Haymitch and the Capitol: Sustained Resistance in Sunrise on the Reaping
A quick look at some of the novel’s major themes.
The most recent Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, follows District 12 victor Haymitch Abernathy in his Hunger Games, the second Quarter Quell. This story takes place 24 years before the original trilogy and is Suzanne Collins’ second prequel novel. Published 15 years after the final instalment of the original Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, in which the rebels finally succeed at overthrowing President Snow’s dictatorship, Sunrise on the Reaping tells a dark tale of the importance of sustained resistance in the face of fascism. Haymitch’s origin story gives compelling insight into his character and his role in the resistance movements of Panem at large. In the context of the other books, this novel demonstrates the full scale of a dictator’s power to silence resistance efforts and, therefore, the need for perseverance against such oppressive forces.
A Tragic Hero
The events of this book reframe Haymitch as one of the most tragic characters in the series. He begins as a hardworking and caring 16-year-old, and by the end of the novel, he has lost or pushed away all human connection. He gets roped into both the Hunger Games and the Capitol rebellion out of love and a protective instinct for Lenore Dove and Louella. When Louella dies, Haymitch carries her body up to President Snow, and throughout the Games, he makes two attempts at destroying the arena from the inside. These efforts to threaten or intimidate Snow and the Capitol are all edited out of public broadcasts and warped to conceal the truth. As a result, Haymitch never earns his legacy as a pioneer against the Hunger Games, and instead appears to be a willing participant.
In the wake of Haymitch’s victory or, more accurately, survival, Snow disempowers him by killing everyone he loves and believes in. Not only does Snow kill Haymitch’s family, he burns down his house in the process, taking away his home and thus encouraging his isolation in the Victors’ Village. He begins a lifelong battle with alcoholism at age 16 as a coping mechanism for his pain. Whereas in the original series Haymitch sometimes plays the role of grumbling comic relief whom Katniss doesn’t take seriously, the end of this book serves as a reminder that this trauma response is triggered every year when he is forced to mentor District 12 children to their deaths. He stays alive with the distant hope that he might fulfill Lenore Dove’s dying wish—that there never be a sunrise on the reaping again. The significance of the book’s title is that she died hoping for the end of the Hunger Games and a better future for Panem (and Haymitch’s birthday). While he does finally see this through and survive the District 13 uprising against the Capitol 25 years later, the majority of his life is still spent as a miserable unwitting sacrifice of the resistance movement.
12’s Potential
For President Snow, the post-war dictator of Panem, District 12 has always carried a dangerous rebellious spirit, ever since the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In the same way that he sees the energy of Lucy Gray in Katniss, he fears Haymitch’s recklessness and connection to the Covey. Although Haymitch perceives Snow as unfazed, his actions in rewriting the tributes’ stories legitimize the threat they posed to the Capitol. All of Haymitch’s attempts to sabotage the Games go largely unnoticed, much like Lucy Gray was erased from Panem’s memory. Snow’s power in this novel lies in his ability to silence voices of rebellion, which demonstrates that not all acts of resistance are publicly seen or acknowledged in real time.
District 12 still represents a point of vulnerability for Snow, foreshadowing his eventual downfall. When Haymitch is being kept in isolation in the Capitol after surviving the Quarter Quell, he is shown a video of Lucy Gray singing one of her songs in the lead-up to the 10th Hunger Games. He pieces together that this must have been the mysterious District 12 victor and that she holds some kind of significance for Snow. As readers of the other books, this revelation that Snow has saved the footage that was otherwise erased from record is very telling of the lasting effect she had on him. His distaste towards the Covey, as well as his determination to punish Haymitch, returns in his cruel killing of Lenore Dove with his signature poison.
This fear of District 12 is not unfounded, as is evidenced by Haymitch winning the Games. Wyatt and Maysilee also express their desire to stand up to the Capitol and force them to reckon with the guilt of systemically murdering children. Ultimately, Maysilee is punished with death by mutt after killing a rogue Gamemaker in the arena. District 12 craftsmanship also plays a key role in this novel, and not just the flint striker. During training, Maysilee crafts several tributes’ tokens from home into beautiful, wearable items, and thereby unknowingly sets up the opportunity for Beetee to sneak in the materials needed for Haymitch’s bombing attempts.
Forging Resistance
Even in its subtler forms in this book, the symbolism of resistance is entrenched in District 12 and the Covey, in particular. Haymitch’s flint striker, which was a birthday gift from Lenore Dove, was crafted by another member of the Covey, Tam Amber. It holds the image of a songbird and a snake, marking a deliberate (albeit meta) connection to Lucy Gray’s similarly rebellious spirit and contention with Snow. We also learn more about the origin of Katniss’ iconic mockingjay pin in this book—that it was passed down to her from the Donners but was also created by Tam Amber.
Just like these artifacts are passed down through generations and acquire new meanings, the Covey’s songs do as well. As oral storytellers, they keep memories and the spirit of resistance alive through their music and their forbidden songs. “The Hanging Tree,” in particular, is introduced to readers when Snow is a peacekeeper in District 12 with Lucy Gray, but takes on a much larger significance and the spirit of the uprising with Katniss in Mockingjay. Collins reveals in this prequel book that Katniss is also a distant descendent of the Covey, through her father, Burdock Everdeen. Despite her being raised outside of this specific culture, and although we don’t know what happens to the Covey in these 24 years, their songs live on in Katniss as the de facto face of District 12 and, later, District 13. As a group on the fringes of District society, the Covey’s inherent reluctance to submit to Capitol rule and systems undermines President Snow emotionally and politically.
Sunrise on the Reaping is a gut wrenching and pivotal addition to the Hunger Games series that fills in the gaps about Haymitch’s life, as well as District 12 and Panem’s history at large. In fleshing out both Haymitch and Snow’s characters, the two prequel novels contextualize the civilization that Katniss and her peers are brought into, and remind readers that societal change often happens slowly. As Collins expands on the worldbuilding of her dystopian nation of Panem, the series gains new layers of sociopolitical relevance and grants insight into the human capacity for harm and cruelty.
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What an accurate, concise and well written commentary on what was a fantastic book!