have certainly been sufficient to set President Snow off.
While the film is set to hit theatres on November 20, 2026, the Sunrise on the Reaping book will be published on March 18, 2024.
