As John Granger and I get our brooms polished up to race down to Orlando and Leaky-Con, we’re delighted to showcase this lovely guest post from Nicole Olson, who wanted to share her fascinating insights on the chracter of Alma Coin in the Hunger Games. Thanks, Nicole!

First of all, I’d like to thank John Granger for giving me the opportunity to share this theory with you on Hogwarts Professor. It is largely an extension of the very insightful work articulated by John in his articles Unlocking Mockingjay, but with a narrower focus on the symbolic role of President Coin in Katniss’s apotheosis. I am not a professor, but merely another interested reader captivated by The Hunger Games and craving a deeper discussion of the ensuing symbolism. In the spirit of Hogwarts Professor, I offer this theory for your consideration and look forward to your comments and corrections.    The assassination of Alma Coin is one of the most jarring scenes in Mockingjay. It seems fairly straightforward to argue that Katniss would assassinate Coin to both avenge her sister’s death and to prevent further suffering under Coin’s rule. However, for Katniss, I believe there is a much greater significance. After all, the shooting of Coin was the final cathartic event in her spiritual journey. It is also worth noting that in the moment before releasing the arrow, her mind did not dwell on Coin’s suggestion of a Capitol Hunger Games, or the fire-bombing in the Capitol, but rather was drawn back into the allegorical Garden of Eden with President Snow. I believe Snow, Katniss, and Coin are all connected on a deeper level and Eden holds the key. [Read more…]