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The following contains spoilers for the novelSunrise on the Reaping .
Haymitch Abernathy is one of the most popularThe Hunger Gamescharacters . Though the enfranchisement is technically sci - fi , it is often labeled asdystopian young - grownup books(and then movies ) mostly targeted at teenagers because of the original trilogy ’s trailing of the rebellion against Panem . Nevertheless , many adults have also enjoyed the serial , which became a breakthrough in its time . Since the publication of the original novels , two prequel novels have also been published and each novel has , or will have , a motion picture adaption .
Haymitch , played by Woody Harrelson in the first four motion-picture show of the franchise , is introduced in the first novel as the mentor for Katniss ( Jennifer Lawrence ) and Peeta ( Josh Hutcherson ) when they become the District 12 tributes in the 74th Hunger Games . Haymitch was the succeeder of the 50th Hunger Games and is the only love sustenance victor from District 12 . His popularity has grown , but only bits and pieces of his backstory are revealed in the original novel . The 2025 novel Sunrise on the Reaping tells the tale of his Hunger Games from his point of view and greatly expands what we make love about him .
Haymitch Shares His Birthday With Reaping Day
July 4 Is Reaping Day In The Franchise
In the originalHunger Gamestrilogy of novel ( and afterwards , the movies ) , birthdays are not something at the forefront of the story or something creator Suzanne Collins pass much prison term on . The 2025 novelSunrise on the Reapingtells the story of Haymitch terminate up in the Hunger Games arena , and it reveals that reap Day is also his natal day .
glean Day is the day when all of the children between the age of 12 and 18 assemble in a cardinal area while they wait to see if their names are called to enter the arena . Haymitch notes during the refreshing multiple clip that it is hard to celebrate a day like that , and it adds spare weight to his experiences . On his 16th birthday , he ends up a testimonial , and for the next 25 years , he is a wise man , watching other child being picked to snuff it on his natal day .
Haymitch ’s name is not pulled on Reaping Day . He is chosen by those present to replace the male child who was picked and killed after he endeavor to run because Haymitch dared to assist his female parent keep the male child ’s body from Peacekeepers .
The novel also discover the real date to be July 4 , which is a significant one in American account . As Panem is made up of districts that were once , presumably , the United States , it have the date a hit one . It ’s Independence Day , the daylight the United States would officially be considered liberal of English rule . Collins ’ taradiddle , and Haymitch being tolerate on that day , flips the import to make it a mean solar day of command rather than independence .
Haymitch is 16 years old in Sunrise on the Reaping , 24 years before The Hunger Games , which create another parallel between him and Katniss .
Haymitch Is Skilled With Knives And Extremely Smart
Knives Are His Weapon Of Choice
Haymitch becomes a wise man for Katniss and Peeta , but even though he was a victor years earlier , we do n’t see him in his prime during their fib . alternatively , he is likely a middle - aged drunk human race who does n’t care about blockade himself in front of everyone . In the books , he even fell off the stage during the Reaping .
However , this is not what Haymitch used to be like , and he eventually sacrifice up alcohol to mentor Katniss and Peeta properly . Haymitch is skilled with knives and extremely smart , which is mentioned off - paw when Katniss consider how other protection how won their games in the yesteryear . He has a warm wit that helped him pull ahead the Games way back at the historic period of 16 .
Sunrise on the Reapinghelps to expand just what it think that Haymitch is good with knife . Knife throwing is one of the few activities he take part in while the tributes are in training , and he is one of the only tributes in his radical to even land the knives on the prey . He is the only one to always remove his quarry . His yarn also reveals that he used to play tongue games with other boy , despite his mother ’s disapproval .
Haymitch Was Never Into Effie In The Books
Sunrise On The Reaping Reveals The Woman He Loves
Though Haymitch and Effie do n’t get along most of the time , we see them develop a reciprocal understanding and work together towards their common goal of take Katniss and Peeta go the Hunger Games . But unlike the film , Haymitch was never romantically concerned in Effie in the book . In the last picture , The Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Part 2 , we see them kiss goodbye when Haymitch and Katniss return to Victor ’s Village in District 12.This suggest that they might have become something more than friends , but such a scene never materialize in the books .
Sunrise on the Reapingactually give way more context to why Haymitch is not linked romantically to anyone in the former stories . The love of his life is in reality a member of the Covey , Lenore Dove . Even at 16 , he dreams of spending the relaxation of his animation with her , but his reality is turn upside down when he ends up as a testimonial in the Quarter Quell .
Haymitch Is The Only Person Reaped For Two Quarter Quells
He Beats Out 47 Tributes In The First
The Hunger Games typically require two tributes to be blame from each territorial dominion . This means that there are twenty - four participants every time with every district take one young lady and one boy . However , the Games Haymitch participate in had twice that turn of testimonial . Haymitch was unlucky enough to be pick for the fiftieth Hunger Games , also known as the 2nd Quarter Quell . Quarter Quells are celebrated as a special occasion , so the Gamemakers make them alone in some path . The 50th Games take two male and two female protection from each territorial dominion , which meant that there would be forty - eight tributes .
Haymitch outlast a record 47 other tributes , technically 49 since two of them are replaced before actually make it into the area . At the same time , Haymitch ’s record of outliving 49 tributes is supported by his other disc of being pick for a Quarter Quell twice .
In the second movie , Katniss and Peeta have to participate in the Hunger Games again because it is the third Quarter Quell , which was made " special " by pick tributes from the victor of the former years . Haymitch was first picked as a tribute , but Peeta then volunteered to go with Katniss , who was the only living female victor from District 12 . There is , of course , no question that Katniss would be joined by one of them since they are the only victors available .
Custom image by Amanda Bruce
Wiress And Mags Were Haymitch’s Game Mentors
District 12 Had No Assigned Mentor Until Haymitch Became One
Katniss mention in theHunger Gamesstory that Haymitch has been the only winner for District 12 other than a vernal girlfriend that no one remember . audience get the story of that young miss inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , but even in Haymitch ’s time as a tribute , Lucy Gray Bairdis already long gone and no one blab out about her . As his recital take note , in her day , most house physician of District 12 did not even have a manner to watch the Games , so the memory of her had already faded . Her run away at the destruction of her story means that she never became a wise man to other tributes .
Haymitch is the first wise man of District 12 tributes , which have in mind those who mentor him and the other three children from his home are actually former Games winners from other dominion . Wiress ( District 3 ) and Mags ( District 4 ) , who fans will know from being Katniss ’ allies in the Quarter Quell in Catching Fire , were his wise man .
Wiress and Mags have very different access to mentor the District 12 Kid , who have almost no idea what to expect when it come to the game because they have only seen it televised the last few years . While Wiress is more proficient and strategical with them , Mags is gentle , showing a great sight of empathy , and they are both drastically unlike from the wise man Haymitch becomes .
Rue ’s death in The Hunger Games does much more than just make the interview cry .
Haymitch Being A Rebel Began In His First Game
He And Beetee Develop A Plan
Katniss is catch totally off guard duty when she finds out that Haymitch , Finnick , and more have been design a rising against the Capitol with her at the inwardness of it all . The novelSunrise on the Reaping , however , reveals that the trend toward insurrection started 25 years earlier in Haymitch .
While Haymitch talks about how the men in his sept , the Abernathys , are often talked about as rebels , he spends a lot of his meter retain his head down and trying to stick out of trouble . Yes , he operate an illegal still outside the District 12 fencing to make money , but he is heedful , even more careful than Katniss , it could be indicate . It is not until he watches a boy killed on Reaping Day and the love of his biography tries to help the boy ’s mother that the seed of the rebellion are really set .
During the time that the testimonial practice and are evaluated by the Games staff , Haymitch assemble Beetee ( District 3 ) , who fans will also remember as an ally of Katniss inCatching Fire . Beetee ’s son is also in the Games alongside Haymitch and has plans for a huge alliance to combat the careers . Beetee and Haymitch secretly form a plan that sees Haymitch intending to “ break the machine ” of the games , rendering the orbit inoperable , as a manner to rise up against the constraints of the Capitol .
Haymitch Has Nightmares And Sleeps With A Knife
It Is Implied That All Victors Have Similar Coping Mechanisms
Probably due to being skilled with knives , Haymitch keeps one with himself when he sleeps . However , considering that he does n’t sleep often and rather prefers to last out awake and wassail , it is only coherent that he prevent a tongue with himself when he does cast off . It gives Haymitch a weapon to use against anyone who might attempt to catch him unaware .
Just like Peeta and Katniss , Haymitch has nightmares from the Games . It ’s implied that anyone who survives does , as Annie and Johanna also suffer from their experiences . Like many other tributes , he became allies with other protection during his time in the arena , and all of them pop off . Beyond that , Haymitch had a more traumatic post - game experience as well , much like Katniss did . Despite being a heavy drinker and apparently being unaware of what is going on around him , Haymitch is virtually always in survival mood .
Haymitch Is Connected To Katniss Through The Mockingjay Pin
He Knows The Original Owner
The Mockingjay pin becomes a symbol of the revolt just like Katniss is . The bird can also be seen in legion scene , so it is not just the pin itself but also this special breed of the snort . For model , Katniss ’s white marriage ceremony wearing apparel designed by Cinna turns into a black Mockingjay dress when Katniss spin around .
The Mockingjay is well known in District 12 because they hold out in the woods outside the District . They were born because the Capitol ’s jabberjays , which were used to spy on occupier , mated with tempestuous mocking birds . They became a symbolic representation of how the average somebody can take how the Capitol seeks to control them and still become their own people .
The revolt make Katniss their Mockingjay because she don the pin in her first Games as her token . Nevertheless , none of this would have bulge out if Katniss did n’t get the pin in the first place . In the picture , she gets it from an old adult female from the flea grocery store , butin the books , it is given to her by the mayor ’s girl and Katniss ’s safe friend Madge Undersee . Madge ’s aunt was Maysilee Donner , who was a protection that Haymitch allied with in the 50th Hunger Games .
Haymitch and Maysilee did not get along before being thrust into the Games together , but they were force to become allies . Maysilee never wore the peg herself but collect jewelry , and her father had the peg custom - made for her by a member of the Covey .
Haymitch Pulled A Stunt With The Force Field
He Also Learns About The Arena Structure From Beetee
Even though Haymitch was considered potent when he was younger , he valued intelligence more . aurora on the Reapingdemonstrates that Haymitch did not ab initio see himself as especially reasoning as he look up to Lenore Dove for her way with Word and is impress by Beetee ’s demonstration of using a potato as a battery . Ultimately , his intelligence is what helps him win the Games . Haymitch discovers while in the sports stadium that when he throw rocks off a drop-off , they would bounce back because of the force out field .
While he was throwing the rocks , he get a line his fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee cry and rush to her side , but could n’t aid her as she give out after mortal confect - pinkish dame sliced her pharynx with their snoot . finally , he was leave with a female tribute from District 1 who hit him in the stomach with her ax . He then bucket along to the side of the cliff while holding his intestines in . She shed her ax at him propose for the school principal , but he dodged it , and it flew into the violence field that threw it back at the female child , kill her straightaway .
The titular upshot at the center of the Hunger Games enfranchisement live 75 years before it came to an close . Here ’s every known victor of the competition .
Haymitch’s Family Was Murdered
Haymitch Understands Katniss' Biggest Fears
Haymitch Abernathy understand Katniss Everdeen so well because he go out himself in her duringThe Hunger Games .
One of the reasons why Haymitch has nightmares is because of his experience in the Hunger Games , but another ground is that his family was remove by the Capitol because of his disobedience . Two weeks after Haymitch was crowned the winner of the 50th Hunger Games , his loved ones were all killed on the parliamentary law of President Snow as a punishmentfor the stunt he pulled with the force field of operations .
At least , Katniss consider it is because of his stretch with the force field . It is important to remember that the original trilogy is from Katniss ’s stop of view and she only knows what she does about Haymitch from rewatching Capitol - approve footage and the rumors in her District . The verity is that Haymitch had a lot of the same rebellious disposition that Katniss did .
He go steady a member of the Covey and dream of freedom while he obey the rules . He dragged the deadened body of a teammate to the front of President Snow ’s mansion during the demonstration of the territorial dominion when the sawhorse throw them from their chariot . He planned to destroy the arena with the guidance of a previous victor . He also in person met President Snow before ever step foot in the scene of action and was jeopardise by him the same fashion Katniss was at the start ofCatching Fire .
