This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games series is filled with complex characters. While the first three books, brilliantly narrated by Tatiana Maslany, focused primarily on Katniss Everdeen, another character captured much attention and curiosity—Haymitch Abernathy. Fans eager for Abernathy’s backstory won’t have to wait too much longer. Coming soon is Sunrise on the Reaping, a new prequel narrated by Yellowstone’s Jefferson White that focuses on Haymitch's harrowing win in the 50th Hunger Games.
What District was Haymitch from?
Like Katniss, Haymitch was born in District 12, a blue-collar District at the edge of Panem's influence. No one there has much wealth or privilege, and the District is best known for its grueling coal mines. Haymitch and his younger brother, Sid, were raised by their mother in The Seam, the poorest area of 12. As for so many in District 12, his life was difficult. Many times, Haymitch had to add entries of his own name to the Quarter Quell just to keep his family from starving. So, when the Reaping came, it was no surprise that Haymitch's name was drawn.
What happened at the 50th Annual Hunger Games?
While Sunrise on the Reaping will give us all the twists and turns of the 50th Hunger Games, there is quite a bit we already know about Haymitch's victory.
Every Hunger Games has its own set of rules, and Haymitch's Games were no exception. Rather than one boy and one girl from each District entering the Games, the 50th annual Games feature two boys and two girls from each District, doubling the reapings. Even at 16, Haymitch's trademark wit and sarcasm were on display. When asked what he thought about these special rules and the 100 percent increase in competition, he replied that he didn't see much difference in the odds since they would “still be one hundred percent as stupid as usual.”
As you can imagine, with double the number of participants, the opening bloodbath of the Games was nastier than normal. That year's arena was so gorgeous that many tributes stood and gawked in awe, dying in the process. While Haymitch escaped, snagging a knife and choice backpack before retreating into the forest, 18 tributes died in the opening minutes of the Games. Over the ensuing days, Haymitch evaded horrifying creatures and poisonous plants as well as the other tributes. He was fast and intelligent, able to hold his own even with the career tributes.
Haymitch formed an alliance with Maysilee Donner after she saved him from a three-on-one confrontation. They stayed alive, sharing food and other resources and slowly working their way to the edge of the arena, where they found a cliff. Haymitch was determined to find something more useful there, while Maysilee wasn't, and so they parted. Not long after, Haymitch discovered that the cliff was an illusion, and there was a forcefield in place, easily bouncing rocks off of it. But upon hearing Maysilee scream, Haymitch rushed to her side, too late to do anything but hold her as she died.
One by one the tributes fell until it was only Haymitch and a career tribute. They wounded each other gravely, their fight reaching the edge of the arena. When the career tribute threw an axe at Haymitch, he fell, and the axe rebounded, killing the career tribute. With that, Haymitch was declared the victor.
What happens to Haymitch after the Hunger Games?
No good deed goes unpunished in Panem, of course. Two weeks after Haymitch's victory, President Snow had Haymitch's mother, brother, and even girlfriend killed. Why? Because of his stunt with the forcefield, which Snow viewed as an embarrassment to Panem. Thus began Haymitch's spiral into self-isolation and alcohol dependency.
Even still, as District 12's sole surviving tribute, he was forced to mentor all tributes that came after. This role only made him more and more despondent with each tribute that died horribly in the Games. Before long, Haymitch only left his home when Panem dragged him out onto the stage for the reaping, avoiding everyone in and out of his District—or, at least, that’s what he led onlookers to believe.
What happened to Haymitch in the 74th Hunger Games?
Then along came the 74th Hunger Games, featured in the first book The Hunger Games. Haymitch is once again trotted across the stage for the reaping, only to fall off the platform in a drunken stupor. After Katniss and Peeta are selected, Haymitch appears on the train with them, giving them the lowdown on the Games along with his own apathetic response to their reaping.
Slowly but surely, Katniss and Peeta show Haymitch that they aren't just another pair of District 12 tributes likely to perish in the opening minutes of the Games. As Haymitch sees the spark in them, he starts to care and actively work toward their success. He coaches their feigned romance for the crowds and helps them survive and succeed once they're actually in the Games. It is only after Katniss and Peeta emerge together as victors that we see how complicated Haymitch really is, though.
As Catching Fire opens, we see that Haymitch hasn't relaxed one bit since the threat of the Games has ended. He sees the threats of Panem, and from his own experience, understands all too well how Katniss and Peeta's small rebellions inside the Games can have terrible repercussions outside of them. Through the victory tour and speeches, Haymitch continues to drink heavily, remaining constantly wary of threats.
When the next Hunger Games are announced, pulling Katniss and Peeta right back into the arena, Haymitch knows that this is Snow's revenge. Only one victor is meant to emerge from the Games, and after the stunt the pair pulled in the 74th Games, Snow’s going to make sure only one emerges the second time. Haymitch's despondence is renewed, but so is a fire in him set by animosity toward President Snow and Panem. Rather than simply help them win the Games this time, Haymitch arranges it so that when Katniss breaks the forcefield over the arena, a secret rebellion will come on to usher her and the other tributes away.
What is Haymitch’s role in the rebellion?
Despite his drunken and cynical exterior, Book 3, Mockingjay, soon reveals that Haymitch has been working with a secret rebellion based out of District 13, a district that was widely believed to be destroyed. Mockingjay sees the largest character transformation for Haymitch. His rage toward Panem and Snow slowly starts to give way in favor of how much he's come to care for Katniss, to see her like a daughter. As the story unfolds and the rebellion is shown to be just as cruel and ruthless as Panem, Haymitch starts to see things the way Katniss does. He starts to think that maybe there's a better way, a kinder way for the world to be.
Through all the trials and tragedies of Mockingjay, Haymitch is instrumental in helping end the rule of Snow and Panem, but he also softens. When the dust settles and Panem begins the transformation to a democratic republic, it is Haymitch who returns to District 12 with Katniss and Peeta. He returns as a friend, a mentor, and someone to watch over Katniss since her mother has moved to District 4 to help build a hospital. He raises geese and helps the district rebuild.
Perhaps more than any other character, it is Haymitch Abernathy's story that truly tracks the tragedies and victories of the Hunger Games more than any other.
