Is There Actually Redemption in Dawn on the Reaping? 

Spoiler Alert: This text incorporates heavy spoilers for Dawn on the Reaping.

A number of months in the past, I had the glory of being the one male at a gathering of an all-woman’s guide membership named The Girls of Loudoun Poets Society, which welcomes males to affix discussions upon invitation.¹ This assembly targeted on Suzanne Collins’ Dawn on the Reaping. We liked the novel’s participating narrative and wonderful characters, and we loved discussing its connections to different books within the sequence. 

Throughout our speak, I proposed that the novel is considered one of redemption. To my shock, I gave the impression to be the one “Girl” who felt this manner because the others, to my understanding, believed the novel has an excessive amount of loss of life to be redemptive. I discovered it attention-grabbing that loss of life was seemingly the mark of a non-redemptive story on this occasion—particularly when our supply of redemption as Christians hinges on the loss of life and resurrection of Christ.²

However I took the Girls’ problem significantly. After the session, I mentioned my perspective with different pals³ and ultimately reread the novel. I additionally thought of the precise kind of redemption I used to be noticing: Merriam-Webster offers a number of definitions of “redeem,” the second and fourth being most related: “to launch from blame or debt” (clear), and “restore, restore.” I discovered that by the novel’s finish, fact is restored and Haymitch is launched from blame, however as each the Girls and I might agree, many errors are made—and far loss of life happens—beforehand.

The Capitol’s management manifests itself within the first web page of Dawn. Sixteen-year-old Haymitch, whose birthday falls on reaping day, is proven dwelling a life managed by the Capitol. His shorts are marked with the phrases “COURTESY OF THE CAPITOL… stamped throughout [his] butt.” A critique of the Capitol in addition to an emblem of its dominance: “Sometime these shorts will likely be torn into strips and woven right into a rug.” The Capitol is interwoven into the material of Haymitch’s life. And Collins hints on the Capitol’s energy and manipulation of fact in one of many 4 epigraphs that precede the narrative—a quote from George Orwell stating, “All propaganda is lies, even when one is telling the reality. I don’t assume this issues as long as one is aware of what one is doing, and why”—prompting readers to think about the fairly Orwellian, Large-Brother-like dominance of the Capitol.

There may be, nevertheless, the Meadow the place Haymitch spends time together with his love Lenore Dove, hidden from the attention of the Capitol (and harking back to Nineteen Eighty-4 when Winston and Julia meet privately in a wooded space in rise up in opposition to Large Brother). Right here, Lenore Dove presents Haymitch with the flint striker and questions his perception that the reaping will all the time exist. Lenore Dove’s spirit, impressed by Covey tradition, is considered one of resistance—a spirit Haymitch carries with him when he protects her as she helps a mom cease the Peacekeepers from taking her son’s decapitated physique away, when he remembers his pa’s phrases to not “allow them to paint their posters with [her] blood,”  and when he’s carried away by prepare, banging the window as he’s torn from his family members. Like Lenore Dove, Haymitch is rebellious.

This rebellious spirit manifests itself once more in the course of the Video games’ opening ceremony. To “paint [his] personal poster” and stop the Capitol from protecting up Louella McCoy’s loss of life because of chariot crash, Haymitch brings Louella’s physique to the entrance of Snow’s mansion, the place Snow stands watching. Haymitch units her down, making certain that Snow can see her, and gestures to him, applauding, “giving credit score the place credit score is due.” An act of resistance within the spirit of Lenore Dove.

This act, nevertheless, makes Haymitch Snow’s goal. When Haymitch is later referred to as to Plutarch’s mansion to fulfill with Snow, Snow reveals his information of Covey tradition and ensures Haymitch that his actions in the course of the Video games will decide what his family members again dwelling witness and the way his loss of life performs out. Snow then shares with Haymitch his household’s motto, “Snow lands on high,” earlier than handing off Lou Lou (an imposter Louella) to Haymitch as “a belated birthday present.”  Snow’s (and the Capitol’s) seemingly absolute energy is what Haymitch spends the remainder of the novel trying to withstand—with success, failure, and loss of life all alongside the best way. 

Throughout his preparation for the Video games, Haymitch has a number of successes. He contributes to forming the Newcomers alliance. He wins over the crowds throughout his pre-Video games interview with Caesar Flickerman. He discovers that Plutarch’s a insurgent, who encourages Haymitch to comply with by together with his and Beetee’s plan to destroy the sector’s water tank. Haymitch additionally makes guarantees: he guarantees Beetee that he won’t let Ampert endure in the course of the Video games; he guarantees Wellie that he won’t hurt any of the Newcomers. However, these are guarantees that show troublesome for Haymitch to maintain. 

Throughout the Video games, Haymitch succeeds in destroying the sector’s water tank with Ampert’s help, however in doing so, Ampert is devoured by squirrel-like mutts, leaving solely his bones. Haymitch lets Ampert endure. Finally, Haymitch meets up with Maysilee Donner, and after combating off an enormous porcupine-like mutt, they discover themselves in a mattress of katniss, the place they pinkie promise to “paint [their] personal posters” in resistance towards the Capitol. However quickly after they uncover the sector’s generator, Maysilee is killed by geese-like mutts. One other Newcomer killed, one other horrible loss of life because of Haymitch’s defiance. 

Haymitch then meets up with Wellie, who’s hiding, scared—insisting that he not depart her once more. However, as he goes off to search out firewood (and after receiving a pitcher of milk as a present from Snow, “COURTESY OF THE CAPITOL,” which lets Haymitch know that he’s watching), Silka finds and kills Wellie. Haymitch thus broke his promise to Wellie. However, as a closing type of resistance, Haymitch leads Silka to the generator on the enviornment’s edge, and after impaling her head with an ax, Haymitch ignites an explosive and throws it on the generator, creating “[a] blast [that] rocks the world.”  Haymitch succeeds in resisting the Capitol, however in doing so, breaks a number of guarantees—and lots of die consequently. From right here, Haymitch reckons together with his post-Video games penalties.

The Capitol’s energy and ever-present manipulation of fact reduces Haymitch to a egocentric “jackass” whereas he watches his actions (out of context) in the course of the post-Video games recap: “the viewers… has embraced this [edited] model, cheering and jeering on cue. Their lack of discernment transforms the recap, validating it as fact.” Haymitch’s solely hope is that “the districts can nonetheless see it because the piece of propaganda it’s.” Afterwards, as Snow crowns Haymitch victor, he says, “Take pleasure in your homecoming,” with a smile. And it’s Haymitch’s homecoming that serves as his final type of punishment: a homecoming the place his ma and brother Sid are burned alive and Lenore Dove is poisoned with gumdrops as blood-red because the rose on Snow’s lapel. Thus begins Haymitch’s downward spiral.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” serves as an emblem for a number of characters and concepts, together with Snow’s/the Capitol’s dominance, and within the closing chapter, Haymitch explains that the raven calls to thoughts Snow’s capacity to hurt all people who Haymitch loves, main him to drive away his family members to guard them from hurt. Regardless of his greatest efforts, Haymitch finds that he’s unable to flee Snow’s grasp and the Capitol’s lies. The poem’s reference to “nepenthe” represents Haymitch’s descent into habit and alcoholism. And upon discovering the grave of his “misplaced Lenore,” Haymitch “inform[s] her every little thing and beg[s] her to return… to forgive [him] for all of the methods during which [he] has failed,” admitting that, finally, he has not succeeded in rebelling in opposition to the Capitol. What retains him going is a “signal” from Lenore Dove that he later discovers: her personal spray-painted message “NO CAPITOL, NO HANGING TREE!” He says that is “[h]er reminder that [he] should stop one other dawn on the reaping”—this being the final promise he made to her as she breathed her dying breath. Regardless of his damaged guarantees in the course of the video games, he nonetheless has one left to maintain.

Plutarch, in the course of the Victory Tour, encourages Haymitch to proceed combating. However, terrorized by the raven above his chamber door, Haymitch refuses to consider he’s succesful: “I’m dwelling proof that the Capitol all the time wins… I attempted to alter issues, and now all people’s useless.” Plutarch explains that Haymitch’s capacity to think about a special future is essential to creating change—even when that change happens years into the longer term. Haymitch—oppressed by Snow’s “Nevermore”—stays skeptical of Plutarch and later calls him out for contributing to the Capitol’s propaganda with “the previous Heavensbee spin.” And so, after the ultimate strains of “The Raven” are learn, Haymitch states that he’s “endlessly trapped in [his] chamber” in Victor’s Village, doomed to see “[a]nother dawn on the reaping” repeatedly with every new set of tributes he should mentor, ending the identical approach all of it started: “Glad birthday, Haymitch!” A unending cycle of habit, guilt, loss of life, and Capitol management. 

With an ending like this, there may be no redemption. Nevertheless, that is neither the top of the novel nor the top of the story. The novel’s epilogue illustrates its redemptive qualities. In contrast to the raven in Poe’s poem, Snow doesn’t keep perched above Haymitch’s chamber door; the Capitol’s propaganda and lies are quickly uncovered, and the vicious cycle of oppression is damaged. As one of many Girls stated throughout our assembly, “I don’t need to give Snow that a lot energy.” The epilogue reveals that he not has any energy, opening with the next: “When Lenore Dove involves me now, she’s not indignant or dying, so I believe she’s forgiven me.” Right here, Haymitch reveals he has been forgiven and launched from blame. 

Nevertheless, this isn’t simply Haymitch’s private redemption story (which Haymitch himself would despise), however considered one of all folks in Panem (dwelling and useless). Snow and the Capitol’s lies are uncovered, and fact is repaired, restored, and redeemed by Haymitch’s contribution to the “memorial guide”: “household, tributes, pals, comrades in arms, all people, even my love. I lastly instructed our story.” The poster is lastly made—fact lastly redeemed. Haymitch and Lenore Dove’s relationship is restored, as he by no means actually gave up: “I fulfilled my promise in regards to the reaping, or no less than lent a hand, however she [Lenore Dove] says I can’t come to her but. I’ve to take care of my household.” 

And Haymitch lastly discovers that the Capitol didn’t have as a lot energy because it appeared: “The Capitol can by no means take Lenore Dove from me once more. They by no means actually did within the first place. Nothing you possibly can take from me was ever price preserving, and he or she is probably the most treasured factor I’ve ever recognized.” That is redemption: fact restored and freedom from blame. Not dying in useless. And that is what makes Dawn price studying in guide golf equipment and past; it reminds readers that regardless of loss of life, redemption continues to be potential—although it typically requires loss of life in some type because it did for Christians. Regardless of Haymitch’s errors, the Capitol and Snow are defeated, and hope was all the time current amid loss of life. As Collins herself places it in her acknowledgements: “The snow could fall, however the solar additionally rises.”⁴

1. Thanks for the invitation, Amber and Elizabeth! ↩︎
2. Not all of the Society members are essentially Christians, however no less than a number of of us who attended this assembly are.  ↩︎
3. Particularly Jonathan Olmstead and Matthew Fox who lent a listening ear to my concepts and mentioned this novel with me. ↩︎
4.  I wish to thank all of The Girls of Loudoun, named and unnamed on this dialogue, who attended the session on Dawn on the Reaping. Thanks for an incredible dialogue on the novel and for giving me a newfound curiosity in The Starvation Video games saga. Proceed studying and discussing nice books! ↩︎