“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, ‘Lenore?’ This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, ‘Lenore!’ Merely this and nothing more.” – Suzanne Collins, “Sunrise on the Reaping.”
The newest Hunger Games novel, “Sunrise on the Reaping” came out on March 18. With the fairly recent publication of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” about two years ago, many Hunger Games fans were thrilled with another new release.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” takes place during the 50th Hunger games, which is also a Quarter Quell (These happen every 25 years, and come with unusual twists on the Games. For example, this Quarter Quell’s surprise was there were double the number of tributes reaped.) The story focuses on a very prominent character from the original trilogy: Haymitch Abernathy. The young, 16-year-old Haymitch must leave his friends, family, and one true love, Lenore Dove, to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. His games were brutal and heartbreaking, with unexpected twists through the turn of each page.
The newest book was indeed the missing piece needed to fully comprehend the rest of the books, and to understand why Haymitch is the way he is now. It was exciting for readers to recognize the parallels and to connect the dots throughout Hunger Games history.
The writing was exceptional, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. There were gutting, tear jerking moments, and the gruesome nature of Haymitch’s games made it much more emotional. It truly was a tragic story, but crucial to understanding the Hunger Games lore.
But it is known that Collins only writes when she has something to say, a message to share. And she did an exceptional job at addressing real world problems in her fictional, dystopian universe. LSE theatre director and English teacher, Kathryn Frankforter, addresses some parallels she noticed while she read the book.
“The development of President Snow from his text to this one is shining a light on how corruption continues to grow exponentially. The moment that someone in power gains more power, whatever their life was before, is gone, in a sense,” Frankforter said. “And we see this sometimes with those who are in power change over a long period of time. [They] become more and more invested in their own wishes, become more invested in money and gaining more and more power, rather than the people that they are supposed to lead. So it’s like that lack of empathy, [that] matches some figures that have invested in our world.”
Collins touches on censorship as well, which is bluntly stated throughout the book.
“The other thing that they really played on was the media and sensationalization of the games. Putting what they want on camera, capturing families grieving in staged ways in order to make the best television show possible, which is, it directly harkens to how media operates inherently,”
Frankforter said. “Much like in Haymitch’s games, [it] was sensationalized by the media around him and he was portrayed in a different light and edited together in these television packages that were not true to reality and how that really, it dug into his own brain in a way I think that affected his character later on. The sensationalization of figures, news events, [and] current events in media is another parallel to our world.”
Collins also shows readers how susceptible we are to Capitol propaganda. We as readers believe we know everything there is to know about the games. But that isn’t true. In the original trilogy, readers see the games through the eyes of Katniss Everdeen, who isn’t a reliable narrator. She and Peeta are also victims of Capitol propaganda, as they believed they knew everything about Haymitch’s games after watching them. In “Sunrise on the Reaping,” it is revealed that his games, and his reaping, did not go in the way that they’d seen, or that fans had read, at all.
Collins frequently borrows lines from Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “The Raven.” In the book, Haymitch’s love interest is named Lenore Dove. She was a part of the Covey, who were musicians by trade, known for their love of travel, music, and bright colors. They were forced to stay in District 12 following the first rebellion. Each member of the Covey was named after a ballad, and Lenore Dove was named from “The Raven.” The poem symbolizes the narrator’s lost love and grief he experiences after the death of Lenore.
Overall, Collins did a phenomenal job with “Sunrise on the Reaping.” The book was absolutely gut-wrenching, but also absolutely essential to understanding the characters and the Games.
“And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming. And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted — nevermore!” – Suzanne Collins, “Sunrise on the Reaping.”
