Introduction
Katniss Everdeen had an ongoing rivalry with the sadistic leader of the dystopian nation Panem after she won The Hunger Games. This rivalry began after Katniss won The Hunger Games. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), who disobeyed the rules of the games, was considered a threat by President Coriolanus Snow, and she showed him that he was correct when she became the public face of the rebellion against the Capitol.
Snow, who was portrayed by Donald Sutherland, was established as the series’ primary antagonist from the beginning. Despite this, when Katniss was presented with the opportunity to kill him, she chose to aim her arrow at President Coin (Julianne Moore). Although it was never stated directly in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, there were several hints and revelations along the way that clarified Katniss’s decision to kill Coin rather than Snow.
About the Mockingjay
Mockingjay is the concluding volume in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy, which began with Catching Fire. Katniss Everdeen is rescued from the Quarter Quell and brought to District 13, which was thought to have been destroyed during the previous uprising. The novel picks up where Catching Fire left off. Katniss is the public face of the uprising against the Capitol, and she is having a hard time balancing her role as a symbol with her desire to protect the people she cares about.
The themes of power, control, and rebellion are investigated in a manner that is both engrossing and thought-provoking throughout the entirety of the book. Collins delves into the psychological effects that war has on individuals, demonstrating how the trauma and brutality of conflict can continue to shape and define people long after the fighting has stopped.
Mockingjay is a thrilling conclusion to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy, providing readers with a satisfying and emotional conclusion to the story. In addition to delivering nail-biting action and nerve-wracking suspense, the book delves into intricate concepts and casts of characters. It is a testament to Collins’ talent as a writer and to her ability to create a world that is both vivid and meaningful, and it is a testament to both of those abilities.
The Plot
Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy comes to a close with the publication of Mockingjay, the third and final book in the series. This book continues the story begun in the previous installment, “Catching Fire.” Katniss Everdeen’s progression toward becoming the face of the uprising against the Capitol is closely followed by the narrative as it continues to follow her journey.
Katniss Everdeen, Beetee, and Finnick Odair are taken to District 13 after being rescued from the destroyed arena in the 75th Hunger Games. District 13 is an underground district that is cut off from Panem and has been at the forefront of the rebellion. Katniss is reunited with her mother and her sister Prim, and she is also made acquainted with President Alma Coin, the leader of the rebels. It is explained to Katniss that the destruction of the forcefield by her arrow caused riots in over half of the districts, which led to District 13 joining the rebellion. As a result, Snow decided to bomb District 12 as a form of retaliation. As a part of the “hearts and minds” strategy, Coin asks her to take on the role of “Mockingjay,” which is a symbol of the uprising. After witnessing Peeta being manipulated on state television to put an end to the rebellion, Katniss gives in against her better judgment. She travels to the ruins of District 12 and finds that her old house has been preserved intact and President Snow has left white roses inside.
Peeta, along with the other remaining victorious tributes Johanna Mason, Enobaria, and Annie Cresta, are incarcerated when Coin sends an elite team of special forces to free them. Finnick reveals that Snow would force “desirable” tributes (including Finnick himself) into prostitution with the threat of killing their families if they refused (which is exactly what happened to Johanna). Finnick also reveals that Snow only became the leader of Panem because he poisoned his opponents. Beetee hijacks the Capitol’s defense system with a “propo” narrated by Finnick to convince more districts to side with the rebellion. When it becomes clear that the propo will not be sufficient, Katniss uses direct communication with Snow as an additional distraction to buy enough time. The fact that Gale’s team was able to easily rescue the winners and flee the Capitol indicates that the Capitol deliberately lowered its level of security. Peeta launches an unexpected attack on Katniss as they are greeting each other, and he knocks her out with a stranglehold before Boggs can knock him out.
When Katniss comes to, she is told that Peeta has been “hijacked” and brainwashed into trying to kill her. This explains why the Capitol let them escape with him in the first place. Peeta is isolated in solitary confinement while a serum to reverse the effects of hijacking is developed. Coin announces that the next target for the insurgents will be the primary military stronghold of the Capitol, which is located in District 2. District 2 is currently the only district that is still loyal to the Capitol.
The Mockingjay Logo
The uprising is still going strong, with District 13 and the other districts banding together in an attempt to overthrow the Capitol. Despite this, the Capitol is well prepared, and the rebels sustain significant casualties as a result. Katniss and a select few others are dispatched with a small team to carry out the mission of assassinating President Snow. During the course of the mission, many of the other members of Katniss’ team are killed, and she learns that Coin is just as heartless as Snow. Katniss kills Coin instead of Snow in the end, and as a result, the rebels are ultimately victorious in the war.
The novel Mockingjay delves into topics such as conflict, trauma, and the price of rebellion. Katniss realizes at the end of the book that she can never truly escape the violence and pain of the Hunger Games and the war, which gives the ending of the book a bittersweet tone.
Who is President Coin in The Hunger Games?
Presented for the first time in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, District 13 was a covert colony that was located close to District 12, and President Alma Coin was the colony’s leader. She was a strict leader who didn’t put up with any nonsense, and she was willing to let people die so that her mission could be accomplished.
President Alma Coin was the leader of the Second Rebellion against the Capitol. She was also the president of District 13, which she led. She is the hidden but true main antagonist of Mockingjay. President Snow is still the antagonist of the series, but she is the main antagonist of Mockingjay.
During the time that they spent together in District 1, Katniss and Coin did not get along very well because Coin did not believe that Katniss had what it took to lead a rebellion. Coin gave the impression that she was an ardent supporter of the rebellion, but in reality, she used the movement to advance her political interests and use them to her advantage.
Katniss Everdeen was the one who first came face to face with Coin when the two of them met in District 13. Katniss later realized that for Coin, the war was merely a means to an end; she was using it to pit the Capitol and the districts against each other to clear her path to power, and she was willing to sacrifice almost anything or anyone to accomplish her goals, including Katniss herself.
Katniss Passed Up Killing Snow to Avenge Prim
In “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” Katniss led a group of rebels into the Capitol in an attempt to locate President Snow so that she could execute her plan to kill him. She and Gale made it to Snow’s mansion, where Snow had previously declared that for their safety, children would be permitted inside. As Katniss got closer to the entrance, a hovercraft swooped down from above and began scattering gift packages among the waiting crowd. However, upon closer inspection, the presents were discovered to be bombs, which caused multiple deaths in the immediate area. Prim, Katniss’ younger sister, was among the group of rebel medics that went into the crowd to help survivors. Unfortunately, they were all killed by a second bombing, which many people believe Gale was responsible for.
Katniss paid a visit to President Snow while he was in custody, and Snow revealed that he was not the one who ordered the attack. He deduced that Coin had sent the bombs in aircraft bearing the Capitol seal to convince the remaining members of his support base to turn against him. Katniss also had the suspicion that Coin had purposely dispatched Prim to the battlefront in the expectation that the latter’s death would break Katniss’s will and render her unfit to serve as a leader in the Hunger Games.
Katniss showed up at Snow’s execution to kill him, but instead, she shot and killed Coin. This occurred after Coin was responsible for the death of Katniss’ sister Prim, who was killed in a bomb drop that was orchestrated by Coin.
Why Did Katniss Kill Coin Instead of Snow?
A defining moment in the narrative of Mockingjay occurs when Katniss chooses to execute Coin rather than Snow. Katniss realizes that Coin is every bit as ruthless as President Snow and has the potential to become just as tyrannical if given the opportunity after learning the truth about Coin’s plan to hold another Hunger Games. She is aware that Coin’s rise to power may result in an oppressive regime similar to the one that she and the rebels have been fighting against.
Katniss also has a lot of mixed feelings about Snow, whom she holds responsible for the deaths of her loved ones as well as the misery that has befallen the districts. On the other hand, she is aware that Snow is an ailing man and that the passing of his body would not bring about the kind of transformation that she is hoping for. Katniss does not want to be a part of something that could give the appearance that the rebellion is just as barbaric as the Capitol, which is why she does not want to kill Snow.
When Katniss first started fighting the Capitol, President Coin’s position was to end the Hunger Games and there would never be another one. This stance won Katniss’ support and allowed her to continue her fight. However, after defeating the Capitol, Coin asks the remaining victors about using Capitol children for one final Hunger Games. This is done to appease the citizens of the District as opposed to annihilating the majority of the Capitol population. Katniss realizes that this may have been the same kind of justification that the Capitol used when they created the Hunger Games seventy-five years earlier. She also realizes that it is unlikely that the Games will end when Coin comes to power, which leads her to use this reason to kill President Coin. Katniss realizes that the Capitol may have used the same kind of justification when they created the Hunger Games.
Katniss’s realization that true change cannot come from violence alone is reflected in the fact that she chose to kill Coin rather than Snow in the end. This decision is a symbol of her personal growth. She is aware that the goal of the rebellion is to establish a new world that is liberated from tyranny and bloodshed. She believes this to be the most important aspect of the uprising. By putting an end to Coin’s life, she ensures that the uprising will not descend into yet another vicious cycle of bloodshed and that the people of Panem will be able to move forward into a more hopeful future.
Conclusion
Katniss chose to take Coin’s life because she didn’t want her to make the same mistakes that Snow did. Katniss was aware that Coin lusted after power and control in the same way that Snow did, and she feared that if Coin were to become president, she would plunge Panem into yet another war.