Previous
Symbols
Roses symbolize the Snow family and the family’s attempts to still look the part of wealthy Capitol folk. The Grandma’am, Coriolanus’s grandmother, continues to grow roses on the roof of the family’s apartment. She continued to care for the roses all through the war with the rebels, demonstrating the family’s desire to hold onto any luxuries they could. Having those luxuries on display, after all, is what helps the family maintain the facade that they’re still as wealthy as they once were.
Coriolanus regularly wears one of the Grandma’am’s roses pinned to his shirt or jacket during the Hunger Games, as the rose significantly dresses up his outfits—which, if Coriolanus isn’t wearing his school uniform, aren’t as expensive or luxurious as he’d prefer, given that the family can’t afford new clothing. The roses, then, read as a last-ditch attempt by the Snow family to preserve the impression among their peers that they’re still wealthy and powerful.
It's also worth noting how the roses’ symbolism works within the context of the original Hunger Games trilogy. In Ballad, when Coriolanus is still a young man with the potential to grow into a kind, compassionate person, he wears and gives colorful roses, which symbolize his humanity. But in the original trilogy, as the evil President Snow, Coriolanus uses exclusively white roses—symbolizing his moral bankruptcy as an adult.
Roses Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below all refer to the symbol of Roses. 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 3
Quotes
Coriolanus thought about his grandmother’s roses, which were still prized in the Capitol. The old woman nurtured them arduously in the roof garden that came with the penthouse, both out of doors and in a small solar greenhouse. She parceled out her flowers like diamonds, though, so it had taken a good bit of persuasion to get this beauty. “I need to make a connection with her. As you always say, your roses open any doors.” It was a testament to how worried his grandmother was about their situation that she had allowed it.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
“My condolences on the loss of your friend,” the dean said.
“And on your student. It’s a difficult day for all of us. But the procession was very moving,” Coriolanus replied.
“Did you think so? I found it excessive and in poor taste,” said Dean Highbottom. Taken by surprise, Coriolanus let out a short laugh before he recovered and tried to look shocked. The dean dropped his gaze to Coriolanus’s blue rosebud. “It’s amazing, how little things change. After all the killing. After all the agonized promises to remember the cost. After all of that, I can’t distinguish the bud from the blossom.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12
Quotes
His girl. His. Here in the Capitol, it was a given that Lucy Gray belonged to him, as if she’d had no life before her name was called out at the reaping. Even that sanctimonious Sejanus believed she was something he could trade for. If that wasn’t ownership, what was? With her song, Lucy Gray had repudiated all of that by featuring a life that had nothing to do with him, and a great deal to do with someone else. Someone she referred to as “lover,” no less.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes LitChart as a printable PDF.
Roses Symbol Timeline in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The timeline below shows where the symbol Roses appears in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...and calls in their grandmother, whom they call Grandma’am. Grandma’am appears with a fresh red rose from her rooftop garden and offers it to Coriolanus to pin to his shirt. A...
(full context)
Chapter 3
...platform; he’s been waiting for hours for Lucy Gray Baird to arrive. He has a rose to offer her, which was Tigris’s idea. As he waits, Coriolanus wonders how his family...
(full context)
...the car, Coriolanus approaches Lucy Gray, welcomes her to the Capitol, and offers her the rose. She takes a petal and puts it in her mouth, explaining that as a kid,...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...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....
(full context)
Chapter 5
...picture of his mother on his nightstand and still sniffs his mother’s compact, which contains rose-scented powder. She died in childbirth a few months into the war; Coriolanus’s father died months...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...doesn’t argue and heads for bed. He fingers his mother’s powder compact and sniffs the rose smell, thinking maybe it’s best he has his father’s eyes.
(full context)
Chapter 9
...she can coach him through the anthem. When she deems him ready, she pins a rosebud to his uniform jacket and sends him to the Academy. Coriolanus ends up sitting in...
(full context)
...To his surprise, Dean Highbottom says it was “excessive and in poor taste.” Straightening Coriolanus’s rose, he remarks that nothing has changed, even if people insist they have to remember the...
(full context)
Chapter 11
...Lucy Gray and Coriolanus wait backstage. Her lips are the same bright pink as the roses in her hair and on Coriolanus’s lapel, a sign of who Lucy Gray belongs to....
(full context)
Chapter 12
...help her defend herself. Over supper, Tigris packs a gift basket with food and a rose for Lucy Gray. Coriolanus carries it to Heavensbee Hall. It reminds him of the family...
(full context)
Chapter 13
...Gray understands immediately, but she sniffs the compact and says it still smells wonderful, like roses. She agrees to take the compact. She and Coriolanus chat about the arena until their...
(full context)
Chapter 24
...broken—ice is a treat, like “flowers in wintertime.” Coriolanus tells the girl about Grandma’am’s rooftop rose garden, and then they reach the meadow.
(full context)
Chapter 28
...the apartment, but the visitors are stressing Grandma’am out. The threat of losing her beloved roses—“the very symbol of the Snow dynasty”—is making her even less coherent. By Saturday, Coriolanus is...
(full context)
