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There are many characters inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswhose impact and lineage made a clear mark on the events ofThe Hunger Gamestrilogy. 10th annual Hunger Games commentator Lucretious “Lucky” Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman) clearly managed to keep the job in the family, as Katniss’s Games are presided over by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). Lucy Gray’s cousin Maude Ivory has a favorite song that happens to be Prim’s favorite song too. Dr. Gaul’s chilling approach to Gamemaking was upheld by the likes of Seneca Crane and even the rebellious Plutarch Heavensbee, who was forced to take brutal measures as Gamemaker to assimilate to the Capitol’s horrific culture. However, only the Snows are themselves present in both timelines.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesopens with a child Coriolanus Snow and his cousin Tigris foraging for food in the Capitol wasteland during the Dark Days of the First Rebellion. The pair scrounges for food in trash cans, hiding from other dangerous scavengers who resort to eating the bodies strewn in the street. Tigris comes to be an anchor for Coriolanus, someone he’s trying to make proud. However, by the time Tigris meets Katniss inMockingjay, it’s clear that Tigris and Snow’s relationship is unrecognizable from what it once was.
Who is Tigris?
Tigris and Coriolanus were both orphaned during the First Rebellion, forming a strong familial bond under the guardianship of their shared grandmother. Before the events of the prequel, the Snows were once rich andheld great status in the Capitol. However, while the Plinths grew rich in the war from weapons sales in District 2, the Snows' source of revenue lay in District 13, and the family fell destitute as the district was lost in the war. InThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,the Snows pinch pennies and think outside the box in an attempt to publicly maintain the air of grandeur that the Snow name once carried. For her part, Tigris worked for a fashion designer, hoping for a career in the industry, and using her creativity to create luxury clothes for Coriolanus out of repurposed scraps.
During Coriolanus’s time at the Academy, Tigris held an undying love for him, as well as a hope that he would be the one to return the Snows to wealth. However, Tigris’s big heart extended beyond Coriolanus, and she held great sympathy for the district tributes. She encouraged Coriolanus to meet Lucy Gray when she arrived at the Capitol, citing how scared and alone she must feel. Yet, all Coriolanus saw in the idea was a way to get ahead. After Coriolanus is sent into the arena to retrieve Sejanus, Tigris rushes to comfort him, but balks when Coriolanus admits toenjoying the sense of power he found in having killedone of the tributes. She says to him:
Corio. I know you want to be like your father, but what I remember most about him was that in his eyes, it was just hate. You don’t have to pay the same price just to survive. People can be good. you may be good. You are good. Just believe in that.
Tigris in Mockingjay
Over time, Tigris undergoes substantial physical reconstruction, with extensive tattoos, a flattened nose, and whisker implants all serving to make her more closely resemble an actual tiger than the girl she once was. InMockingjay Part 2, she is unrecognizable from the girl featured inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. However, she maintains both her love for fashion and her pure heart, and she harbors Katniss and other rebels in her Capitol basement during the Second Rebellion.
During their time together, it comes to light that Tigris was one of the Capitol citizens who was in on Plutarch Heavensbee’s secret plans for an uprising. She treated the rebels kindly, giving them food and shelter, though it’s clear that she herself is very troubled. In addition to her alarming physical appearance (which is likely a coping mechanism), she doesn’t eat with the group, declaring that she doesn’t do that much at all anymore. Nonetheless, Tigris’s basement served as a Capitol safe housethroughout the Second Rebellion.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Last Known Place of Residence
The Capitol
Tigris maintains her interest in fashion, initially serving as a fashion designer for the tributes in early editions of the Games. However, the divide between her and Coriolanus Snow only widens as Snow sinks further into evil. Tigris is initially thrilled at the news of Snow’s return to the Capitol after his stint as a peacekeeper in the districts; however, the last look she throws at him inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesholds more fear than love. No doubt, she saw the hate in his eyes that she once saw in his father.
When she encounters Katniss during the Second Rebellion inMockingjay, Tigris is running a small clothing shop in the Capitol. She’s generous with her wares, giving a garment to Katniss, and sharing that now-President Snow had long ago fired her from her role as stylist in the Games. Tigris is never caughtaiding rebelsthroughout the Second Rebellion, and lived on after the events ofMockingjay.
