There are several noted parallels between Katniss Everdeen in the original Hunger Games novel and that of her mentor Haymitch Abernathy in the upcoming book and movie Sunrise on the Reaping. However, Suzanne Collins and the people adapting her new prequel should know how much is too much in this regard, when part of Katniss’ story would be terrible for Haymitch’s similar arc as a teenager. Sunrise on the Reaping is Collins’ second prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, this time focusing on the 50th Hunger Games, won by Haymitch at the age of 16.
Some story details about Sunrise on the Reaping are known from Catching Fire, including that one of Haymitch’s doomed fellow tributes is Maysilee Donner, a girl from the merchant class of District 12. Sunrise on the Reaping‘s recently released excerpt also confirms several other supporting characters, including Haymitch’s 10-year-old brother Sid and his girlfriend Lenore Dove. Sunrise on the Reaping will hopefully capture what made The Hunger Games great while exploring more facets of this world, which is why replicating one infamous storyline from the trilogy would be to its disadvantage.
There Should Be NO Romantic Feelings Between Haymitch & Maysilee In Sunrise On The Reaping
The Love Triangle Sparked Conversation Surrounding The Hunger Games, If Nothing Else
There’s no denying that the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale worked magic as far as audience engagement is concerned for the Hunger Games franchise. However, setting up a similar dynamic with Haymitch, Lenore Dove, and Maysilee would be to the detriment of the new story. The excerpt from Sunrise on the Reaping introduces Haymitch as head-over-heels in love with Lenore Dove, and it would undermine this storyline if he and Maysilee seemed to have feelings for each other while in the arena. However, given Katniss and Peeta’s arc, it’s natural for readers to wonder if this will happen.
Katniss and Peeta watch Haymitch’s Hunger Games in Catching Fire, and there is nothing to suggest that Haymitch and Maysilee have a romance during the brief time that they are allies. However, they are watching a version edited by the Capitol to construct a specific narrative; while the Games are going on, the gamemakers also decide what tribute(s) to show the audience at any given time. If it did not suit the Capitol’s needs to broadcast Haymitch and Maysilee’s supposed romance as it did with Katniss and Peeta, something could have happened between them that wasn’t documented.
However, while Haymitch and Maysilee are going to be very important to each other, given the circumstances they are forced into together, it doesn’t need to be romantic. It will probably better highlight the injustice of the Hunger Games for them to be two teenagers with nothing else on their minds but survival, forced to rely on each other in what is ultimately a temporary alliance. Additionally, Lenore Dove is possibly sharing the role of the female lead in this book with Maysilee, and both characters’ arcs would be stronger if they weren’t made out to be implicit rivals.
Having A Love Triangle With Haymitch, Lenore Dove, & Maysilee Would Honestly Be Insulting When Two Of Them Are Going To Die
The Romantic Drama Would Ultimately Come To Nothing
Moreover, setting up a love triangle and trying to make it a legitimate conflict in this story would be potentially tasteless, especially concerning the two girls involved. Maysilee dies in the Hunger Games to pave the way for Haymitch’s victory, with the compeтιтion coming down to him and a girl from District 1. Haymitch tells Katniss in Mockingjay that the Capitol executed his mother, brother, and girlfriend shortly after he won due to his use of the shield surrounding the arena as a weapon, which was not the Capitol’s intent. Both Maysilee and Lenore Dove are tragedies that have already been written.
Their individual lives and deaths and the circumstances that led to them are more important than another teenage love triangle.
When both characters have a limited amount of time in the bigger story, having their arcs be focused on jealousy over Haymitch — especially when Maysilee’s survival would mean Haymitch’s death — would be insulting to both. Lenore Dove’s place in the narrative will likely primarily be as the love interest, as it is told from Haymitch’s perspective, and distance will allow her less prominence as soon as he leaves for the Capitol. Their individual lives and deaths and the circumstances that led to them are more important than another teenage love triangle.
Having A Completely Earnest Love Story Between Haymitch & Lenore Dove Will Actually Be Great For The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games Needs More Relationships Like Finnick & Annie
That is not to say that romance isn’t or shouldn’t be important in the Hunger Games, but dwelling on the choice between two love interests as though it’s the most important thing in the world cheapens both relationships. The romantic arcs are at their best in The Hunger Games when it is a depiction of a couple who are entirely in love and committed to one another, face the dangers of this world together, and are often unfairly ripped apart. We see this with Finnick and Annie, whose love for each other never wavers, making their fates more impactful.
Katniss’ narrative excessively talks about the choice between Peeta and Gale, while the central romance between Lucy Gray and Coriolanus in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ultimately ends because it is deeply toxic. Finnick and Annie are actual adults, but if The Hunger Games wants to validate its teenage romances, it should portray Haymitch as devoted to Lenore Dove, not becoming entangled in another romantic subplot simply because he and Maysilee are paired together amid the spectacle of the Hunger Games. This will make the story much sweeter and much sadder, in the end.
Honestly, The Love Triangle Was Never The Best Part Of The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games Love Triangle Arguably Got Out Of Hand
It’s been noted by reviewers that The Hunger Games spent a lot of time on its love triangle, when two of the three characters involved have been to multiple Hunger Games, and they are all at the center of an unfolding war. The love triangle isn’t the point of the story; it distracts from it. Suzanne Collins drew upon previous dystopian fiction and crafted a complex world in which to delve into the nature of dictatorships and humanity. While the love triangle became the most covered part of the story, it really isn’t the series’ best writing.
Moreover, there are more interesting topics for the story to explore with both Maysilee and Lenore Dove that will flesh them out as characters and contribute to the overall world-building.
Katniss herself at some points seems exhausted by the ongoing drama, when she has much bigger problems, and she simply doesn’t want her family, Peeta, or Gale to die. As far as Sunrise on the Reaping is concerned, Maysilee, at least, certainly has a bigger issue in her life than the possibility of something happening with a boy (who already has a girlfriend) she doesn’t know particularly well. Moreover, there are more interesting topics for the story to explore with both Maysilee and Lenore Dove that will flesh them out as characters and contribute to the overall world-building.
As the original owner of the mockingjay pin, who does not survive the Hunger Games, Maysilee is a powerful narrative symbol. There is significant backstory potential in Lenore Dove’s possible connection to Lucy Gray, given that her name adheres to the Covey tradition of two-part names: one part for a song and the other for a color. Both Maysilee and Lenore Dove represent ideals of family, compᴀssion, and survival in the setting of The Hunger Games, which will elevate the story better if properly told, rather than repeating what was a lackluster part of the original installments.
