Why does Tigris hate Snow? The cousins used to be very close, so what change between The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Hunger Games?
Explore the best fan theories with us!
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Tigris and Snow's Relationship Explained
At the beginning of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Tigris and Snow were are very close.
They have lived together for some time, as Tigris' parents died when she was young, which forced her to move in with her coursin Coriolanus Snow and his family.
When most of Coriolanus' family died too, Tigris, who is three years older, became the Snow family's main provider.
By the 10th Hunger Games, she has graduated and works under a fashion designer, though she's unable to make much money.
Throughout The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes she and Snow are close and she often acts as his confidante but she grows increasingly disillusioned with his opportunistic nature.
Why Does Tigris Hate Snow by The Hunger Games?
When she appeared in the first pages of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fans thought that the prequel would answer the big Mockingjay question; why does Tigris hate snow so much as to betray him?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes never fully explains, but it gives us plenty to chew on if we want to try and theorize about the cousins' fallout.
In a 2020 interview, author Suzanne Collins suggested that Snow's villainy is a personal choice, as characters like Tigris, who experienced similar trauma, grew to be better people than him.
His decision not to be moral or kind was likely a motivator for Tigris' disappointment. But why does Tigris hate Snow so much as to betray him? Is there a more concrete possible reason?
Tigris' Body Modification and Job Loss
In the original trilogy, Tigris only appears in the very end, helping Katniss and her fellow rebels to defeat Snow despite being a Capitol resident herself.
The reason Tigris gives for hating Snow is that he caused her to lose her job as a Hunger Games stylist.
Snow's supposed justification was that her tiger-like body modification was too extreme and rendered her too ugly to be part of the Games.
Of course, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes it clear that Tigris isn't a big fan of the Hunger Games.
This leads to a possible theory that she intentionally altered her appearance to the point of becoming grotesque so that Snow would cast her aside.
The Capitol is obsessed with beauty, so Tigris might have actively tried to become ugly, and therefore irrelevant to them, so that she could more easily join the rebellion.
While this is only a theory, fans aren't persuaded that Tigris is angry with Snow simply because she fired her.
Coriolanus Transformation into President Snow
As a Capitol resident herself, Tigris does participate in its atrocities to a certain extent, but she has a moral compass, while Snow increasingly shows her that he does not.
During The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, she is horrified by some of Snow's choices, including his friendship with Gamemaker Dr. Gaul.
Moreover, she is shown to be sympathetic towards the Hunger Games tributes; when Lucy Gray becomes Snow's mentee, Tigris polishes the girl's appearance, becomes the Games' first unofficial stylist.
Snow's actions over the Hunger Games prequel did not cause a permanent rift, but his increasing sadism toward the tributes as he grew from young Coriolanus to President Snow likely caused her to resent him in the long run.
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Snow's Abuse of the Hunger Games Victors
Tigris' disillusionment with her cousin's descent to villainy seems like an adequate reason for his betrayal, but hawk-eyed fans have suggested an even deeper and more personal motivation.
When both cousins lost their parents, Tigris had to earn money to keep herself and young Snow alive. It is heavily implied that she resolved to sex work to survive.
In the third Hunger Games book, Finnick, a former victor, publicly shares that President Snow used to sell young victors' bodies to rich Capitol residents, threatening to hurt their loved ones if they refused.
As a member of Snow's inner circle, Tigris might have found out what Snow did to victors.
Some fans theorize that, after her own experience with sex work she didn't wish to perform, Tigris who was sympathetic to the tributes' plight, actively opposed Snow's practices, which widened the rift between them,
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