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Arachne Crane
Bobbin is the male tribute from District Eight; Juno Phipps is his mentor. He’s a small boy who initially doesn’t attract much attention—until his interview, when he details all the ways he could kill someone with a sewing needle. Bobbin ends up being one of the first tributes to die in the arena, but Coriolanus, rather than another tribute, kills him. Bobbin jumps and tries to kill Coriolanus when Coriolanus enters the arena to save Sejanus, and Coriolanus feels he has no choice but to defend himself. Though Coriolanus tells himself he killed Bobbin out of self-defense and it wasn’t actually murder, killing Bobbin is transformative for Coriolanus. It shows him he’s capable of killing, and Dr. Gaul uses it as proof that humans are naturally violent.
Bobbin Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below are all either spoken by Bobbin or refer to Bobbin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 16
Quotes
“What happened in the arena? That’s humanity undressed. The tributes. And you, too. How quickly civilization disappears. All your fine manners, education, family background, everything you pride yourself on, stripped away in the blink of an eye, revealing everything you actually are. A boy with a club who beats another boy to death. That’s mankind in its natural state.”
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“So, if I’m a vicious animal, then who are you? You’re the teacher who sent her student to beat another boy to death!”
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Get the entire The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bobbin Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below are all either spoken by Bobbin or refer to Bobbin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 16
Quotes
“What happened in the arena? That’s humanity undressed. The tributes. And you, too. How quickly civilization disappears. All your fine manners, education, family background, everything you pride yourself on, stripped away in the blink of an eye, revealing everything you actually are. A boy with a club who beats another boy to death. That’s mankind in its natural state.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“So, if I’m a vicious animal, then who are you? You’re the teacher who sent her student to beat another boy to death!”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
