“I am completely in Snow’s power and his to manipulate. His puppet. His pawn. His plaything. It is his poster I am painting. His propaganda I am trapped into doing his bidding in the Hunger Games, the best propaganda the Capitol has.”
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is the fifth publication in “The Hunger Games” book series, the second prequel published by Suzanne Collins years after the success of the original trilogy. The book is told from the perspective of fan-favorite character Haymitch Abernathy, the second and only living District 12 winner of the 50th Hunger Games.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” follows a similar format to the first Hunger Games book, starting the morning of the annual reaping. Readers are thrust into the world of a sweet 16-year old Haymitch, a stark contrast to the surly, jaded man presented in the original trilogy. Haymitch emphasizes that the two things he loves doing best are “wasting time and being with [his] girl, Lenore Dove.” Despite the circumstances of being a Seam kid in impoverished District 12, Haymitch just wants to spend time with his loved ones– his mother and younger brother, Syd, his girlfriend, and his friends, Burdock and Astrid. Such a sharp juxtaposition from the isolated man readers get to know from Katniss’ point of view, but really, it doesn’t take much imagination to picture how he changed.
Fans of the series will enjoy picking up on similarities and easter eggs throughout the entire novel, but especially in the exposition. We learn that Haymitch’s beloved Lenore Dove is a member of the same covey as Lucy-Gray Baird, introduced in 2022’s “Ballad of Songbird and Snakes.” Even more shockingly, his best friend Burdock is the man whose death drives many of Katniss’ early actions: the previously unnamed Mr. Everdeen. It is also interesting to see the similarities and differences in the three eras of District 12— there have clearly been many changes in the 40 years since “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” but much is still to come in the 25 years before Katniss’s story.
Once in the capital, it seems like almost the entire “Catching Fire” ensemble makes an appearance at one point or another. Victors Wiress and Mags from Districts 3 and 4, respectively, show up to be the mentors of the kids from 12, because they do not have any living victors to do so for them. Beetee makes a slightly more devastating appearance, a mentor to his own child, Ampert, who Beetee believes was reaped as a punishment for his outsmarting the gamemakers. Most prominently, a young Plutarch Heavensbee plays a pivotal role in Haymitch’s experience of the games. Haymitch and readers are wary, wondering if it is smart to trust him or not. Plutarch’s character is interesting, because he clearly wants to initiate a rebellion and set forth change in Panem, but he is not necessarily hurting from the continuation of the Games–he even benefits from his powerful position, in many ways–so he does not give off the urgent need to overthrow President Snow like other characters do.
There is a catch with “Sunrise on the Reaping” that was not present in “The Hunger Games”: fans of the original trilogy already know Haymitch’s fate, and this retroactive telling of his story makes everything much darker. Readers do not necessarily have the suspense of wondering if he will survive the arena or not, but they do have the knowledge that after making it out, Haymitch is not getting an immediate happy ending. Similarly to Katniss, Haymitch has one major goal his entire time in the Games—get back to his family. This refrain is present throughout Haymitch’s narration, and readers experience this desire with him despite knowing, yes, the dog does die at the end.
Collins is known for weaving social commentary into her dystopian novels—The Capitol quite literally being a metaphor for capitalistic society. Something present throughout “Sunrise on the Reaping” that was not as blatant in the other books was the existence of propaganda, and just how little District citizens actually know about the games.
After his victory, during the replay, Haymitch is shocked at how different the footage aired on television was compared to what he actually experienced in the games. He realizes he cannot trust most of what he thought he knew about prior arenas. This was monumental to add to the story, because for twelve years, since the release of “Catching Fire,” all readers have known about Haymitch’s time in the arena was from the edited and taped footage Katniss and Peeta watched one night. They witnessed his realization that the arena was poisonous, his alliance with and death of Maysilee, and the final kill that crowned him victor. Katniss even mentions that the gamemakers must have been pissed that he used the arena itself as a weapon.
After “Sunrise on the Reaping,” readers realize just how much of a narrative this version of the games was trying to push. Much of Haymitch’s time in the arena wasn’t broadcasted due to his exploration of the arena. Not even the main characters themselves know many of the truths behind Haymitch’s story, and it completely changes how readers view his character. Propaganda is by no means a new concept, especially in American society, but we are in a current era where it is being shoved at citizens liberally, something Collin’s certainly gained inspiration from while writing this story. Seeing real-life issues reflected in familiar fictional settings may spark connections to how the two situations are akin. Social commentary in literature has historically had impacts on consumer’s perspectives about societal issues at hand, and the concept of such is certainly not dying out.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is more than just a backstory to a fan-favorite character. It shows a much more bleak and despairing angle to the control The Capitol has on district citizens, and just how far someone will go in order to achieve their desired narrative.
