When I finally had the time to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2020 (over three years ago!), I absolutely devoured it — I basically read the whole thing in a day. With the prequel fresh in my mind, I reverted back to my seventh grade self who had read the original trilogy for the first time (which was over 10 years ago now…crazy) and knew I absolutely needed to re-read the original trilogy. (I actually re-read The Hunger Games, then watched the movie, then re-read Catching Fire, then watched that movie, then read the first half of Mockingjay…you get the picture.)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film adaptation releases in theaters on November 17 — tickets are on sale now! (You can even watch the film in 4D at some theaters!)
Note: In case it wasn’t obvious, this post contains major spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, as well as the original trilogy!
Without further ado, these are all of the connections I picked up on between the original trilogy and the prequel! If there’s any I’m missing, please let me know in the comments!
The Hunger Games
pg. 4 – Katniss and her family live in the Covey house, right by the Meadow
pg. 5 – Reference to venemous snakes (there are various references to snakes and Snow throughout the trilogy)
pg. 19 – Indirect reference to Lucy Gray, when Katniss says that the mayor reads off the names of past District 12 victors — in seventy four years, they’ve only had two, and only one District 12 victor (Haymitch) is still alive
pg. 43 – Katniss saying that her dad was a great singer, and that the mockingjays stopped to listen when he sang; this is referenced throughout the series, both by Katniss and by Peeta; Peeta also says that the mockingjays stopped singing when Katniss sang, too
pg. 234 – Katniss singing ‘Deep in the Meadow’ to Rue with her [Rue’s] head in her lap directly parallels Maude and Lucy Gray by the lake
pg. 235 – The mockingjays picking up the song would be a slap in the face to Snow, since he wouldn’t want to think of Lucy Gray, the Covey, or the mockingjays
pg. 237 – Katniss covering up Rue with the wildflowers might be similar to Reaper covering up the bodies of the dead tributes with the Panem flag, and creating the morgue during the tenth Hunger Games. At least then, there was a lot of emphasis placed on the tributes being savage, or lacking humanity; there’s a lot of ‘othering’ of the district children versus the Capitol children, and Katniss and Reaper’s actions directly contradict those claims.
Catching Fire
pg. 6 – Confirms that the Everdeen family’s ‘old’ (pre Victor Village) home is backed up to the Meadow
pg. 21 – Snow says that the entire system collapses if the Capitol releases their hold, which is directly related to the views he developed throughout The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes about control
pg. 33-34 – Mentions the lake in the woods where Lucy Gray and the Covey took Snow and Sejanus (where Mr. Everdeen had taken Katniss as a child)
pg. 39 – Katniss says that her singing is a talent, but she wouldn’t do it for the Capitol, whereas Lucy Gray invented the entertainment aspect of the Games by singing for the Capitol
pg. 93 – The house by the lake is mentioned, which is where Lucy Gray and Snow ran away to
Mockingjay
pg. 5 – Carpeting of writhing snakes can be connected to Dr. Gaul’s muttation venemous snakes
Mockingjay features a few more scenes at the lake, and the house by the lake: Bonnie and Twill, Gale bring the District 12 survivors there, etc.
pg. 123 – Katniss sings The Hanging Tree at the lake, where she’s filmed by her team for a propo. This is connected to Lucy Gray singing a verse of the song when she’s trying to escape from Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in the woods by the lake. In the film adaptation, Katniss singing the song is used in a propo that’s transmitted on Capitol TV, where Snow would have heard it.
pg. 124 – The mockingjays are described as falling silent when Katniss sings.
Other connections/observations:
Since Lucy Gray invented the entertainment aspect of the games, the Games that we see in the trilogy are a direct result of her actions. The district tokens are likely a result of the rose case that Snow gave to Lucy Gray to take with her in the Games. Although not explicitly stated in either book, the ‘celebrity’ status that victors get once they win the games, especially being given a house in the victor village, could be, in part, to dissuade victors from disappearing after they win their games like Lucy Gray did. By making them be in the celebrity spotlight every year, they have to stick around.
There have been some speculations that Lucy Gray is Greasy Sae in the trilogy, but considering Greasy Sae makes it to District 13, I think she would have become a bigger part of the story if she was Lucy Gray. (Granted, the timeline between when Suzanne Collins wrote the original trilogy and the prequel is unclear, so anything’s possible.) On page 16, it’s explained that Prim has a goat named Lady, and the Covey had a goat. However, on page 279, it’s explained that Katniss bought Lady at the Hob.
Another reason that Snow had it out so much for Katniss could be because her and Peeta remind him of himself and Lucy Gray, as well as Lucy Gray and Jessup. He fell in love with Lucy Gray, when she was a tribute from District 12. Lucy Gray also said that the District 12 tributes would go down together, which is what Katniss and Peeta are saying when they start to take the nightlock at the end of their Hunger Games. Katniss’s name itself can be connected back to his experience in the prequel as well.
Aside from Snow, the only other character that appears in both the prequel and original trilogy is Tigris.
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Other Posts About The Hunger Games Series:
“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” – REVIEW
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“The Hunger Games” Prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is Headed to the Big Screen
The Official Poster for the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie has been revealed!
Connections Between “The Hunger Games” Trilogy” and “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
Book vs. Movie: The Hunger Games – coming soon
Book vs. Movie: Catching Fire – coming soon
Book vs. Movie: Mockingjay – coming soon
buried in a bookshelf 