The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Coriolanus has never felt so exposed—and he’s never empathized more with the trapped zoo animals. He feels even worse when he notices the Capitol News cameras; their slogan is “If you didn’t see it here, it didn’t happen.” Knowing it’ll look worse if he panics, Coriolanus tries to look bored. But he sweats as the tributes circle and taunt him. Lucy Gray rescues him when she says, “Own it.” Casually, Coriolanus puts his rose behind her ear and offers her his hand so he can introduce her to people. He leads her toward the bars, to a gaggle of children, and asks if they’d like to meet her. Lucy Gray makes her way along the fence, shaking several children’s hands and complimenting them. The crowd seems to love her.

Lucy Gray seems surprised when she straightens up and finds herself face to face with a camera. The accompanying reporter introduces himself as Lepidus Malmsey. As Lepidus asks questions, Lucy Gray explains that she’s not really District 12; she’s a Covey, a musician, and the Covey used to travel everywhere. Peacekeepers just forced them to stay in District 12. Lucy Gray says the dress was her mother’s—but her mother is dead. Then, she draws Lepidus’s attention to Coriolanus. Coriolanus says he takes his job of introducing his tribute to the Capitol seriously, though his teachers didn’t give him permission to be here.

Just then, doors open in the back of the monkey house and Peacekeepers head straight for Coriolanus. Coriolanus tells the camera to come visit Lucy Gray Baird at the zoo, kisses her hand, and then follows the Peacekeepers out. As soon as the doors close behind them, a Peacekeeper snarls that Coriolanus wasn’t supposed to be there. The Peacekeepers transport Coriolanus across town to the Academy. On the various TVs on the streets, Coriolanus sees snatches of Lucy Gray—and he knows they did well. He’s feeling good by the time they reach the Academy and the Peacekeepers escort him to the biology lab. On the door is the list of mentors and their tributes, which makes Coriolanus feel like an afterthought.

A guard ushers Coriolanus in. Dean Highbottom is in the lab with a small old woman. The old woman is poking a stick at a caged rabbit, which has been modified and now has the jaw strength of a pit bull. This is Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the Head Gamemaker. She’s frightened Coriolanus for years as she habitually tortures animals in front of students. Laughing, Dr. Gaul recites a children’s rhyme of sorts about Coriolanus and his tribute falling in a zoo cage. She encourages Coriolanus to finish the rhyme—and when he does, she says he could be a Gamemaker one day. This seems like a boring, no-skills job, but Coriolanus modestly treats this as a compliment.

Dr. Gaul asks why Coriolanus got in the cage. Coriolanus says it’s all part of getting people to watch the Games. Dean Highbottom seems skeptical that Coriolanus truly understands why they have to keep the Games alive. At the Dean’s prodding, Coriolanus says they have to keep the memory of the war alive because people love children. But remembering how he almost starved during the war, Coriolanus amends this and says people sometimes love children. Dean Highbottom tells Dr. Gaul this is a “failed experiment,” but Dr. Gaul insists it’s only a failure if no one watches the Games. She excuses herself to visit her “mutts”; her reptiles are doing well. Before Coriolanus can follow her, Dean Highbottom says Coriolanus will receive a demerit for being reckless—three demerits, and he’ll be expelled. Dean Highbottom drops morphling on his tongue.