Predictions for Sunrise on the Reaping: Why This May be a “Parent” Story We Don’t Expect

With less than a week before the release of Suzanne Collins’ second prequel, I can’t help but provide my own small contribution to the countless predictions and theories that have emerged thus far. Given my re-read of the original series, an interpretation of the chapter 1 excerpt, some earlier Scholastic news, and some basic math, these are my (possibly ill-fated) attempts to decode Collins and see if I end up on the right track with a few things (or not, which will make it all good fun to see how far off base this is). Here we go, for the record. I begin with a more trivial, possibly more obvious prediction, then move onto bigger matters.

• Who is the “most uppity girl in town?” Early media reported that the three District 12 tributes joining Haymitch would consist of “a young friend who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker and the most uppity girl in town.” As many keen fans have done, one can return to the dialogue between Katniss and Peeta in Catching Fire as they watch the highlights of Haymitch’s Games in the 50th Quarter Quell. Katniss tells us that a predecessor to Effie “calls out the name of a girl who’s from the Seam, you can tell by the look of her…” Given our choices, this tribute is not likely the “most uppity,” as she is from one of the most oppressed populations in all of Panem. But how about Maysilee Donner, who is Merchant Class? To recall, we know she is the twin sister to Madge’s mother, who eventually marries Mayor Undersee. Maysilee is therefore Madge’s aunt, to clarify the family tree there. In true Collins fashion, she may have dropped a hint about yet another family connection like those we learned from TBOSAS. In this case, on page 12 of THG (paperback if it matters), Katniss tells us that Madge is “in my year at school. Being the mayor’s daughter, you’d expect her to be a snob, but she’s all right. She just keeps to herself.” It is not unreasonable, then, to have the other female tribute joining Haymitch (i.e. Maysilee) to be considered the “most uppity.” Even if this is only based on perception from their respective D-12 counterparts (for either Madge, Maysilee, or both), this theme runs through both characters here. It will be interesting to learn more about Maysilee’s actual vs. perceived personality in the upcoming book. And circling back to the tribute who is “like a sister” to Haymitch, it’s probably tempting to think this is Maysilee at first, but rather this “sister” figure is more likely the other tribute from the Seam. Haymitch is most likely to know and confide in fellow Seam residents just as Katniss and Gale did. And a final, gut-wrenching prediction here: If Haymitch and the other Seam girl are good friends (like siblings), then Haymitch is likely to experience some Katniss-like devastation when she dies. It would not be surprising to have yet another heart-wrenching death of a younger friend in the arena.
• What’s up with butterflies and ladybugs? Recently a fan posted this promotional image below (apparently from the Sunrise Amazon page) with what seems to be a butterfly and ladybug separated by a solid line. Fans are speculating (quite correctly, I would think) that these have something to do with the temptingly friendly forest friends in the 50th Games that turn out to be all sorts of deadly. However, I discovered this quote upon a re-read of The Hunger Games. On page 78, Katniss and Peeta are trying to cover for Katniss’ recognition of an Avox she once saw trying to escape through the woods. Peeta covers for her by suggesting the Avox looked like Delly Cartwright. Still confused by this comparison, Katniss tells us that “Delly Cartwright is a pasty-faced, lumpy girl with yellowish hair who looks about as much like our server as a beetle does a butterfly. She may also be the friendliest person on the planet…” Upon a quick internet search, it is clear that a ladybug is just one type of beetle (they are called “ladybirds” in Britain). And fans are not clear on which is portrayed here in the image. Is it a coincidence that these specific two insects were chosen here? Katniss uses these very insects in her analogy to indicate a huge difference between Delly and the Avox, just as the solid line here suggests a wide disparity between the butterfly and beetle. If there is indeed a connection here, what a subtle quote to choose from! We’ll see if this leads anywhere.

• Is Sunrise going to feature the backstory to Katniss’ parents? This has been my own unwavering thought since even before Scholastic informed the world that a second prequel was coming. This “middle generation” had not yet been written about by our favorite Panem author, so it made good sense that we still had a lot to learn about Katniss’ parents, how they met, and especially more of the backstory to Katniss’ mysterious father. However, some simple math is leading me down a somewhat altered path with my prediction. Cutting to the chase, Collins might feature Katniss’ mother’s story (and Peeta’s father!) while leaving her father quite out of the picture. If she does virtually ignore Katniss’ father–and I’m going out on a limb here–then I suspect there is a distinct possibility that her father could become a principal character in Collins’ third prequel. On the flip side (of the coin), if Sunrise does somehow feature the backstory of how Katniss’ parents meet, giving more or less equal “air time” to both, then all bets are off about whether another book is coming. But if Katniss’ father goes conveniently “missing” from Sunrise? I think a third book is in the works. Let’s look at why this may be the case:
  • Katniss’ mother is at the reaping. How old is Katniss’ mother during the 50th Games, and what is her relationship with Maysilee? Collins (through Katniss) gives us some reliable information on both counts in Catching Fire when Katniss and Peeta are covertly watching Haymitch’s Games. While watching the video, the narrative reads: “Oh, I say. “She was my mother’s friend.” The camera finds her in the crowd, clinging to two other girls. All blond. All definitely merchants’ kids. [P] “I think that’s your mother hugging her,” says Peeta quietly. And he’s right. As Maysilee Donner bravely disengages herself and heads for the stage, I catch a glimpse of my mother at my age, and no one has exaggerated her beauty (CF Ch 14). We thus learn here that Katniss’ future mother is generally Katniss’ age (so let’s go with 17), and that she was good friends with Maysilee. First, that means that Katniss’ mother has to appear prominently during the 50th reaping, as she is right there to console Maysilee, as is Maysilee’s twin. They are all there, standing together. For this reason alone, it would be reasonable to infer that Sunrise will at least feature some backstory of Katniss’ mother, along with more of the history of the mockingjay pin(!), her relationship with Maysilee and her twin, and perhaps even how Maysilee’s sister meets the future Mayor Undersee. (I would not be surprised to see the future mayor showing up in Sunrise, though probably “coded” by Collins to make us all figure it out.)
  • Is it too early for Katniss’ father? Let’s look at some math (hooray), to explain why I am revising my earlier prediction that both of Katniss’ parents might be featured in Sunrise. We know that Katniss’ mother is around 17 during the 50th Games. Working backwards, this means she was born around the 33^rd Games. And working ahead, Katniss was born around the 58^th Games (17 years prior to the 75th Games). This means her Mom was 25 when she had Katniss. That’s about right for this “middle generation” as I call it — the time of Katniss’ parents, in between TBOSAS and THG. But this also means that there are still eight years between the time of the 50th Reaping (mother is 17) and the time she has Katniss (mother is 25). It’s very possible that Katniss’ mother has not even met her future husband yet. For starters, Katniss tells us (THG, p.8) that her “mother’s parents were part of the small merchant class…” They also “ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12… My father got to know my mother because on his hunts he would sometimes collect medicinal herbs and sell them to her shop to be brewed into remedies.” It makes sense, therefore, that Katniss’ mother has probably(?) not yet run into her future father, who is from the Seam. And we also know that both Katniss’ and Gales’ fathers died in the same mine explosion, and that they were both expert hunters before teaching their own kids how to survive in the woods. Is this potentially amazing backstory likely to show up in Sunrise as well? I am betting not. But who might show up during the 50th Games instead? How about Peeta’s father?
  • The Underdog: Peeta’s father as major character? All of the above leads me to believe that the time is too early for Katniss’ father here. But there is a good amount of information about Peeta’s father scattered throughout the original series, especially within The Hunger Games. The big surprise to both Katniss and Peeta alike is that Peeta’s dad showed up to say goodbye to Katniss (and to give her some cookies) just before she is whisked away to the Capitol. This ends up being news to Peeta as well, though while watching Haymitch’s Games in Catching Fire, Peeta says that “My dad mentioned it once,” referring to the apparent fact that Maysilee had a twin sister (Madge’s mother). We also learn later that Peeta’s dad seemed to hold romantic feelings for Katniss’ future mother. And that may be an understatement. During the famous “cave scene” in the first book, Peeta tells Katniss that when they were five years old, “My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up… He said, ‘See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner'” (THG 300). Peeta’s father was therefore in some version of “love” with Katniss’ mother, just as Peeta falls in love with Katniss. This backstory probably explains why Peeta’s dad stayed in touch with Katniss and Prim and offered to take care of the “little girl” during Katniss’ last visit with him. He is still watching over the family from the background, while still perhaps regretting that a young man from the Seam had swept Katniss’ mother off her feet with his wonderful singing. In any case, Peeta’s dad has been involved somehow with Katniss’ mother and her orbit of friends since at least the 50th Games. Does it not make sense that Sunrise might feature Peeta’s dad more so than the future Mr. Everdeen?
• A possible catch to all of this: This notion that Sunrise might feature Maysilee’s social orbit including Katniss’ mother has one potentially serious drawback. That is, the story is told in Haymitch’s first-person perspective, just as the original series was told through Katniss. Is he likely to know much about the teenage social networks of the merchant class? Of the most “uppity girl” in town? Not likely, until the tributes suffer through Reaping Day. Anything he learns or knows about Maysilee’s circle will likely need to come from dialogue with Maysilee herself — which is entirely possible. But still, it’s also possible that we learn more of Haymitch’s life and community network within the Seam because, well, he is Seam. And certain individuals within that network of his could indeed include Katniss’ future father. Either way, soon we will know!