Sunrise on the Reaping

At the start of Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch is resigned to the inevitability of the Hunger Games. After he is reaped, however, he begins to wonder why he is so predisposed toward accepting the status quo that rebellion feels impossible. Though he attributes this to his own cowardice, Sunrise on the Reaping examines the complex systems of physical and psychological control that governments use to keep their citizens complacent and submissive.

The Capitol’s most obvious method of control is the threat of violence. The Hunger Games themselves are a public display of brutal violence, with children forced to fight to the death in retaliation for a war that ended 50 years ago. Their deaths, often gory and agonizing, are broadcast throughout Panem, sending a clear message: This is what happens when you disobey. Though the Hunger Games largely succeed at preventing a second war, they also sow resentment and the seeds of rebellion in the Districts, as they witness the brutal slaughter of their own year after year. When Haymitch enters the Games, Snow directly threatens to have his loved ones killed unless he stops making trouble for the Capitol.

The Capitol uses multiple insidious methods of manipulation. One of these is rampant censorship. Songs, poems, and other texts with seditious undertones, such as The Goose and the Common, are banned throughout Panem. Another method is constant surveillance. From the Peacekeepers stationed in each District to the cameras in the tribute apartments, surveillance remains a key control tactic. Tributes are forced to limit their actions and topics of discussion to avoid retribution from the Capitol. Wiress notes that some cameras may not even be real, but for the tributes, even the illusion of constant surveillance encourages compliance at all times.

The Capitol’s final method of control is division. Snow and his allies are keenly aware that a united community of people is much harder to oppress than a divided one. As a result, they work to create conflict between the districts by pitting them against one another in the Hunger Games and showing favoritism to the “Career” districts of 1, 2, and 4. Though the Districts are ultimately all oppressed and exploited, the Capitol prevents them from banding together by sowing animosity.

The efficacy of these tactics is evinced at several points throughout the novel. Early on, there is a brief moment where the tributes find themselves armed and vastly outnumbering the Peacekeepers. Rather than attacking, they peacefully return their weapons when asked. Afterward, Haymitch laments his own cowardice, unable to see how the Capitol government works tirelessly to create this kind of implicit submission.

After entering the arena, Haymitch begins to break out of his submission by acting in defiance of the Capitol, despite knowing that he will face dire punishment. Witnessing his friends being tortured and killed by Gamemakers pushes him to fight back. Having realized that a future without the Hunger Games is not only possible but morally necessary, Haymitch puts his own life and the lives of his loved ones on the line by blowing up the reservoir.

After the Games, Snow once again uses violence as a control tactic by having Haymitch’s loved ones killed. He succeeds in driving Haymitch into isolation and alcohol dependency, hoping to neutralize his usefulness to the rebels. Nevertheless, he cannot stop the tide of resistance from continuing to rise. Haymitch’s arc reveals that even within the most oppressive systems, each individual act of defiance matters. The Capitol’s tactics may prop Panem up through implicit submission—but ultimately, the many win out over the few.