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Rants and Raves: White Roses

In the Hunger Games series and movie White Roses play a symbolic part of President Snow's persona. President Snow is known for smelling like blood and roses and tends to a costly rose garden. There are three points in the book where roses are very symbolic.


In Catching Fire Katniss discovers that President Snow smells of 'blood and roses'.

In the first chapter of Mockingjay Katniss finds white roses left on her dresser. Katniss believes that these roses were left by President Snow (she believes they are meant to say 'I can find you').

In the middle of Mockingjay we learn that President Snow smells like roses because of poison.

One of the things I liked best in the Hunger Games movie was that white roses were everywhere. The apartment and train were covered in them! I thought this was a very good way to sneak in some symbolism.

What is your opinion of the symbolism and effect of white roses in the Hunger Games?

P.S Just note that President Snow's roses were genetically enchanced!

Source: (Image)

2 comments:

  1. White roses were seen as a symbol of resistance during the Holocaust - the White Rose Movement was a student protest group. Therefore I think it is interesting how they were a symbol of president Snow in the Hunger Games books.

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  2. Yes! I saw the film adaptation tonight and that was my first thought! I could definitely see Katniss as a parallel to the real-life Sophie Scholl, the voice of resistance trying to rally others against a cruel dictatorship (Nazi Germany in Scholl's case, the Capitol of Panem in Katniss') by drawing attention to its atrocities. I suppose if the connection were intended, it would have been used as a symbol of the rebellion instead of President Snow. Neat to think about, though.

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