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murphismycat · 4 years

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*SPOILERS* My Thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes before I Forget

Ok, first of all, I actually really loved this book. I think it is beautifully done, even if it is almost nothing like I expected. There were a few things that I thought were going to be in the book that actually were: the development of the Hunger Games as we know them by year 74, the first mockingjays, the first district 12 winner of the Games, and the beginning of Snow’s use of poison to rise to power. I was worried that this single book would not be able to capture the complexities of the original trilogy, but I actually think it did. No, there is not quite the same sense of calculated manipulation in this book, but that is because we are the ones watching Snow become that manipulator. The way he thinks is fascinating. He’s basically a textbook Slytherin obsessed with political theory, and we are able to witness his transformation into who we know he becomes. I feel like this is one of those books that I will grow to appreciate the more I think about it.

There were some things that I thought were odd, particularly in the first half of the book. The fact that the Hunger Games had been operating as they had for ten years was almost unbelievable to me. They would literally just bring in these kids and dump them in the arena with no food, water, or change of clothes. Also, it was the same arena every single year. No one even watched the games. If the entire point is to force people to remember what happened, and understand why control is necessary, why would they not make a greater effort to make it more of a spectacle? I feel like the way we see the Games in Katniss’ years makes more sense, and I understand that Snow was instrumental in forming the games that we know, but it seems odd to me that the geniuses that are supposed to be in charge let the games exist as they did for so long. This year, the tenth games, was supposedly the first year that they had kept the tributes for more than a night before the games. Did they not think that the tributes would die without food and water? And why are these Capitol parents, who actually seem relatively normal so close to the end of the war, bring their small children to see the tributes in a monkey cage? It feels like the people of the Capitol still had an understanding that this was wrong. It hadn’t been sensationalized yet. So why would they just be okay with watching these kids starve in a cage? Also, this is the first year that the tributes have sponsors. How could anyone be expected to fight to the death without food or water, as they had apparently been doing for ten years? The only water source in the arena was the puddle that came when it rained. What if it didn’t rain? They would all just die. Quickly. The only motivation for fighting for your life would have been to kill the others so that you could get food or water faster. Also, they didn’t check the tributes’ pockets before going in? I understand why Snow gets in trouble for cheating with the snakes, but honestly he should not have been able to get away with the food and rat poison.

Other than the whole situation with the games, I also didn’t really like how half of the tributes, and some of the mentors, died before the games even began. I think it was to give the impression that Snow and the Capitol children were all part of the Games themselves, similar to how Katniss feels she’s still in the Games in Mockingjay. I just don’t think it added a lot to the story, and I also think the bombing of the arena could have been fleshed out more. There were many points in the first third of the book that I felt were there purely for the development of Snow’s character, but didn’t make a whole lot of sense in the larger picture. I know some people thought him and Tigris being cousins was random. I felt that a little bit too, but there was definitely some sort of relationship hinted at between them when Katniss meets Tigris in Mockingjay. Katniss assumes Tigris was kicked out of the Games by Snow for not being pretty anymore. Tigris never really confirms or denies her theory, leaving a mystery that I think we got a little bit of clarity for in this book.

Aside from that stuff, I really loved this book, especially towards the end. The parallels and meaning that come up from the songs are quite beautiful. For example, Lucy Gray always says that it’s not over until the mockingjay sings. I very recently reread the original trilogy, and I remembered the chapters after Katniss assassinates Coin. Snow dies laughing, blood pouring out of his mouth, smothered by the people he worked so hard to control (which is actually quite disturbing to think about after reading this book about him). As Katniss is waiting to die in her old room at the training center, she starts, almost unconsciously, singing. It’s over. The mockingjay sings.

I love all of those types of parallels. Snow hates the mockingjays right away, and his first act of initiative as a peacekeeper is to have them killed. I know some people didn’t like the mentions of katniss root, mockingjays, and songs, but I loved them. I was excited to read about them because I love the original books, but I also think it added a lot. We see how Snow would associate each of these things in his mind, and how that impacts his actions in the original trilogy. Katniss is a symbol of chaos. The root amidst the nature that he loved and then learned to disdain. He felt safe and at peace the first time he encountered it, spending a pleasant Sunday outing with Lucy Gray and the Covey. The next time he hears about it, Lucy Gray lies to say she is finding some before she runs away, knowing that he has changed his mind. Running away and living in nature, like an animal, is not what he wants. He desires civilization, control. Katniss root, and therefore Katniss Everdeen herself, symbolizes the opposite: chaos. Katniss’ use of the mockingjay and the songs of the Covey immediately tip Snow off to the beginnings of rebellion. He know what they mean, and where they came from. It makes his actions in the original series seem so much more personal.

I think this is a common theory, but I’m pretty sure Maude Ivory is Katniss’ paternal grandmother. I had a little fangirl moment the first time Snow goes looking for Lucy Gray. First he stops at the bakery, and then he goes to the Seam. He meets both Peeta’s and Katniss’ ancestors in the same half hour, which is crazy to think about. Every time a place familiar to the original books was mentioned, I couldn’t help thinking about what happens in 64 years.

The Hanging Tree was crazy to read about. I love that it can apply to so many relationships and on so many levels throughout the book. On the one hand, it’s between Lucy Gray and Billy Taupe. It’s also about Lucy Gray and Snow himself, but Snow never really sees it that way. In the end, Lucy Gray realizes that both she and Snow are doomed to their fates. They will not live simple, good lives as good people. They can’t. A necklace of rope, side by side with me. When Snow hears her sing this for the last time, he thinks she’s pointing out his role in Sejanus’ death. In a way he’s right, but he completely misses the bigger picture. His way of thinking, both in general and specifically about Lucy Gray, is so flawed. It becomes increasingly clear the more he talks about owning her. I’ve heard that people don’t think Suzanne Collins properly addresses Snow’s flaws, but I think it is done very well. It’s never specifically stated that he is a bad person, but it would feel cheap if it was. In fact, he states over and over that he is an exceptional person. At the beginning of the book, it’s almost easy to believe that he is. We are the ones that get to watch his transition. Sometimes characters are really bad, but it works out in their favor anyway.

All in all, I think this book is a great addition to the original series. It adds history and context, exploring the making of both a villain and a society. The Capitol, districts, and Games that we see in this book are so different from those of the original series, but Suzanne Collins beautifully closes this book so that we can see where the path is taking these characters and institutions, eventually leading them to the ones we know.

I’m pretty sure no one is reading this, but this is more for me and my memory than anything else. I have a lot of thoughts and no one to share them with. If anyone is reading this, thank you and I hope you’re staying safe in this pandemic.

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #Suzanne Collins #The Hunger Games #coriolanus snow #tbosas spoilers #book review #tbosas #tbosas review #catching fire #mockingjay

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