Previous
Jessup Diggs
Marcus is the male tribute from District Two. Sejanus is his mentor, though this isn’t a good thing for either of them: the two were classmates when Sejanus still lived in District Two, and Marcus openly resents and distrusts his mentor. Despite this, Marcus is a favorite to win the Games, as he’s tall and burly. However, the possibility of him winning disappears when bombs explode during the mentors’ and tributes’ tour of the arena, and Marcus takes the opportunity to escape. Marcus is later captured and is in the arena with the rest of the tributes for the start of the Hunger Games, but Dr. Gaul has hung him from a tall structure by his wrists. This is supposed to send a message to the districts to not cross the Capitol. Lamina kills Marcus soon after the Games start in what’s portrayed as a mercy killing. Dr. Gaul and the other Gamemakers’ inhumane treatment of Marcus is what inspires Sejanus to enter the arena, purposefully putting himself in danger of being killed by the tributes to make a point.
Marcus Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus or refer to Marcus. 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 6
Quotes
“Hardly rebels. Some of them were two years old when the war ended. The oldest were eight. And now that the war’s over, they’re just citizens of Panem, aren’t they? Same as us? Isn’t that what the anthem says the Capitol does? ‘You give us light. You reunite’? It’s supposed to be everyone’s government, right?”
“That’s the general idea. Go on,” Dr. Gaul encouraged him.
“Well, then it should protect everyone,” said Sejanus. “That’s its number-one job! And I don’t see how making them fight to the death achieves that.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15
Quotes
Another student, or even the Coriolanus of a couple of weeks ago, would have protested this situation. Insisted on calling a parent or guardian. Pleaded. But after the snake attack on Clemensia, the aftermath of the bombing, and Marcus’s torture, he knew it would be pointless. If Dr. Gaul decided he was to go into the Capitol Arena, that’s where he would go, even if his prize was not at stake. He was just like the subjects of her other experiments, students or tributes, of no more consequence than the Avoxes in the cages. Powerless to object.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes LitChart as a printable PDF.
Marcus Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus or refer to Marcus. 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 6
Quotes
“Hardly rebels. Some of them were two years old when the war ended. The oldest were eight. And now that the war’s over, they’re just citizens of Panem, aren’t they? Same as us? Isn’t that what the anthem says the Capitol does? ‘You give us light. You reunite’? It’s supposed to be everyone’s government, right?”
“That’s the general idea. Go on,” Dr. Gaul encouraged him.
“Well, then it should protect everyone,” said Sejanus. “That’s its number-one job! And I don’t see how making them fight to the death achieves that.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15
Quotes
Another student, or even the Coriolanus of a couple of weeks ago, would have protested this situation. Insisted on calling a parent or guardian. Pleaded. But after the snake attack on Clemensia, the aftermath of the bombing, and Marcus’s torture, he knew it would be pointless. If Dr. Gaul decided he was to go into the Capitol Arena, that’s where he would go, even if his prize was not at stake. He was just like the subjects of her other experiments, students or tributes, of no more consequence than the Avoxes in the cages. Powerless to object.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
