Why President Snow Really Lets Haymitch Live In The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.

President Snow is enraged by Haymitch’s actions throughout Sunrise on the Reaping, but he lets the District 12 winner live, even years after the 50th Hunger Games are finished. We know that Haymitch survives the prequel novel thanks to the original Hunger Games books, but Snow’s reasons for leaving him alive may seem more perplexing after finishing it. The Capitol removes many of the details of the second Quarter Quell from the final footage, so we don’t hear about Haymitch’s rebellious antics from Katniss — even though they’re incredibly relevant to his backstory.

With Haymitch acting out against the Capitol throughout Sunrise on the Reaping, it now makes sense why President Snow retaliates so harshly after his Games are finished. But while Snow kills Haymitch’s mother, brother, and girlfriend at the end of Sunrise on the Reaping, he leaves District 12’s winner alive. Given that Haymitch eventually plays a fairly large role in the rebellion against the Capitol, it seems like a poor decision in hindsight. However, President Snow’s reasons for letting Haymitch live are layered, and they make a twisted sort of sense in the moment.

President Snow Can’t Kill Haymitch Once He’s The Last Surviving Tribute In The Hunger Games

The Second Quarter Quell Needs A Victor

President Snow and Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games with the cover of Sunrise on the Reaping — Custom Image by Yeider Chacon

President Snow initially doesn’t want Haymitch to survive Sunrise on the Reaping, but he clearly expects the arena to take care of District 12’s rebellious tribute for him. It’s shocking that Haymitch makes it to the very end of the second Quarter Quell, as he’s targeted by muttations after his and Ampert’s stunt with the water tank. Snow also sends him poisoned milk in the hopes that he’ll drink it rather than give it to an ally. And a Capitol hovercraft drops a bomb on Haymitch and three other tributes after two of them attack Gamemakers on the edge of the arena.

And although Snow wants Haymitch ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, he can’t let him die once he’s the last surviving tribute in the Hunger Games tournament.

The fact that the Capitol can intentionally take out specific tributes — and the reality that the Careers have a huge advantage over District 12 — leads Snow to believe Haymitch won’t walk out of the arena. He reveals as much when they first meet, telling Haymitch that his “behavior has guaranteed that.” But things change when Haymitch’s confrontation with Silka unfolds so unexpectedly, leaving him the last surviving tribute in the 50th Hunger Games tournament.

Haymitch is severely injured and at the mercy of the Capitol’s hovercraft after Silka’s death. Snow could easily let him perish. However, the Capitol needs Haymitch to survive at this point, as the second Quarter Quell needs a winner. Every Hunger Games needs a victor to remind the districts of what they stand to lose. And the viewers in the Capitol would be disappointed if such a huge spectacle ended in an anticlimactic way. Therefore, Snow and his lackeys must bring Haymich back from the brink of death to ensure the Quarter Quell seems “perfect” to onlookers.

Haymitch Puts Snow In The Same Situation He Falls Into With Katniss Everdeen

This Is Another One Of The Hunger Games Franchise’s Parallels

Snow keeping Haymitch alive to make the Capitol look good feels reminiscent of what happens with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. The entire reason the mishap with the berries occurs at the end of The Hunger Games is because Katniss and Peeta also threaten to leave the Capitol without a winner. And although Snow is clearly outraged enough to kill Seneca Crane for allowing both tributes to survive, he can’t show this anger to the Capitol or districts. So, he lets Katniss live and forces her to put on a show instead.

And Katniss’ popularity in the Capitol and districts also prevents Snow from killing her later, even though that’s the most straightforward way to remove her from the equation. This is why Snow resorts to threatening Katniss’ loved ones instead of going after her. While Haymitch isn’t at risk of becoming a martyr like Katniss, his popularity during the Games makes it harder to intentionally eliminate him right away. Haymitch notes that Snow makes him look like a “jacka**” in the final footage, but the sponsors he accumulates would be disappointed if the Capitol didn’t give him a chance.

President Snow Knows There Are Better Ways To Punish Haymitch In Sunrise On The Reaping

Katniss & Haymitch Are More Concerned About Their Loved Ones Than Themselves

President Coriolanus Snow looking out over a crowd in The Hunger Games Catching Fire

Circumstances may force President Snow to let Haymitch survive, but he knows there are better ways to hurt the District 12 tribute than killing him. Both Haymitch and Katniss prove they’re more concerned about their loved ones than their own safety on multiple occasions. Snow sees this, and he realizes that targeting the people they care about is a more effective way of keeping them in line. Katniss is given a warning, while Haymitch gets a much more brutal message. It all amounts to the same thing, though: their loved ones will pay the price for them acting out.

This is one of the reasons Snow brings up Lenore Dove during his initial meeting with Haymitch. He knows that loved ones are leverage when it comes to controlling the districts, and that’s especially true for the victors of the Hunger Games. Their status as a victor may grant them certain privileges, making it harder for the Capitol to outright kill them. However, the Capitol finds ways to control them anyway, even resorting to throwing them back into the arena during the third Quarter Quell.

Haymitch Wanting To Die Makes Snow Leaving Him Alive After The Hunger Games Worse

Keeping Him Alive Was The Less Merciful Option

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch holding a glᴀss of alcohol in The Hunger Games

Snow clearly wants revenge against Haymitch after everything that happens during the 50th Hunger Games tournament, and he gets it by killing his loved ones. Arguably, leaving Haymitch alive after inflicting such trauma is crueler than killing him alongside them. Although Snow has practical reasons for allowing Haymitch to live after the Quarter Quell, there’s also a personal and emotional layer to it. Snow realizes that Haymitch will suffer more if he’s forced to live with the consequences of his actions, so he makes him do that.

Haymitch is ready to die at the end of Sunrise on the Reaping, hoping to go out with one last act of defiance against the Capitol. After he uses the forcefield to generate an explosion, his final thought before losing consciousness is, “I die happy.” But Haymitch doesn’t actually perish, and he’s brought back to life just for Snow to make him more miserable than ever. The book’s epilogue suggests that Haymitch finds reasons to live again, but for a time, it seems like letting him die would be the more merciful thing to do. That’s why Snow doesn’t.