A Breakdown of the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

 by Lissiana Jakaj

Last Friday, ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ came out to theatres sending us all back into the dystopian world of Panem. Set 64 years before Katniss’ reaping, this film reveals the story of how the young and ambitious Coriolanus Snow grew into the callous President Snow of Panem. It also follows the charismatic Lucy Gray Baird who becomes a spectacle for the Hunger Games and is soon endeared by the Capitol. 

We are introduced to Lucy Gray Baird at the reaping, wearing a colourful tulle dress which is striking among all the shapelessness of District 12 and we soon realise that she is a stark contrast to Katniss. Lucy Gray struts onto the stage and puts on a performance. She breaks into song and instantly pulls the attention of all those watching around Panem onto her, especially Coriolanus Snow. It is clear that Lucy gray is not afraid of her fate, she sarcastically bows and refers to the peacekeepers as ‘boys’ demonstrating that she is in control and refuses to be seen as weak. During the games, we see her still wearing her mothers dress, signifying she is holding onto her identity in the face of dehumanisation.

Coriolanus Snow is first portrayed as a determined young man, quite far from the President Snow we are all familiar with. He has a sweet sibling-like relationship with his cousin Tigris and promises to make sure his family will be well cared for. After the reaping, he becomes quite intrigued with Lucy Gray and starts to care for her, he brings her food and realises that the only way for her to survive is if she puts on her best performance for the people of Panem. However, throughout the games his ambition becomes more evident as he is willing to go to whatever ends to ensure her survival. When Coriolanus is forced to enter the arena to retrieve his friend Sejanus, he murders one of the tributes and later refers to the moment as “powerful” revealing the first crack in his poised demeanour. In the tense moments of the games, Coriolanus harnesses his power as a mentor as he uses the poorly-controlled drones to give Lucy water whilst simultaneously knocking out some of the tributes which have surrounded her. He also manipulates the head gamemaker in order to get Lucy Gray out of the arena.

When Coriolanus reunites with Lucy Gray in District 12, he finds her singing a song with the lyrics “Are you coming to the tree/ Where they strung up a man they say murdered Three?’. This song foreshadows how later in the film Coriolanus admits to murdering three people and also shows how personal this song is to Snow when Katniss sings this song 65 years later during the rebellion. During his time in Distinct 12, Coriolanus’ feelings towards Lucy Gray grow and with that his desire to be seen by others. He is also joined by his friend Sejanus, the complete antithesis of Coriniolanus as he possesses a guilty conscience and volunteered to go to District 12 whereas Coriolanus was forced to go as punishment for cheating during the games. Coriolanus starts to become more ambitious than ever, getting rid of those who stand in his way, even if it means sending Sejanus to the hanging tree. Although he deeply regrets his actions that led to Sejanus’ death, Corionalus promptly composes himself and continues his role as a peacekeeper. When Coriolanus shoots the mayor's daughter he orders Lucy Gray to go back onto the stage and sing as though nothing has happened. Lucy anxiously runs back to the stage and carries on singing which contrasts the earlier scene where she tells Coriolanus that no one tells her to sing, she only sings when she has something to say, signifying how Coriolanus has started to gain power over Lucy. When they both flee District 12, Lucy Gray becomes increasingly suspicious of Coriolanus especially when he lies to her about killing Sejanus and when Coriolanus holds the guns, Lucy is able to see the greed on his face and decides she needs to break free from Coriolanus. Coriolanus hunts Lucy Gray and grows frustrated as he is unable to catch the one thing he cannot control.

There are many references to the 74th Hunger Games throughout the film, for example the lake that Lucy Gray and Coriolanus spend time together, is the same lake where Katniss learnt to swim as a child, and the cabin also belongs to her father. Lucy Gray shows Coriolanus a Katniss root and tells him that it's too early for Katniss, foreshadowing the coming of Katniss Everdeen. Also, during the games, there is a frame showing an archery set which has not been seized by the tributes, which is allusion to Katniss’ skill that later becomes her hallmark. The destruction of the arena perhaps gave the inspiration for the cornucopias that we see in the later games and perhaps is a catalyst for the more inventive arenas in the following games. 

The motif of Snow is used throughout the film, starting when Coriolanus mutters ‘snow falls on top’, here he is talking about winning the Plinth prize so he is able to move his family to a better place. However, when Snow returns to the Capitol, snow is falling over the City suggesting that Snow has succeeded and perhaps foreshadows his rule over Panem for the coming years. 

The ending to the story is up to interpretation. Perhaps Lucy Gray Baird died or maybe she survived. Regardless, Snow is left wondering and although he tries to erase her story, he cannot contain her memory. He cannot contain her influence.