Any good prequel shifts the events of the central story, and this is especially true for Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. This story follows Haymitch Abernathy through his games, and it’s just as devastating as we thought it would be. Though the central Hunger Games books outlined Haymitch’s story in relative detail, Sunrise on the Reaping added nuanced context that completely shifts our understanding.
An intriguing example of this comes from the epilogues in the books of both Mockingjay and Sunrise on the Reaping. The ending of Katniss’ story jumps to the future, detailing what her life looks like in the rebuilt District 12 with Peeta and Haymitch. Katniss explains that Haymitch never stopped drinking, but that he found joy in raising a flock of geese.
It was a heartwarming, if somewhat random, conclusion to Haymitch’s Hunger Games story, but Sunrise on the Reaping revealed a deeper meaning to this character’s hobby.
Haymitch’s Geese In The Hunger Games Epilogue Weren’t So Random Afterall
Early in Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch reveals that his love, Lanore Dove, is very attached to her flock of geese. He mentions that she was the first thing the birds saw when they hatched, so they were just as attached to her. In the epilogue of Haymitch’s story, he explains that Katniss brought him goose eggs after he finally opened up about Lanore Dove. They were gifts, and when they hatched, Haymitch was the first thing they saw.
This detail in Sunrise on the Reapingretroactively and heartbreakingly explained why geese were the things Haymitch took a liking to after the events of The Hunger Games. Caring for them in the meadow, which had become a mass grave, was a way for Haymitch to connect with his lost loved ones, especially Lanore Dove. They became a symbol of healing and connection, as well as a way of bringing Haymitch’s story full circle, but that’s only the beginning.
The Real Meaning Of Lanore Dove’s Geese In Sunrise On The Reaping
Birds have profound meaning in Collins’ Hunger Games stories. Of course, the most overt symbolism revolves around Mockingjays and the revolution. These birds evolved against the will of the Capitol, so they became a symbol of hope for the Districts. Mockingjays also represent the power of song. Music is a luxury Katniss thought she didn’t have time for, but it was ultimately revealed to be in her blood and another tool for revolution.
We see other birds, such as the canaries that stop singing and die in the mines, referenced in The Hunger Games as well. Then, finally, there are Lanore Dove’s geese. These birds are loyal protectors and thrive in flocks, and we can easily find meaning in these details alone. However, it’s Lanore Dove’s poem, The Goose and the Common, that provides a window into the geese’s true meaning.
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
But leaves the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from the goose.
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine.
The poor and wretched don’t escape
If they conspire the law to break;
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law.
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back
This 18th-century poem describes a government that steals resources from the people while punishing citizens for seeking the resources they need to survive. It’s highly applicable to The Hunger Games, where foraging is outlawed and reliance on the Capitol is mandatory.
Lanore Dove and her geese in Sunrise on the Reaping represent all that the Capitol can take away. At the story’s end, President Snow murdered Lanore Dove in her meadow—he took the goose and the common. The epilogues of Mockingjay and Sunrise on the Reapingused Haymitch’s geese to show that, just as Lanore Dove’s song demanded, he had stolen them back.
