There’s something weird about the rules in Katniss and Peeta’s first Hunger Games, but Snow’s Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes may have subtly provided an answer. This prequel provided a look into the dictator’s mind, explaining how he became the terrible villain we knew from the central Hunger Games series. This made certain aspects of Katniss’ story make far more sense than ever before. Still, I have been stuck pondering one question for years, and, at first, I thought that Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provided no answers. However, something recently dawned on me.
In the first Hunger Games book, a surprise announcement was made while Katniss was in the arena that two tributes could be crowned victors if they were from the same District. Such a thing had never been done before, and it was immediately clear to Katniss that this rule had been changed for her and Peeta’s sake. However, the rule change was revoked once the two District 12 tributes were the last standing. This is why Katniss and Peeta turned to the stunt with the berries, but why would Snow or the Gamemakers have done all this? It’s characteristically cruel, but why take the risk when the Games are terrible enough already?
President Snow Was Setting Katniss Up To Demonstrate Her Inhumanity In The Hunger Games
& It Very Nearly Worked
If the Gamemakers had never said that two victors could win in The Hunger Games, Panem’s big rebellion wouldn’t have happened. It was a big gamble on the Capitol’s part, so it’s strange that Snow or Seneca would have taken the risk. However, it’s interesting to consider what they believed would happen when the rule was reversed. Panem had fallen in love with these two lovebirds, and the last-minute reversal was meant to pit them against one another. All of Panem would watch as lover turned on lover in the final dramatic bloodbath of the 74th Hunger Games.
The Capitol had fallen in love with Katniss and Peeta, but Snow wanted them to watch the two kids turn on one another, thus proving their inhumanity.
The fact that this was Snow’s intention is evident in The Hunger Games, since Katniss very nearly fell for it. After the announcement that there could be only one victor, Peeta reached for his knife to throw it away. Katniss misunderstood the gesture and immediately raised her bow at the boy. Snow knew Katniss was a survivor and that she had been pretending to love Peeta, so he expected her to become a killer in an instant. The Capitol had fallen in love with Katniss and Peeta, but Snow wanted them to watch the two kids turn on one another, thus proving their inhumanity. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explains why.
Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Saw Snow Learn What The Hunger Games Are Really For
Snow Uses The Hunger Games To Show Panem How Despicable Humanity Is
The big question that Snow is faced with in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is “What are the Hunger Games for?” At first, he provided the same old tired answer—it was a punishment for the Districts’ rebellion. However, he ultimately realized that the Hunger Games were a controlled demonstration of humanity’s evil nature. Through Snow’s Hunger Games prequel, he slowly came to realize that he was a monster. To wrap his mind around this fact, he convinced himself that all of humanity is a monster too, and, therefore, requires totalitarian control to keep from destroying itself.
The Hunger Games were the perfect way for Panem’s leaders to remind everyone that they need to be controlled. The terrible event placed children—the most innocent of humanity—in an arena, where they inevitably turned into savage killers. Snow came to believe in the importance of the Hunger Games wholeheartedly by the end of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. His mission is reflected in Katniss’ Hunger Games. The Girl on Fire had won over Capitol and District hearts by selflessly volunteering for her sister, and then again by protecting little Rue. Snow had no choice but to show the world that this District 12 hero was just as evil as the rest of them.
President Snow’s Plan Backfired For 1 Meaningful Reason
When It Comes Down To It, Snow Was Just Wrong
Though Katniss very nearly gave Snow exactly what he wanted when she pointed her arrow at Peeta, the District 12 boy’s kindness won out. His example and willingness to sacrifice himself up to the very end allowed Katniss to break free of her survival instincts. Katniss wasn’t playing around when she attempted to eat the Nightlock berries. She was sending a clear message back to the Capitol—we will not die monsters, we will die on our own terms. Snow said in Catching Fire that Seneca Crane should have blown both children up right then, but the Gamemaker named them both victor for unknown reasons.
Before entering the arena, Peeta said he wanted to die as himself, but Katniss didn’t understand what he had meant. It wasn’t until the incident with the berries that his intentions fully clicked.
Snow hadn’t anticipated Katniss choosing to die over murdering Peeta on his command, and that is because the conclusion that the dictator came to about humanity in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is incorrect. Though people have the potential for great evil, they aren’t inherently so. Katniss was nearly shaped into a monster, but Peeta inspired her to choose differently. This is something that Coriolanus Snow simply couldn’t understand, since he chose to fully embrace his darkest impulses. In the end, the overarching lesson of The Hunger Games comes down to the power of kindness.
