The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will set the stage for the saddest parallel between Haymitch and Katniss, more than two decades before the latter's story begins. Haymitch's upcoming prequel will take viewers back to the 50th Hunger Games competition, giving readers insight into what the titular tournament looked like between Lucy Gray's and Katniss Everdeen's time in the arena. Sunrise on the Reaping will dig deeper into Haymitch's backstory outlined in Catching Fire, making him a far more tragic character in the process.
Given their similarities throughout the original Hunger Games books, perhaps it's no surprise that Haymitch's story is already drawing parallels to Katniss' narrative. From the younger sibling he'll eventually lose to his insistence that the Capitol won't "use [his] tears for their entertainment," Haymitch is shaping up to be a lot more like Katniss than Lucy Gray in The Songbird of Ballads and Snakes. And when Sunrise on the Reaping releases, it will remind readers of the saddest parallel between their characters — one made more devastating by Katniss' ending.
Haymitch's Sunrise On The Reaping Story Will Show Us Why He Never Starts A Family
He Fears Getting Close To Anyone After The Capitol's Revenge
Sunrise on the Reaping will follow Haymitch into the arena, but it will likely show what happens to him afterward as well. We know from the original series that Haymitch loses his family and love interest after winning the Games, with the Capitol killing them in response to his stunt with the forcefield. Seeing this unfold through his eyes in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel will be far more harrowing than hearing about it from Katniss' perspective. And it will drive home why Haymitch becomes a recluse into his adulthood.
Despite living well beyond the second Quarter Quell, Haymitch never starts his own family after his Games; in fact, he hardly interacts meaningfully with anyone in District 12 until he becomes Katniss and Peeta's mentor. It's easy to understand his reasons for never getting close to anyone else, as they're the same reasons Haymitch clutches a knife in his sleep and turns to alcohol to cope. He fears the Capitol will take away anyone he allows himself to love, so he isolates himself instead. This mentality isn't all that different to Katniss' in the first three books.
Haymitch & Katniss Both Reject Romance And Kids While The Capitol Is In Power
This Is Yet Another Parallel The Hunger Games Draws
Although Katniss has a bigger support system than Haymitch in The Hunger Games — Prim, Gale, and eventually Peeta are all as close as family — her perspective about falling in love and having kids initially mirrors Haymitch's. Katniss can't bring herself to reciprocate Gale's or Peeta's feelings early on because all she can think about is survival. She also doesn't consider the possibility of having children, as she knows they could be called for the Games and fall prey to the Capitol. She's unwilling to take that risk.
Like Haymitch, Katniss doesn't want the Capitol to have anything more to use against her. It's yet another way the two District 12 tributes are similar, adding to a long list of Katniss and Haymitch parallels. Their attitudes towards the Capitol are the same, something emphasized in Sunrise on the Reaping's recent excerpt. And Haymitch's story will even repeat the Everdeen family's saddest tragedy, adding fuel to both his and Katniss' reasons for not wanting to start a family.
Of course, Katniss changes her tune on this decision at the end of Mockingjay, while Haymitch remains in the same circumstances when the books come to a close. This makes the parallel between these characters sadder, and Sunrise on the Reaping will lay the groundwork for their choices and the tragic way their fates contrast with one another.
Katniss' Hunger Games Ending Contrasts Haymitch's In The Saddest Way
Haymitch Is A Reminder Of The Tributes The Rebellion Was Too Late To Help
Katniss and Haymitch's perspectives on starting a family under the Capitol's rule form a great parallel, but the difference in their endings also makes it the saddest way their Hunger Games stories interact. While both characters do the same things for the same reasons, Katniss is able to move past her trauma and embrace closeness again after the Capitol is defeated. Katniss having a child in Mockingjay — and her final sentiment that "there are much worse games to play" — is meant to show that she feels safe enough to start a family now.
By contrast, Haymitch continues to live his life as he has been, moving back to District 12 with Katniss and Peeta and seemingly resuming his usual habits. While fictional characters don't need a nuclear family to be happy, Haymitch's desire to pull back to District 12 and remain alone does seem to be an extension of his trauma. Haymitch has been living this way for so long that it's not completely surprising he's less capable of moving past his experience than Katniss. But Katniss shows what he and other tributes could have had if the Capitol had fallen earlier.
And in that sense, Haymitch represents all the tributes that the rebellion was too late to help. Although Mockingjay's conclusion offers hope for the survivors and future generations, it does have a layer of grief for all the lives already destroyed by the Capitol. Sunrise on the Reaping will dig into one of those tributes' backstories, potentially breaking the trend of Hunger Games books having hopeful endings.
Mockingjay Doesn't Offer Much Hope For Haymitch's Future After The Trilogy
It's A Realistic Addition To The Hunger Games' Ending
Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore
While it's possible that Haymitch does heal and form closer connections after Mockingjay — even if it's just with Katniss, Peeta, and their child — the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy doesn't offer the most hopeful ending for him. However, considering how many years Haymitch lived in fear of the Capitol, it does feel like a realistic direction for his character. Katniss and Peeta are still young enough to start over in Mockingjay, and before long, they'll spend just as much time free of the oppressive regime as they spent living under it.
Haymitch, on the other hand, has been making choices defined by the Capitol and its existence for the majority of his life. Even if he does start over eventually, it will be far more difficult for him to break old habits and adopt a more optimistic view. And it's good that The Hunger Games acknowledges this, as dystopian stories need to be believable in their optimism. Sunrise on the Reaping will set the stage for Haymitch's ending, too, ensuring that readers understand exactly why he makes the choices he does — and continues to even after the Capitol's defeat.
