I'm More Convinced Than Ever That This Hunger Games Theory Is True After Sunrise On The Reaping

Warning! Spoilers for Sunrise on the Reaping ahead!

Sunrise on the Reaping has me more convinced than ever that a particular Hunger Games theory is entirely correct. This most recent book by author Suzanne Collins dives into the goings-on of the 50th Hunger Games, providing further details about Haymitch’s victory. After the many significant revelations of the previous Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, we all knew that Sunrise on the Reaping was going to come with several delicious tidbits of information that would retroactively change how we perceive Katniss‘ story. Of course, we weren’t disappointed.

As it turns out, we actually knew nothing about Haymitch’s Hunger Games. Sunrise on the Reaping revealed that the footage Katniss and Peeta watched in the Catching Fire book had been doctored to leave out all of Haymitch’s most rebellious moments. He was secretly part of a plot to sabotage the arena—similar to the one Katniss was unknowingly a part of during the Third Quarter Quell. Sunrise on the Reaping established the idea that the District rebellion had had several false starts before Katniss got the fire burning. As it is, this further supports an older Hunger Games theory.

A Hunger Games Theory Claims That Seneca Crane Was A Rebel

Seneca Crane May Have Been Just Like Plutarch

Snow talking to Seneca Crane in Hunger Games

After the Hunger Games books revealed that District 13 had managed to get Capitol citizens on its side, a theory developed that Seneca Crane had secretly been a rebel. He was the Head Gamemaker during the 74th Hunger Games, and we had every reason to believe back in the day that he was as evil as President Snow. However, when it comes down to it, we actually know very little about this character. The movies provided their own look at who Seneca was and why he made the decisions he did, but the few conversations we saw between Snow and Seneca never actually happened in the books.

So, there is a lot of room for imagination here. The big reveal that Plutarch Heavensbee was a secret rebel is what really fueled the idea that the same might have been true for Seneca. It seems their job was to run the Hunger Games as usual as Gamemakers while looking for tributes who could make a statement. If Seneca were a rebel, Katniss would have piqued his interest from the moment she volunteered to take her sister’s place in the Games. From there, Seneca would just have to orchestrate things in the arena to make Katniss look as inflammatory as possible.

Of course, unless Collins writes another prequel set shortly before Katniss’ Games, we can’t know for certain whether Seneca was secretly a rebel. Our best bet was some confirmation that the insurgents had been specifically searching for a tribute that could spark a revolution years beforehand. Sunrise on the Reaping did just that.

Sunrise On The Reaping Reveals That Capitol Rebels Were On The Lookout For The Perfect Tribute To Start A Revolution

The Hunger Games Prequel Confirmed That This Operation Had Been Going On For Decades

Seneca Crane was never mentioned in Sunrise on the Reaping, so the book provided no definitive proof that this Gamemaker had secretly been a rebel. However, Haymitch’s story effectively proved that there had been a secret movement within the Capitol for decades. Plutarch Heavensbee was born and raised in the Capitol and worked within the terrible games, but it’s clear in Sunrise on the Reaping that he had been a rebel from the start (something we didn’t know for certain in The Hunger Games). Plutarch most certainly wasn’t the only one. He would have had a network of rebel colleagues, all with the same goal.

Sunrise on the Reaping made it clear that Capitol rebels like Plutarch had one objective. Haymitch’s actions at the tribute parade (holding up Louella’s body) caught their attention, and Plutarch, Beetee, and who knows who else began to set him up as a hero to spark a revolution. Unfortunately, Haymitch’s efforts failed. Plutarch noted in Sunrise on the Reaping that they needed someone like Haymitch, but luckier, to carry their mission to success. It’s implied that they continued to watch out until Katniss appeared 24 years later. Since Seneca’s actions only benefitted the rebellion, it seems that he and Plutarch were both part of it.

Everything Seneca Crane Did Helped Make Katniss The Mockingjay

Seneca Crane Set Her Up Perfectly

There’s no doubt that Seneca’s actions as Head Gamemaker killed dozens of tributes (and who knows how many years he was in charge before Katniss’ Games). However, it’s also interesting to consider how his actions helped the rebel cause. If Seneca had been a rebel and had noticed Katniss’ potential when she volunteered for her sister, then he would have been testing the District 12 girl when he ignored her during the apple-and-pig incident. His high score for Katniss ensured people noticed her. Then, Seneca played right into the star-crossed-lovers angle.

Seneca would have had every reason to believe that this would be Katniss’ response after how she handled Rue’s death.

Seneca would have been the one to falsely announce that two tributes could win the 74th Hunger Games if they were both from the same District. Of course, he would have known that Snow wouldn’t allow this, but he needed to create an opportunity for Katniss to shine. When it was then announced that only one tribute could win, Katniss chose to rebel against the Capitol and commit suicide rather than hurt Peeta. Seneca would have had every reason to believe that this would be Katniss’ response after how she handled Rue’s death. Ultimately, it only makes sense that he would manipulate these rules if Seneca wanted to spark a rebellion.

Future Hunger Games Books Could Reveal How Many Times The Games Were Sabotaged

Decades Of Tributes Died While Capitol Rebels Searched For Their Star

Haymitch's-Hunger-Games-Prequel-Can-Finally-Answer-1-Katniss-Question-The-Books-&-Movies-Both-Ignore — Custom image by Yailin Chacon

Sunrise on the Reaping proved that rebels like Plutarch had been trying to manipulate the Hunger Games to ignite a rebellion for decades. This ultimately makes the theory that Seneca Crane was a rebel more powerful since his choices during the 74th Hunger Games ensured that Katniss became the revolution’s figurehead. However, the darker side of all this is just how often this mission must have failed before it succeeded. Capitol rebels working in the Games were manipulating the lives of the District children, watching and waiting until one of them not only survived but gained traction.

Haymitch and everyone else in the 50th Hunger Games were casualties of this mission. Plutarch and whoever else in the Capitol he had been working with hoped that Haymitch would be their guy, but things didn’t quite work out. This had likely happened several times before that Second Quarter Quell and several times after. Future installments in the Hunger Games franchise could shed light on just how many times the rebels failed and a new year of the Hunger Games came and went without progress in the revolution. For now, we can only guess whether Seneca Crane was a part of it.