In some of our recent flurry of fabulous conversation, someone mentioned that Collins ought to do a follow-up “whatever happened to…” book rather than a prequel. I know many readers were thrilled when J.K. Rowling filled in gaps about characters, such as Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom both getting married, just not to one another. Of course, Collins may be in no way inclined to do any such thing, but it might be interesting to speculate on the fates of a few characters, based on what we do see in the text, and I’d love to see what everyone thinks of these theories (or chime in with some of your own).
Cinna: There’s really no point in taking a poll of “who is sad we didn’t actually see Cinna in Mockingjay?”; I think that’s pretty much everyone. Though his assumed death in interrogation gives us hope he might re-surface, he doesn’t, and Katniss preserves her memories of him in the precious book of faces. A few folks have expressed their distress at visualizing Cinna dying by torture, much in the manner of Darius, per Peeta’s gruesome description. However, the Capitol folks seem to be pretty good at this torture business. If they’d wanted to keep the fashion genius for long-term interrogation (and they could have used him against Katniss; next to Peeta, he’s the person in their clutches she cares about most), they would not have killed him by torture, and it seems unlikely they would have killed him by accident.
Instead, I think it’s a safe bet that Cinna had one of those little purple nightlock pills himself. He had to know that it was only a matter a time of for him after the fiery wedding dress. My bet is that his tastefully low-key outfit had one of those tear-away shoulder pockets just like Katniss’s Mockingjay outfit and that Cinna removed himself from the stage before he could be tortured or drugged into revealing anything that could hurt his Girl on Fire or the cause she represents. He has clearly made certain his plans and costumes for her will be in Plutarch’s hands before the Quarter Quell begins. When Peeta prevents her taking her own pill, Katniss refers to it as “Cinna’s last gift,” but perhaps his last conscious gift to her was to take his own life before he could be used against her.
Bonnie and Twill: Like any large, sweeping series, this one has plenty of “walk-ons”– characters who fulfill a certain task, then vanish from the stage. Bonnie and Twill, from Catching Fire, at first seem to be just such characters, especially as they are presumed by Katniss to have died shortly after their meeting with her in the woods. They have done their job narratively: to tell Katniss about the uprising in 8 and to show her the wafer with her emblem, the mockingjay, while keeping her out late enough that she returns to an electrified fence. It doesn’t seem surprising that Collins just adds them to the very long list of “presumed dead,” and Katniss seems ready enough to make that assumption, too, but that’s before she knows much about District 13.
Even though it was winter, the two District 8 refugees only had a week’s journey to 13, and Katniss had given them skills and tools to assist them. Her assumption that they died of natural causes in the woods may prevent her from considering the alternative: that they arrived in District 13 and were disposed of as unnecessary. After all, rather than a large population of potential soldiers, they were two hungry, damaged women who expected 13 to come to the rescue of the rebels right away. Were they killed for voicing these expectations or disappointment in the District’s 13 attitude? No way to know, of course, but I imagine Katniss wonders the same thing after she has learned the truth, and I bet Bonnie and Twill are in her book, too.
Lyme: Okay, not a major character, but I noticed District 2’s former victor primarily because I thought the name was great. After all, she lives in the Rockies, home of the tick-borne illness Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and she has the same name as another tick illness—Lyme disease. Well, I thought it was funny.
Anyway, she does make an impression on Katniss, too, but she is not included among the victors for the big vote meeting at the end. Is she dead? It seems so, but how? Was she killed in combat? Perhaps. Was she offed by the new Coin regime as a threat? Is her death, like the murder of the stylists and prep teams, one that is not clearly laid at the feet of either side? Even Enobaria, from her district, doesn’t mention her. I think it unlikely Collins just forgot to invite her to the Victor con-fab, so maybe her absence is more loaded than it seems.
What other characters vanish from the story, leaving you to wonder of their fates? To what degree are they left out simply because Collins didn’t have a job for them to do? Is this just another message about war –sometimes you never know what happened to people (I see this story repeatedly in American Civil War accounts)? Or, is there more to these absences that adds to the layers of Mockingjay?
Great insight on the possible Cinna suicide; it’s very strange to find myself hoping that’s what happened to a fictional character. The probable death of Lyme is also something that hadn’t occurred to me. It does make you think about the brutality of it all. How many of those Victors were elderly, like Mags and therefore unlikely to have been active soldiers on either side.
As for Bonnie and Twill, I’m thinking they probably simply died in the wilderness. District 13 had no issue taking in 900 refugees from 12; I doubt there would be an issue with two from 8. Assisting Bonnie and Twill would be a way of forging a stronger alliance with another District, something they needed. I remember thinking at that scene that B and T were not in great shape to make a trek through the woods; I would not expect a couple of factory workers to have the wilderness skills to survive.
It would, of course, be nice to know if Gale and Annie ever found new loves. Or if Mrs. Everdeen stayed strong enough to continue her work as a healer. I thought it was interesting that she relocated to District 4; a costal environment doesn’t seem to be the most logical choice for the born and bred mountain woman. But, maybe she was there to deliver Annie’s baby.
Of course, one way JK Rowling chose to communicate about the future was by telling us, in the books and out, what the characters named their children. The most significant reveal of course, was Harry honoring Snape along with this parents, Sirius, Dumbledore and Luna (though I still think the daughter should have been Lily Minerva, I love McGonagall!) But there were others: Bill and Fleur’s daughter Victoroire, born on the anniversary of the battle, and the formerly estranged Percy naming his daughter Molly.
So, what would Katniss and Peeta have named their children? There seem to be no candidates from Peeta’s family worth of that honor. The obvious choices for the boy are after Cinna and Katniss’s father, assuming he had a first name other than “Mr.” For the girl, Prim (could Katniss have stomached tacking the “rose” part on?) and Rue. Or would the have picked entirely new names, in the interest of moving on? As I’ve said before, “Daisy” continues with the wildflower theme, and has the advantage of being a nickname for “Margaret” or “Pearl.”
Oh, one thing I forgot. I think making us hope against hope that certain characters had survived (Cinna, Madge, Portia) only to have them turn up most sincerely dead was meant to make us feel like the miner’s families after the accidents: trying to stay optimistic but knowing deep down it’s a near-hopeless situation and becoming ever more despairing with the passage of time. Interesting that the only “family” (aka fans) that got good news was Effie’s.
Pardoning the pun, but another loose thread is the fate of the other District 12 Peacekeepers. Was Cray killed or Avoxed? Did the Capitol bother to evacuate their people before the bombing, or did they consider them expendable, especially considering they could have been from District 2? Did any of the “friendly” Peacekeepers (aka Purnia) escape and ally with the survivors? Or, for that matter, was dear old Romulus put in the awkward position of owing Gale his life? (Now that would have been a great scene, and give us a whole other area of debate regard Gale and how much the attack changed him.
I wondered what happened to Johanna at the end, too. I got really attached to her in this book. All of the other victors get at least a brief mention after Katniss’s trial, except for Johanna and Enobaria.
Thread’s the one I wonder about. If the power was cut and the planes came in fifteen minutes after the end of the QQ, it seems like the Capitol bombed its own most devoted Peacekeepers.
As for Bonnie and Twill, it’s apparent to me that they were killed by those wild dogs that Katniss always seems to worry about yet never seem to bother her or Gale in the story whenever they’re in the woods. I know one of them is a bit older, but the other is about Katniss’ age so she’d make a good breeder, at a time when there was no guarantee that the genetic pool would be expanded anytime soon.
The Victors’ Vote was especially telling. At the beginning of CF there were 59 living victors. At the end of the QQ there were still 41 alive. 34 were killed in the war. The only ones that survived were the four specifically granted immunity by the Mockingjay Agreement, the two key rebel leaders in District 13, and Katniss, who everyone tried to kill but failed.
I want to know what happened to Purnia and the other friendly Peacekeepers. It’s unlikely they were all Avoxed or executed; they were probably transferred to other districts. Did they fight on the side of the Capitol during the war? Or did they defect and get killed?
I don’t think Enobaria even knew that Lyme was a commander in the resistance in D2. I think it’s been clearly established that D2 is the king of the Hunger Games, even amongst the Career districts, so there must have been at least a dozen victors still living at the start of the QQ. No reason for Enobaria to single out Lyme with any significance when she’s told everyone else was killed.
Cinna is most perplexing to me. We find out in chapter 1 that he’s “believed to be dead”, which is the exact same wording used in the chapter for Peeta. One chapter later we see that Peeta is very much alive, so I spent the rest of the book waiting for Cinna to turn up, only to be disappointed when I reached the epilogue with no resolution on his fate.
Sorry to be out of the loop… but where did J.K. Rowling reveal that Percy had a daughter named Molly? Did she tie up loose ends on her webpage or in a book? I would love to read these!
I would like to know more about what happened to Gale, and his special job in D2. I’d also like to know how Plutarch fit into the new regime, as he wasn’t as close to the new leadership as he was to Coin.
The names of most Weasley grandchildren are not given in the book, but confirmed by Rowling in a family tree she drew. It can be seen here: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/weasley.html It also tells us George married Angelina Johnson and named his son, of course, Fred.
As for Plutarch, the fact that he was specified as holding an office under Paylor may have meant he was not especially high ranking in Coin’s post revolution government. Could it be he was another inconvenient body she would want out of the picture, once she was President?
Louise,
I wondered about Mrs. E’s choice of District 4, too. D 11 seems like a more logical choice for the herb-woman (though I imagine she had some influence in the new pharmaceutical company in 12). Annie is a very logical reason for her re-location. In addition to helping with little Finnick, Jr., imagine how she could help Annie with the loss of a husband, the very loss that was so devastating to her, and poor Annie already is a few fish shy of an aquarium. Perhaps Mrs. E will go to different districts. Wouldn’t it be lovely if she set up a string of hospitals? Primrose Everdeen Memorial has quite ring, eh?
Considering the fact that the Undersees don’t get any warning, I imagine the Capitol thought little of bombing the district with the Peacekeepers still on the ground, but I like to think Purnia made it.
Purnia wasn’t in D12. Katniss mentioned that she didn’t recognize any of the Peacemakers after the Gale incident, so it appears all of the old ones were transferred somewhere (or worse).
I think it’s that “or worse” bit that we fear for Purnia. She didn’t seem to be making any waves with her official attitude, but when all the PKs are moved, it might have been to combat zones or to other areas that might be otherwise unappealing. Though Darius was clearly moved to be punished, the other Peacekeepers seem to be changed simply to throw off the population with a new set of authority figures. Purnia does seem the type to join the rebellion, though, from the little we see of her.
I also had similar suspicions about Bonnie and Twill after seeing what happened to the prep team. I thought it was possible that they could have crossed some line and ended up imprisoned or dead as well. This isn’t as likely since the Prep team represented the much hated Capitol, and it’s very possible Bonnie and Twill simply did die. With one of them injured, there are numerous difficulties they could have run into, and traveling in the dead of winter, it would be very easy for them to freeze to death.
I also hoped against hope that Cinna would resurface. When Katniss is in the hospital and mentions seeing him, I was so excited until a second late when it became clear that she was hallucinating or dreaming. Cinna felt like a mentor character and thinking about how he died, and we never learned exactly what happened to him, and Katniss never gets to talk to him or learn more about him really feels like a loss. Even after Dumbledore died, we still got 2 “Dumbledore Denuemonts” (I may have massacred that spelling)! I think the feeling of loss and uncertainly regarding him was exactly what Collins wanted us to feel though, and very in line with the universe she created. I think the idea of his having a nightlock pill of his own makes sense. I always assumed someone in the Capitol just got sloppy with their “interrogation techniques” or killed him because they weren’t able to get him to talk, but given how they used Peeta, the second option seems doubtful.
I also wonder what happened to Johanna, where she went and what she did, and what Flavius, Octavia and Venia do?
I don’t have my book in front of me, but didn’t Katniss remember a moment when she saw Boggs with a little boy in his arms? What happened to Boggs’ family?
Does anyone else think that maybe Johanna may have followed Gale to D2? Maybe she had flirted with him early on to get a reaction from Katniss. Oh well.
I hope Katniss’ prep team were put to work for the new broadcast company doing what they were trained to do: prepping people for television appearances. Guess that would locate them back in the Capitol.
As for Plutarch being the director of communications under Paylor–I don’t think that’s telling of much other than there was really no one else to fill the role. I’d imagine he would be appointed to a similar position even if Coin had lived. It’s not like the people in the Districts were allowed to develop TV programming.
It is insinuated that Bonnie and Twill died on their trip to D13, but the book is specific that their fate is unknown. Let’s remember that they were running around in Peacekeeper uniforms with Peacekeeper guns. If they came within sight of District 13 I think it’s a safe bet they would’ve been taken out before they could get too close. The D13 guards simply wouldn’t have known any better.
As for Cinna. While it doesn’t specify that he was in fact killed (or how) it isn’t possible in my mind for him to have survived. He was a major character in the story, if he were still alive he would most certainly have made an appearance at the end when all of the other loose ends started showing up.
First off, I want to say that I love reading how other people saw things or the outcomes for these characters that their minds have created.
I think that Cinna probably pulled a Nightlock. He already had that set up for Katniss for after her escape from the arena, so he had to be expecting backlash from his burning mockingjay wedding dress. It’s sad to think of him having to make an exit like that, but I doubt he’d let them get the satisfaction of toturing him.
I thought poor Bonnie and Twill just died in the woods, but I think Tim maybe right with them ending up at District 13 with Peacekeeper uniforms on. I doubt that 13 would have just killed them for being starving, useless refugees. If they had gotten the chance to explain theirselves and their story they would have given good insight to Coin and the leaders of 13.
I totally had forgotten Lyme until you mentioned it, but that woman was a warrior! The only way she would have gone out would have been in a blaze of gunfire!
As for there only being Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Johanna, BeeTee, Annie and Enobaria as the reamiang tributes, how is that possible? I think they were the most remembered and that is why they were conulted. I mean there were 75 years worth of victors! I know 18 died in CF, but there must be more that are staying behind in the districts. I just think Suzanne Collins thought that it wasn’t a good place to start introducing new characters.
And I woud love to know what the future held for the others, especially Annie, Gale and Johanna. And why Mrs. E went to district 4 and if she was there for Annie to help her deal with her pain rather than going home and dealing with her own. And I want to know what Peeta and Katniss would hae named their kids. I think Prim and Rue are good choices for the girl, and then maybe something for Katniss’ dad and maybe even Haymitch for the boy. Afterall, Haymitch turned into someone Katniss could turn to for guidance.
Great point about the uniforms, Tim! And it brings in another aspect of the horrors of war: mistaken identity (I hate the phrase “friendly fire”). Stonewall Jackson is probably one of the most famous casualities of being in the wrong place at the wrong time looking like the wrong side. Bonnie and Twill wouldn’t have known any better and might have been shot on sight. But anyone checking the bodies would know they weren’t Peacekeepers, so I imagine the whole thing would then have been hushed up. There is also the possibility that there are perimeter defenses that could have killed Bonnie and Twill.
While Cinna ia undoubtedly dead, Tim (of course, we all hope otherwise, but the rumor must be true or he would have shown up!), I think it’s the method of death that is troubling. Oddly, I find it comforting that he could have died quickly on his own terms, taking his information with him, rather than dying by inches.
I don’t think D13 would have shot them even if they were in the Peacekeeper uniforms. The rebels need defectors of all sorts, even Peacekeepers. Even if they couldn’t be trusted, they could provide potentially useful information. As long as they didn’t go charging into the gate pointing their gun at the guards.
I have to agree with pretty much everyone on here about who I wish we had more info on, Johanna, Gale, her mother, Bonnie and Twill…..I like the thought that someone posted above that maybe Johanna followed Gale to D2! For whatever reason it makes me feel a bit better about not really knowing what became of them.
One of my real questions is about Annie though. I want to know what happned to her and her son, and how she magaged on her own, or if she had support? Mrs. Everdeen maybe? In CF, Peeta tells Katniss that in Annies games, she went off the deepend after her district partner was beheaded. Isn’t that basically how Finnick dies? If she lost it after her partner dies in the games, someone she knows must die in order for her to survive, I can’t imagine how she would react to the death of her husband in a similiar fashion. But during the meeting with the surviving victors, she seems pretty together. The only other time she seems remotely “normal” is when Finnick is by her side. The only thing I can figure is, she either was not told the manner of his death, or her pregnancy with his child gave her the strength she needed to keep it together and hold on. Perhaps its both.
This change in Annie makes me even more heartbroken for Katniss though. Granted, I don’t know the degree of change in Annie, and by no means do I think she’s “cured” or made a full recovery, but she seems stronger in the knowledge that Finnick’s legacy will be carried on. Katniss on the other hand seems so detatched, even from her own children, that she only calls them the girl and the boy. And like someone mentioned elsewhere, she says her only reason for having them was because “Peeta wanted them so badly”. The only glimpse of love towards them is when she tells us the joy she felt of holding her newborn daughter in her arms.
I guess I’m just left wanting to know more about the children of Peeta and Katniss (Im curious about what they named them as well). If they got enough love/affection/attention from their mother, (something Katniss resented her own mother for because of her inability to pull it together and provide these things and more)
I’d like to know what happened to President Snow’s granddaughter. She seemed like an excellent missed opportunity to demonstrate some hope in the epilogue. Wasn’t she close to Prim’s age?
I don’t think we are told the granddaughter’s age. We know Snow has been in power for at least 25 years and Finnick tells us he was “young” when he became President, so I picture him in his mid-sixties at the most, though he could be much older depending on how long he has been President. Given that people in urban, materialistc environments tend to delay having children (e.g be closer to 30 when they become parents rather than in the late teens or 20’s) I would guess, if he has a granddaughter, she would be young by Games standards. That’s why I immediately thought of someone Prim/Rue’s age, rather than a Johanna or Enobaria or even a Katniss.
I really wanted some sort of closure between Katniss and her mom at the end of the book. For the mother and daughter to have nothing to do with each other after everything that they had been through was just too sad for me. Only the occasional phone call to say “Hi”? That conclusion was way less than satisfactory
Also I really wanted to know what happened to Gale’s mom and his brothers and sisters. They were briefly mentioned at the beginning of MJ and then never again. Katniss was very close to the entire family. I don’t think she would write them all off just because she had some kind of emotional baggage with Gale that she didn’t want to deal with. Had they all stayed in 13 or gone with Gale to where he was? I wish Collins had explained a little more on that.
What happened to the Pearl? What happened to the Pearl that Katniss held so dear for so long? It would have been a great symbol is Peeta presented it to Katniss back in 12 and had that pearl set in a ring for a proposal.
I thought Cinna’s Last Gift was the rip-away pocket for the nightlock that could be opened with one’s mouth. Since they were all issued pills, I doubt the pill itself was his last gift.
Happy New Year all! I was revisiting several discussions and caught MaryL’s posting.
Very interesting observations here, especially the discussion surrounding Cinna’s storyline and probable demise. Seeing how he was bloody and unconscious when the Games goons hauled him out of the launch room, I doubt very much that Cinna had the opportunity to use the Nightlock pocket post-beating by his attackers. Cinna’s reputation for deceptive clothing design would have guaranteed stripsearch at the earliest opportunity.
2011 must have been the “year of the frustrating endings”. Check out Paolini’s “Inheritance”…loose-ends had me screaming in my head!
Bonnie and Twill…
Probably and unpopular idea here, but what if they were working on behalf of the Capitol/Thread, whether purposefully or coerced. What we know for sure is that Katniss is always in the dark. We also know that everything she knows about them is what they told her. We know that no one in District 13 knows them, or is unwilling to admit knowing them because it is possible 13 just disposed of them, but what if they never made it to 13 as Katniss suspects? What if their sole purpose was to distract Katniss, delaying her arrival back at the fence, and peak her interest about District 13?
They were dressed as Peacekeepers, and while they could’ve stolen the outfits and the weapon, what if they were given them? What if it wasn’t enough for the Capitol to bomb the factory, but to send out the Peacekeepers to round up the families as well? Or what if they were discovered on the train they escaped on and were then used for the Capitol’s purposes before being dispossed of after their purpose had been met? What if they were promised that cooperating would protect some of their remaining family/friends in District 8? Is it really outside the realm of possibility for the Capitol to be involved in their appearance at this juncture of the novel?
The Capitol has to be aware of the significance of the mockingjay to the resistance, so why not use it to their benefit? Introduce it to her as a sign of the resistance since she’s clearly in the dark per her conversation with Snow. What if their hope is to get her to rebel in District 12 before she can do more damage? They know as much as Haymitch does that she’s rash and can’t plan well from watching her in the Hunger Games. They are changing the culture in her District and priming her to step out of line. Snow’s warned her about the uprisings, she’s witnessed some of it on her tour, and she steps right into the fight during the whipping of Gale. Couldn’t they just be baiting her so that they can silence her before she can become anymore of a symbol for the rebellion? If they can catch her in her district, they can cover up her disappearance so that she can’t be a martyr, right?
They obviously have eyes and ears in her district otherwise Snow wouldn’t have known about her kiss with Gale. Who’s to say someone hasn’t overheard her talking about creating her own rebellion in District 12? Let’s assume Snow knows about the Quarter Quell, wouldn’t it be better to keep her out rather than give her a stage to be exploited on again? Couldn’t they have been baiting her like they did in District 8 with the factory workers?
I’m not suggesting that Bonnie and Twill weren’t genuine with their stories about what happened in District 8, but wouldn’t it be easier to lie to Katniss with the truth, knowing that all you need to do is keep her distracted? Like I said, not a popular idea, but knowing that Katniss is being used by both the Capitol and District 13, isn’t it safe to say that she may not have known the whole story about Bonnie and Twill?
In thinking about this further, I realized that one thing that needs to be considered here is what role these two characters play in understanding the different readings within these books, meaning would their use by the Capitol change our understanding of the different messages Collins is clearly, or not so clearly for some, asking us to consider. Essentially, how important are these characters to the moral, allegorical, and analogical readings within the book(s). I understand that I haven’t gone into great detail here, providing evidence to my hypothesis, which would greatly disappoint my professors and, rightly so, allow the reader of my post to dismiss my ramblings. Forgive me for this, as it would take a great deal of my time to articulate my reasoning, and unfortunately, delving into this exercise, while enjoyable, isn’t an endeavor I am cable of at present. I am willing to should an interested party arise. I would like to add one more level to my hypothesis, and that is if indeed Bonnie and Twill can be presented as both purveyors of the Capitol and symbols of the rebellion, aren’t they simultaneously integral and inconsequential?
I hate the auto correct feature of mobile devices. “Capable” and not “cable”. My apologies.
Brian,
Integral to the idea of uprising in other Districts, yes. Inconsequential? No…they are desperate human beings seeking safety and shelter, clinging to the idea of a better place beyond the sufferings they’ve already endured, in spite of the Capitol’s misuse of humanity for personal gratification and gain. In my opinion, Bonnie and Twill’s disappearance works against the Capitol as it reinforces Katniss’ anger towards the disruptive, intrusive Panem government.
The idea of Bonnie and Twill as unknowing Capitol pawns is intriguing. Can you imagine an electronic/holographic gamesboard designed to replicate all of Panem, with the ability to track featured gamepieces/district citizens…not unlike the moving dots on The Marauder’s Map in HP? How simple to then track our pawns while keeping an eye on Katniss and her responses.
Given the state of “reality TV” today, what with the ability to edit and skew any conversation or behavior…you may have hit on something here.
Let me also ask you to consider another pair of non-D12 citizens who ended up in the Meadow…the future red-haired Avox and her male companion. Perhaps an early attempt by the Capitol to “test the Katniss or Gale waters”…to see which of the rule breakers would attempt to come to their aide, thereby giving the Capitol a heads-up on potential insurrectionist behaviors? As Gale and Katniss did nothing to help the “fugitives” (and we don’t know why they were in the Meadow or how they actually got there) at that time is it coincidence or no that Prim’s name is later chosen for the Games? Katniss in the Games and Gale in the District would lessen the strength of rebellion leadership. Remember that Katniss does question the Avox’s presence and the Capitol’s role in placing this young woman on D12’s floor. She has considered the possibility of intent by the Gamesmakers to distract her. I do not believe in coincidence in Collins’ trilogy.
My own working theory on the possible loose end at the conclusion of Mockingjay, is the plausible identity of Snow’s granddaughter. If Collins makes a sequel that alludes to some revenge plot (as suggested by several fan fiction pieces), it would be an extremely predictable and inherently simple (cheap?) plot device.
However, I think Collins has left several pieces of information in the book, that makes complete sense if one considers the possibility that Katniss Everdeen herself, is Snow’s granddaughter, evidence in the following:
a) Finnick’s big reveal as to what is done to the victors of the Hunger Games (used for secrets, sexual favors etc). It has been suggested that Snow used some of these victors in one way or another. We know that the first victor from District 12 was a female from the Seam, which makes this very likely.
b) Katniss is in the same age range as what was suggested of Snow’s granddaughter (12-18).
c) We know much of Katniss’s matriarchal lineage, but virtually none from her father’s side. This is a possible genealogical link to District 12’s first victor.
Several pieces of the puzzle lead to very interesting (and ironic) interpretations once Katniss is assumed to be Snow’s granddaughter:
a) That Katniss was allowed the opportunity to get the killing blow on her potential grandfather (approved by Coin).
b) That Coin herself suggests a final Hunger Games, in which unbeknownst to all, if Katniss was the eligible granddaughter, would have made for a dramatic twist as it is a convenient way for Coin to dispatch of her rival with a vote made by Katniss’s hands.
c) Coin’s use of Prim as a medic would have made her death all the more meaningful, as she drops what potentially could be Snow’s granddaughter into his very own human shield pen. Something he never anticipated since, with the exception of Katniss being loose in the Capitol, he fully believed that all children rounded up were not of his own blood.
d) The allusion of similarities between Snow and Katniss. Manner of thinking, even poisons. Like grandfather, like granddaughter. Their peculiar relationship and understanding face to face. How Snow seems more merciful to Katniss that he is with the others (eg Haymitch’s family was killed within 2 weeks). How Katniss’s interpretation of Snow’s reference to the spark as more ambiguous rather than one that necessitated the start of a rebellion.
e) Coin’s sole knowledge of this secret blood relation. After all, durin the 75 years succeeding the Dark Ages, only her and Snow are still alive. She alone knew more secrets of his than anyone else. What else is more satisfying than using one’s kin to bring the progenitor down himself?
A few things may have to be retconned and/or revised in the earlier books if this twist is to be utilized, (such as Coin’s preference for Peeta to be rescued over Katniss) but surprisingly not much tweaking is needed. Everything else falls into place and is more than mere coincidence.
What do you think?
I’ve always wondered about Gale and the fact he just leaves. I understand why Katniss and him can’t be together but what happens. Ok so he goes to D2 but does he become a hermit . Does he let the fact that he possibly killed the sister of the one person he trusted the most overtake him. So he never finds love or solace in anyone again, or does he get married and continue on in a different sort of life than he dreamed. I think that is the question that I think about the most.
Bing, I find some of the questions you raise interesting. I don’t know if I truly think that Katniss is Snow’s granddaughter. I do think that like anyone in power you are going to keep your family as far away from harm as you can. So why would he have family be possible for the games but hey I could be wrong. It’s all interesting speculation though.
Are people still posting on this site? It has been a while since the last post, but I just finished Mockingjay and have so many unanswered questions about the ending that have been tearing at me for about the past 24hrs.
After everything that happened, Katniss was sent to 12 basically alone and her mom doesn’t even say goodbye to her. She writes Katniss a letter, but it’s months before Katniss even opens it and finally picks up the phone and calls her. Wouldn’t you think a mother would want to be with, see, talk to the only family member she has left. I understand how living in 12 would be too painful for her, but after the war is over, Katniss and her mom are the only ones left in their family. Wouldn’t they want to be together?
Also how does Dr. Aurelius justify sending Haymitch and Katniss all alone back to 12? Eventually hundreds of people move back there, but when Haymitch and Katniss (and Greasy Sae) move back, the town is still in ashes. How will this help them move on?
I also want to know what happened to Gale. I understand the two can’t be together but they were best friends, risked their lives for each other, and now they never speak or see each other? Does Gale have children of his own? Also, how come he too never said bye to Katniss before she ended back to 12. No one did.
15 years is an awfully long time to beg someone to have children, and I agree with the other post; what are their names?
In general I am completely heartbroken about Prim’s death, as I assume everyone else is too. Prim kept Katniss fighting and is the sole reason Katniss volunteered in the Hunger Games. Her death is hard for me to get over, and she’s a fictional character.
I don’t think Katniss’s mother is acting out of character considering her history. She’s suffered from depression before and it’s probably her work that keeps her from succumbing again. Think of Finnick and his rope. In District 12, she’d have nothing to do other than to watch a depressed Katniss and be reminded of her former life and the people she’s lost. She and Katniss didn’t share a close relationship either. Katniss kept her mother at an emotional distance for years and Katniss’s independence meant that she didn’t rely on her for her physical needs either. In fact, it was the other way around. Her mother may not think that Katniss needs her in order to recover and is better off elsewhere – for both of them. Katniss is also an adult by that stage so Katniss’s mother has less parental responsiblity as well.
It seems that nobody was allowed to visit Katniss between the time she killed Coin and when she was released to District 12. Her food and medication is left on trays and Katniss sees no one – not even health carers. Therefore there’s no chance for either Gale or her mother to say goodbye. Peeta, who had recovered somewhat by this stage, doesn’t visit her either. Perhaps a letter on release was the only contact allowed. Her mother might have tried to contact her by phone too when she arrived in District 12 but Katniss wasn’t answering the phone.
I think Gale had already said goodbye when they talked about the bomb. Katniss said goodbye when she didn’t call after him. In this, I think he put the end of the relationship all onto the notion that, for Katniss, Prim’s death would always be between them. But there were other things between them – the difference in values, her love for Peeta, his own feelings of guilt etc. that contributed.
I think it’s the new government that sends Katniss to District 12. Considering what they could have done to someone who assassinated the president (execution, imprisonment, confinement in a mental institution), Katniss is treated lightly. I imagine they had no where else to put her. District 12 was her home, her house was still intact, there was someone to prepare her meals (Greasy Sae), and she had the run of the place. She could even hunt if she wanted to. Dr Aurelius sets her free, since it’s on his advice that she’s allowed to leave the hospital with the caveat that he continues to treat her by phone. Haymitch returns on his own volition. It’s his home too and he possibly feels a responsibility for Katniss even though his alcoholism makes him ineffective as a support.
Gale is last seen in District 2 with a fancy job and appears on TV now and then. My guess is that he ends up with a prominent job in either government or the military. Note that he makes TV appearances – Katniss hated the media attention. Another reason they weren’t suited.
Friendship can end in even the closest friendships. It’s not always a lifelong relationship. Perhaps you had a close friends at one time, but aren’t friends with them now? Circumstances change, people change. I think the friendship worked when they were hunting partners but the war made them into different people and the bond wasn’t there anymore.
I don’t think the names of Katniss’s children are important. But I think it does suggest how protective Katniss feels towards them – that she doesn’t quite trust in their safety even to reveal their names.
I agree that Prim’s death was an emotional blow for the reader. It very effectively showed the tragedy and waste of war though. From a plot POV, it strongly contributed to Katniss’s motive to kill Coin.
As for katniss not loving her children or having Peeta beg her for years. I think everyone needs to remember they were barely 18 at the end of MJ. That 15 years only puts them in their early 30’s and after all they have been through. The games, the war, the hijacking, loss of family . I think that with the PTSD these two were dealing with it isn’t unreal to want to wait. Katniss never wanted children to send them to the games. Yes there are no more games. But sometimes it’s so very hard to change a feeling that is so deep inside you. I think she says she let Peeta beg her. Mainly so she could justify her changing her mind. I see her wanting kids but having the conflict of years of war and pain and games that keep her fighting it. I think she loves them as much as she loved prim. If not more.
After I finished reading Mockingjay I was left with so many questions. For example, what did Peeta and Katniss name their children? I would also want to know more on what happened with Annie and her son, Gale and his family, Johanna, Mrs. Everdeen, Effie, Haymitch and the pearl that Katniss held for so long.