Quick Links
Summary
This article contains spoilers forThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes(2023).The latest installment in theHunger Gamesfranchise, the prequelThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, offers a glimpse into the formative years of Coriolanus Snow, who, as fans know, grows up to become the ruthless and villainous President of Panem. At first, Coriolanus “Corio” is portrayed as an ambitious but somewhat idealistic young man struggling with the effects of the war and the loss of his family. As the story progresses, he starts getting increasingly more compared to his father, to the dismay of his loved ones. But who exactly was Snow’s father, and what did he do to become such an influential figure?
Coriolanus’ journey is largely influenced by the legacy he inherits from his father, Crassus Snow, who was a military general during the rebellion. As seen inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, people hold grudges against him for his last name alone, and it becomes evident that Snow’s father didn’t exactly have the best reputation. Throughout the story, more details about Crassus’ life are revealed, including his relationship with Casca Highbottom, whose hatred towards Coriolanus is far from subtle.
RELATED:The Hunger Games: Why Isn’t Lucy Gray Mentioned In the Original Trilogy?
The Life of Crassus Snow
Before the war, the Snow family was one of the wealthiest and most influential in Panem. Crassus Xanthos Snow, Coriolanus' father, was a munitions tycoon who joined the military during the war. His strategic mind and commanding presence allowed him to quickly climb up the ranks, and he became amajor general during the First Rebellion. His wife died in childbirth when Coriolanus was a young child, and he died shortly after. According to the book, Crassus was shot dead by a rebel. In the movie, however, Corio’s grandma points out that he was killed by a rebel specifically from District 12, which further explains why Corio grew up to hate Katniss’ home district in the original trilogy.
He could not say he had felt great love for the remote, strict man, but he had certainly felt protected by him. His death was associated with a fear and a vulnerability that Coriolanus had never been able to shake off.
When Coriolanus speaks with Casca Highbottom atthe end ofThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, he learns about his father’s time at the Capitol University. Crassus and Highbottom used to be best friends during their youth, when they were classmates at the University. For a final project, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, who would later become Coriolanus’ mentor, tasked students to create an extreme punishment for one’s enemies that would never let them forget how they had wronged them. Crassus and Highbottom paired up, and Snow, to bring out his friend’s darkest impulses, got him increasingly drunk, which resulted in Highbottom coming up withthe core concept of the Hunger Games. After assuring his partner it was just a joke, Snow turned in the idea to Dr. Gaul, who started working on the proposal and implemented the Hunger Games once the rebellion was over, crediting Highbottom as the creator.
The Hunger Games. The evilest impulse, cleverly packaged into a sporting event. An entertainment. I was drunk and your father got me drunker still, playing on my vanity as I fleshed the thing out, assuring me it was just a private joke. The next morning, I awoke, horrified by what I’d made, meaning to rip it to shreds, but it was too late.
How Are Coriolanus and Crassus Snow Alike?
During his formative years, Coriolanus’ political views evolve, as he becomes aware of the power dynamic that shapes his world. He begins to understand the importance of control and manipulation, learning from the examples set by the memory of his father and other influential Capitol figures, such as Dr. Gaul. Ultimately, just like his father, he embraces theauthoritarian and elitist ideology of the Capitol. Both Coriolanus Snow and Crassus share a desire for personal success and a strong commitment to maintaining order and control, even if it means sacrificing their principles and employing less-than-ethical tactics.
Some similarities between Coriolanus Snow and his father:
Throughout the story, people often comment about how Coryo looks like his father, as they are both handsome, have pale blue eyes, blond curls, and a perfect posture. Crassus Snow is described as a ruthless, cruel, and hateful man. At the beginning ofThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Tigris tells Coriolanus, his cousin, that he doesn’t have to be his father, implying that she sees him asa better man than Crassus ever was.
He wished he had his mother’s eyes instead, but never said so. Maybe it was best to take after his father. His mother had not really been tough enough for this world.
As he starts to turn into the villainous President he would eventually be, the comparisons to his father increase significantly. He becomes more pragmatic and willing to compromise his principles for a political advantage, mirroring his father’s approach as a military strategist during the rebellion, which allowed him to quickly escalate the political ladder.Tigris’ last line to Coryo, in which she, disappointed, remarks that he looks just like his father, goes far beyond a physical similarity. It serves as her, and the audience’s realization that whatever good there was in him is now gone. By this point, he has truly become his father’s son.
People were always saying he resembled his handsome father more every day, but for the first time he could really see it. Not just the eyes but the jawline, the hair, the proud carriage. And Lucy Gray was right; his voice did have real authority.
Another thing worth noting is that both Crassus and Coriolanus are mentored by Dr. Volumnia Gaul,the cruel and twisted Head Gamemaker, partly responsible for the latter’s ultimate turn to evil. Dr. Gaul, who had never shown any remorse about other people’s suffering, motivates Coriolanus to fully embrace his dark side. Since not much is known about Crassus’ time at University besides what is heard from Highbottom, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to think that Dr. Gaul might also have had some influence in leading Crassus into the ruthless military path that would later cost him his life. The comparison between Coriolanus and Crassus Snow inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesultimately showcases the cyclical nature of power and the ways in which a family’s legacy can shape the history of Panem.
The Hunger Games
In a Dystopian future, food has become the world’s most valuable resource, and children must fight to the death in a televised event in order to win resources for their home districts. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister’s place, she sets in motion an uprising to change the world. Based on the hit YA novels by author Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games quickly became a phenomenon with four star-studded movies based on the original series and a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released in 2023. The series has featured performances by Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Peter Dinklage, and Rachel Zegler.
MORE:This Hunger Games Theory Connects Lucy Gray To This Major Character
