Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.
Sunrise on the Reaping pays homage to The Hunger Games trilogy in many ways, and there are some moments from the original books that I’ll never look at the same after reading Haymitch’s prequel. Set during the 50th Hunger Games tournament, Sunrise on the Reaping gives readers a firsthand account of what Haymitch experiences when thrown into the arena. Although Katniss tells us a bit about Haymitch’s background in Catching Fire, the 2025 prequel makes it clear that we don’t know the full story.
This is mostly due to the Capitol’s propaganda, as they change the footage and narrative surrounding Haymitch’s Games — a fact that throws everything we learn from Katniss in the original trilogy into question. Because Sunrise on the Reaping offers a new perspective on Haymitch’s backstory, it’s impossible to look at certain moments from the Hunger Games books the same way again. I’ve certainly picked up on details that hit differently after Suzanne Collins’ 2025 prequel, from Katniss’ Reaping Day to Haymitch’s interactions with her.
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Katniss Not Being Properly Reaped In The Hunger Games Book One
None Of The Franchise’s District 12 Leads Should Have Been There
Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the Hunger Games in the franchise’s first book and movie, and we’re told she’s an outlier for doing so. Unlike the Careers, the people in District 12 don’t willingly offer themselves up for the Games. And although this remains true after Sunrise on the Reaping, the fact that Haymitch isn’t properly picked for the tournament makes Katniss’ situation even more interesting. For one, it gives the two characters another similarity. Additionally, with Lucy Gray’s reaping likely being rigged, the harsh truth is that none of the franchise’s leads should have been in the Games.
This makes the plights of District 12’s heroes that much more tragic, but it also highlights how the Capitol’s own policies come to backfire on them. The realization that Haymitch isn’t legally chosen for the Hunger Games will also leave readers side-eyeing other tributes, as it’s possible they’re victims of similar fates. More than any other book, Sunrise on the Reaping calls into question the legitimacy of certain reapings.
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Haymitch Stepping In During Katniss’ Reaping Ceremony
He Distracts The Crowd From Her (& Saves Her From Responding To Their Rebellious Act)
After Katniss volunteers to be in the 74th Hunger Games, the people of her district put three fingers up in salute. This is a clear act of solidarity against the Capitol, and it’s a gesture that nearly brings Katniss to tears. Just as Katniss notes she’s “in danger of crying,” however, Haymitch drunkenly makes a scene. Initially, it seems like this is meant to highlight his alcoholism. But after reading Sunrise on the Reaping, I think Haymitch has other motives. Firstly, we know he doesn’t want the Capitol to see his tears — and he may sense the same about Katniss.
In addition to saving her from crying publicly, Haymitch also prevents Katniss from responding to District 12’s rebellious gesture.
In addition to saving her from crying publicly, Haymitch also prevents Katniss from responding to District 12’s rebellious gesture. Haymitch understands the price a tribute could pay for such defiance, and it’s very possible he’s trying to shield Katniss from that. This puts his first Hunger Games appearance in an all-new light and makes it even more devastating.
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Haymitch Drunkenly Hugging Effie Trinket In The Hunger Games
Their History Makes His Behavior During The Reaping Less Weird
Haymitch’s drunken antics don’t stop at taking the attention off of Katniss in The Hunger Games. He also makes a sloppy attempt to hug Effie when he first arrives at the Reaping Ceremony, and from Katniss’ perspective, this comes off as a bit creepy and odd. However, Haymitch’s hug makes a lot more sense with the context given in Sunrise on the Reaping. The 2025 novel confirms that Haymitch and Effie have a pre-established relationship before Katniss and Peeta are brought into the arena. And it goes beyond merely seeing each other for the tournament every year.
When the incompetence of District 12’s designer becomes a problem in Sunrise on the Reaping, Effie steps in to help. She’s not officially involved in the Games, but her sister is a student who’s also a part of District 12’s team. Because of this, Effie volunteers to prepare the tributes for their pre-tournament interviews. She and Haymitch form a friendly bond, even though she’s clearly eating up the Capitol’s propaganda. Judging by Haymitch’s hug, he still views her fondly, years after she helped District 12 during his Games.
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Haymitch Giving Katniss The Nickname “Sweetheart”
Sunrise On The Reaping Proves It’s A Term Of Endearment
Haymitch begins calling Katniss “sweetheart” in The Hunger Games, and his nickname for her sticks throughout the series. While this nickname initially seems sarcastic — and doesn’t appear to have a deeper meaning — I’ll never look at it the same after Sunrise on the Reaping. The prequel reveals that Haymitch’s friend and neighbor, Louella McCoy, is the first person he refers to as “sweetheart.” And when they’re both called for the second Quarter Quell together, he vows to protect her in the arena.
Sadly, Louella perishes before she ever makes it into the Games — though no one would know it, thanks to the disturbing replacement President Snow finds for her. But Haymitch ᴀssociates Katniss with Louella because they both braid their hair similarly, and during Sunrise on the Reaping‘s epilogue, he admits that this is why he started calling her that. This is a sweet revelation that made me appreciate Haymitch’s bond with Katniss even more upon a re-read.
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Haymitch Telling Katniss “It’s Not Just This Trip” In Catching Fire
He Knows The True Consequences Of Winning The Hunger Games
In Catching Fire, Katniss is forced to fake a romance with Peeta after their defiance in the arena — and she initially views it as a temporary thing. Haymitch is the person to shake sense into her, telling her that their performance goes well beyond the Victory Tour. Haymitch being the one to deliver this message is more tragic after the events of Sunrise on the Reaping. Although his circumstances are very different, he understands all too well that Hunger Games winners are never really free.
Just as winning the Games sentences Haymitch to a life of fear and isolation, it forces Katniss to live a lie.
Just as winning the Games sentences Haymitch to a life of fear and isolation, it forces Katniss to live a lie — at least until she and Peeta are sent back into the tournament. Most Hunger Games winners would likely understand Haymitch’s sentiment, but it’s especially tragic coming from him, as we know exactly how he comes to this realization.
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Katniss Choosing Beetee, Wiress, & Mags As Her Allies In Catching Fire
She Befriends The Same People Who Helped Haymitch
When looking for allies in Catching Fire, Katniss is drawn to Beetee, Wiress, and Mags — much to Peeta’s chagrin. These picks aren’t the strongest allies for the second Quarter Quell, but Katniss forms a bond with each of them. And given that these are the same characters who help Haymitch in Sunrise on the Reaping, it’s fitting that they eventually team up with Katniss in the arena. Katniss and Haymitch are incredibly similar, something The Hunger Games highlights repeatedly, so it makes sense they’d befriend the same people.
Sunrise on the Reaping also gives Beetee, Wiress, and Mags deeper backstories, explaining why each of them is so willing to help the rebellion in Catching Fire. The 2025 prequel makes it impossible not to look at them in a different light while revisiting the original trilogy. The emotional stakes feel higher for them after Haymitch’s prequel, and Wiress’ and Mags’ fates are even more devastating because of it.
4
Haymitch Prioritizing Katniss Over Peeta In Catching Fire
His Promise To Lenore Dove Adds A Layer To This Choice
Although Haymitch tells Katniss he’ll protect Peeta in Catching Fire, he eventually prioritizes getting her out of the arena over saving the boy. This decision is made for the sake of the revolution, as Katniss being the Mockingjay is needed to rally people to the rebels’ side. However, after Sunrise on the Reaping, it’s clear that Haymitch has an even more personal reason for choosing Katniss. His dedication to the rebellion goes beyond wanting the Capitol to fall.
The end of Sunrise on the Reaping reveals that Haymitch wants to overthrow the Capitol because of a promise he made to Lenore Dove.
The end of Sunrise on the Reaping reveals that Haymitch wants to overthrow the Capitol because of a promise he made to Lenore Dove. Lenore Dove’s dying wish is that Haymitch will stop the Hunger Games and the reaping. This becomes a real possibility after Katniss stirs political unrest in the districts, and it explains why Haymitch chooses her and the rebellion over Peeta. The fact that he has to accept Peeta being tortured, just like Lou Lou, makes the situation even grimmer.
3
Haymitch Being Unable To Face The Wreckage Of District 12 In Mockingjay
It’s Another Thing The Capitol Rips Away From Him
District 12 is destroyed at the end of Catching Fire, and Katniss visits the wreckage of her former home in Mockingjay in order to capture footage for the rebellion. As BuzzFeed notes, Haymitch refuses to accompany her on this trip. And although Katniss brushes this off as laziness, Sunrise on the Reaping suggests a sadder reason for his absence. When Plutarch says Haymitch “couldn’t face it,” he’s alluding to all the loss Haymitch has already faced at the hands of the Capitol.
Haymitch loses so much in District 12 after the events of Sunrise on the Reaping, including his mother, brother, and girlfriend. It’s understandable that he doesn’t want to see the ruins of his home, where even more of his loved ones and neighbors died.
2
President Snow’s Death In Mockingjay
It’s More Disappointing A District 12 Tribute Didn’t Kill Him Now
President Snow does incredibly evil things throughout The Hunger Games series, but Sunrise on the Reaping shows him at his worst. He doesn’t have enough power in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to do the sort of damage he does in Haymitch’s prequel. And he’s strangely practical in the original trilogy, genuinely giving Katniss the opportunity to fix the mess she’s created before resorting to revenge. When it comes to Haymitch, Snow doesn’t hold back — and that will make readers hate him even more after Sunrise on the Reaping.
It would have been satisfying to see one of his District 12 victims get the last laugh.
It also makes his death in Mockingjay more disappointing, as Snow deserves so much worse than the ending he got. It’s fitting that he’s killed by the very people he’s oppressed for years, but it would have been satisfying to see one of his District 12 victims get the last laugh. Of course, Katniss killing Coin proves far more important.
1
Haymitch Raising Geese At The End Of Mockingjay
Sunrise On The Reaping Connects This To Lenore Dove
Katniss mentions that Haymitch raises geese at the end of Mockingjay, but Sunrise on the Reaping gives this tiny detail a sad backstory. Lenore Dove raises geese in the prequel novel, and Haymitch doing this after the trilogy is a means of honoring her. We don’t get this information in the original books, but Sunrise on the Reaping finds a way to give this aspect of Mockingjay‘s ending a deeper meaning.
Haymitch raising geese because of Lenore Dove now puts a more tragic spin on this Hunger Games detail, but the fact that Katniss brings him the eggs and facilitates this is also hopeful. The Hunger Games‘ epilogue doesn’t tell us much about Haymitch’s fate after the original story, but Sunrise on the Reaping‘s reveals that he finds purpose and a family with Katniss and Peeta. Judging by the geese, it seems he’s able to reconcile his past and present better after the Capitol’s downfall.
The Hunger Games
- Created by
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Suzanne Collins
- First Film
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The Hunger Games
- Cast
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Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Willow Shields, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman
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