The Hunger Games saga isn’t quite over. If you haven’t heard, the movie franchise has their prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes releasing on Nov. 17. Are you excited? I’m ecstatic about this movie coming out and I can’t wait to get to the movie theater. The new movie stars Tom Blyth as President Snow, and also features Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, and Viola Davis.
The Hunger Games was the movie in my elementary school. I can still remember my friends and I talking about all of the insane things that happened in the movie. I was even invited to a Hunger Games-themed birthday party, so the movie must have been popular! Also, one fun little thing from that birthday party was that the PocketBac hand sanitizers were covered in Etsy stickers with “Tracker Jacker Venom” and “Nightlock.”
I feel that The Hunger Games franchise has grown in popularity over the years, and people seem to enjoy all of the characters, except for maybe one: President Snow. If you haven’t seen the original movies, you should watch them before you see the prequel, which is about President Snow’s background preceding The Hunger Games.
President Snow is a ruler over the 13 districts, and he isn’t known to be a good ruler by any means; he’s a harsh and cruel leader. Throughout each movie, his character seems to only get worse in demeanor and attitude. Each film shows him letting innocent people die, allowing famine, and murdering people just because he can. I feel we all dislike or hate President Snow for different reasons, but here are some I can think of.
The Games
During the Hunger Games, two people from each district are randomly picked to participate. In some cases, people volunteer to go to the Games (like how Katniss did). Careers are people who train all their lives for the Games to bring honor to their district. In the Games, people fight to the death until one person comes out victorious. The winner is given money and status, but they never get away from the Games and are made to participate as mentors after winning.
President Snow is not responsible for creating the games but for making them likable to the Capitol citizens. Before Snow made the games likable, Capitol citizens didn’t care about who won the Games, but President Snow changed the tributes into celebrities as soon as they got chosen (or “reaped”).
Snow doing this made the Games a success. People placed money on the Games and were addicted to seeing the newest tributes each year. In a broader sense, though, Snow made it so that everyone was distracted by the Games, so invested that they didn’t care about anything else but who won.
The Games were brutal and ruthless. President Snow did not stop them when he became president but instead encouraged them each year. In Catching Fire, after Katniss and Peeta win the 74th games together, President Snow decides to have the 75th Games use winners from past games, including Katniss and Peeta. Snow was talked into doing this by the Head Gamemaker, but it shows he doesn’t even care about people. He doesn’t care if the past winners die.
Murder
The countless murders of people throughout the Districts are apparent. President Snow doesn’t seem to care about his citizens and what happens to them. Throughout the movies, he acts like people are disposable.
The Games, as I mentioned, are one of the most horrific things he allows to go on as president. It’s murder all around, no matter how President Snow spins the dialogue. Also, Snow’s Peacekeepers are guards that are stationed in every district, but they’re brutal and will kill anyone for falling out of line.
For example, after winning the 74th Games, Katniss and Peeta go to each district to say they’re sorry for the families who lost their children. When Katniss and Peeta have to talk to Rue’s family, Katniss gives a heartfelt speech about Rue. In response, a man in the crowd three-finger salutes Katniss and is executed right then and there by Peacekeepers.
Mind Games
The mind games President Snow plays with Katniss are insane. Snow is the president of Panem, so where does he get this free time to play games with Katniss and Peeta? In the first movie, Katniss is just a person who volunteers for her sister Prim at the reaping. Snow, of course, hears about Katniss volunteering since people don’t usually volunteer for the Games.
But after Katniss and Peeta become two winners at the end of the 74th Games, President Snow seeks to end Miss Everdeen’s popularity streak with the districts. If she becomes too popular, people could look to her as a rebellion leader, which people end up doing in Catching Fire.
When Katniss wakes up in Mockingjay – Part 1, Peeta is captured by the capital. Katniss and everyone involved in the rebellion work to rescue Peeta and the other two hostages. Katniss realizes that Snow is toying with her while playing with Prim’s cat. It’s like Katniss and Snow play this inside game with one another on who will win at the end.
Power
President Snow wanted to maintain power and control over the districts. Snow didn’t care if the power and control he displayed were ruthless and horrific. Power and control meant everything to Snow, and he used fear to control the districts. Even before President Snow took over, the government ran an authoritarian dictatorship.
Katniss scared Snow. He was worried she gave people hope. Katniss may not have known it at the time, but she was considered a rebellion leader right after winning the 74th Games with Peeta.
Snow can’t be the leader of Panem with Katniss showing people hope, so Snow goes after Katniss’s life. Snow threatens that if she doesn’t conform to being a Capitol darling after winning the games, the people she cares about will be hurt.
President Snow is not a great person, but maybe in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a different side of him will be shown. Maybe the audience can understand why he made the choices he did in the original movies.
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