Alyssa Fox

Tom Blyth’s portrayal of Coriolanus Snow in “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” book-to-movie adaptation has become a staple on social media. The TikTok hashtag “#coriolanussnow” has over one billion views with almost all of the featured videos being a fan-made edit of the actor.

Scrolling through my TikTok “For You” page, it feels reminiscent of something my 25-year-old sister would’ve found on Tumblr when she was in high school in 2013. Between the infamous “Josh Hutcherson Whistle” edit that has resurfaced as well as the massive amount of discussion over Tom Blyth’s buzz cut as young President Snow, it’s safe to say the Teen Dystopian Fandom is back and better than ever.

The release of the book-to-movie adaption of The Hunger Games prequel “The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes” on Nov. 17 has sparked conversation all over social media, so much so that you seemingly can’t avoid it, whether you’re a fan of the franchise or not. The movie follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow and his transformation into the tyrannical leader of Panem through his relationship with Lucy Gray Baird, a young, strong-willed singer from District 12 who has some eerily similar traits to our beloved Katniss Everdeen. 

Although a very well-done adaptation that follows closely to the book and includes so much symbolism to the original movies and books that it would be almost impossible to unpack it all in one sitting.  The discussion that has taken over many social media pages, and almost every teenage girl’s mind, is Tom Blyth’s portrayal of Snow. Perhaps more specifically the looks of his portrayal. 

Blyth’s character has captured the heart of many teenage girls, in the same way that Josh Hutcherson’s portrayal of Peeta Mellark and Sam Claflin’s portrayal of Finnick O’Dair did in the early to mid 2010s in the original Hunger Games trilogy. I am not ashamed to say that all three of these characters are very high on my “It’s a Shame These Fictional Boys are Fictional” list, but there is a very large and blaring problem that we are all overlooking. Part of the draw to the characters of Mellark and O’Dair was their sweet charisma, the charm, the smiles that were thrown Katniss’s way every now and then. Who doesn’t love a sweet blonde protagonist, am I right? Coriolanus Snow might as well be none of these things, except for the fact that he is a very blonde man. 

Though the endless amount of Snow edits available for your viewing pleasure on both TikTok and Instagram, the conversation is lost on the intricate character development Suzanne Collins put into this prequel. It’s time we stop discussing the infamous buzz cut and the way he looks at Lucy Gray throughout the movie, because in all honesty, this man is a terrible person.

“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is split into three specific chapters, each one having a monumental stepping stone in Snow’s development towards the villainous, tyrant leader of Panem, so that by the end of the film, the presidency of the capital is within striking distance for Snow. 

In the first chapter, “The Mentor,” we see a side to Snow that really does draw you into his character and makes you root for him. Despite being in on the Hunger Games, he still shows compassion for the penniless he has left, his grandmother and cousin Tigris, and is genuinely trying his hardest to make a name for himself and his family. As a member of a prestigious group of educated students put in charge of mentoring tributes from all twelve districts, Snow’s goal is to try and win a monetary prize through analyzing and revamping the Hunger Games. To do this, he works to earn his mentee in the Games, Lucy Gray Baird’s, trust. The heavy focus of this chapter of the movie surrounds the students’ task of modifying and making the games more enjoyable for those in the Capital, which is a twisted storyline that ultimately shows Snow’s involvement in political corruption very early on. Dying to earn the respect of his classmates at the Academy, as well as that of the best friend of his late father, Headmaster Casca Highbottom, and Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul, we see his never-ending drive for power already apparent. Snow writes up a report detailing how the games would benefit from putting the tributes chosen on display to the public in order to build a bond between the audience and allow for donations in order to send the tributes supplies such as water and medicine (all aspects that we see in full effect during the 75th Hunger Games). Gaul loves the ideas in order to increase the viewership ratings on the games and implements them immediately. Due to this, Snow begins to use Lucy Gray, specifically her talent of singing, and showcases her to the public in order to gain donations and increase her chances of winning. 

This was just the beginning of Snow’s corrupt side, though. Despite having a true love for Lucy Gray, which we see from him at times, he couldn’t help but be driven by his need for power and self-worth. In the second chapter, “The Prize,” we see him go to great lengths to save Lucy and ensure her survival during the Games, including cheating the system to give her a considerable advantage in the arena. Sure, you can view his dishonesty as a move out of his love for Lucy Gray, but it’s important to remember his many underlying and selfish reasons for wanting her to win the Hunger Games. It definitely wasn’t just her survival he wanted; it was earning Gaul and Highbottom’s respect, the expensive Plynth Prize that was to be gifted to the mentor with the winning tribute and that would pay for his University tuition and it was having the ultimate power over his fellow classmates at The Academy.

I can’t talk about this chapter without mentioning the biggest stepping stone in Snow’s development during the Games, his first kill. When his best friend, Sejanus Plynth, ends up in the arena to try and help his tribute, Gaul sends Snow to fix the situation before everyone watching the Games sees the student unsupervised in the arena. While getting Sejanus out, a tribute attacks the two, and Snow becomes overwhelmed with rage and attacks the tribute while he lays on the ground, defenseless, eventually killing the tribute. I think this was the turning point in his character arc; Snow was never the same after, and even mentioned to Tigris later that night that he felt a sense of power when he killed the tribute. 

After this, Snow rapidly unravels for the rest of the movie, specifically in the third chapter, “The Peacekeeper,”, also easily recognized as the grand entrance of the buzz cut. Headmaster Highbottom discovered Snow’s deceitful decisions to cheat and Snow was sent to a 20-year sentence as a Peacekeeper within the districts. We were all very not-shocked-at-all when he requested to be sent to District 12 with underlying hopes to be reunited with Lucy Gray. Despite being reunited, Snow continues along a path of choosing power over love with actions such as recording a conversation with Sejanus that ultimately leads to Sejanus getting hung at The Hanging Tree and Lucy Gray “betraying” him and disappearing into the forest after carefully hinting at having power over him. This is what sent him over the edge in my opinion, which the audience gets to see as he actively rummages through the forest, shooting at anything he can in order to find her, which we all knew if he did he would kill her. 

It’s easy to get lost in those dark blue eyes, the blond curls (or buzz cut, whatever you prefer) throughout the movie. With the likes of social media, it’s especially easy to overlook the harm and corruption of his character throughout the movie, but it’s important to recognize it. Romanticizing his character takes away from his intricate development and malice transformation, and does injustice to the characters Suzanne Collins has created for us.