Pop culture fictional mediums have a unique way of telling stories that are subtle, emotionally resonant, and ideologically enduring. They embed narratives and symbolic associations into the subconscious. Fiction is a powerful tool for understanding the world: it mirrors, distorts, and reimagines history, politics, and human behavior in a way that opens the door for critical reflection.

Suzanne Collins’ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (TBoSaS) exemplifies this narrative strategy. The conflict between Coriolanus Snow and Sejanus Plinth–classmates at an elitist Capitol Academy–in TBoSaS echoes the dynastic struggle of the Wars of the Roses, with power, legacy, and survival at its core. The rose, a traditional symbol of noble houses in the wars–white for York and red for Lancaster–finds a symbolic parallel in the Snows, who wear roses as a family emblem. This, however, is not a strict parallel, meaning that the House of Lancaster and the House of York do not strictly resemble neither the Plinths nor the Snows. At times, the persons involved in either the House of York or the House of Lancaster may resemble the Snows, while at other times, they may resemble the Plinths. In this reimagining of the Wars of the Roses’ historical events by Suzanne Collins, the Snows emerge victorious, not through open battle (after all, the war in TBoSaS is not between dynasties, but rather between the Capitol and the districts) but rather through political cunning and personal betrayal.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars that occurred between 1455 and 1487. The wars were fought between The House of Lancaster (whose badge was a red rose) and the House of York (whose badge was a white rose). These wars were fought over control of the English throne and deeply influenced the monarchy, nobility, and society of late medieval England. At the time, The House of York was falling further out of the line of succession, which risked them losing their wealth and status and in turn their place in society–similar to how the Snows lost their wealth and status in the Capitol, which slowly deteriorated their place in the Capitol–which led them to incite a rebellion against The House of Lancaster.

This essay explores the symbolic and structural parallels between the historical conflict of the War of the Roses and the fictional feud between the Snows and the Plinths, showing how Collins adapts and reinterprets history through the emotionally charged lens of pop culture storytelling.

Snow vs. Plinth: A Historical Echo of the Wars of the Roses

The Snows are an elitist Capitol dynasty who were once considered the moguls of military weapons manufacturing–the industry assigned to District 13 prior to the Dark Days–for the benefit of the Capitol against the districts. Meanwhile, the Plinths, a District 2 family, are considered to be what is known in the real world as “new-money.” The Plinths’ ascent to the weapons manufacturing industry occurred only post-Dark Days, when the Capitol presumably annihilated District 13. With the destruction of District 13, they burned along with it the entire source of the Snow family’s wealth. The destruction of District 13 led to the shift of military manufacturing to District 2, which greatly benefited the Plinths, who were now able to buy their way into Capitol citizenship. In essence, the Plinths fortune came at the cost of the Snows’ misfortune.

The Making of Coriolanus Snow

Coriolanus’s character is deeply shaped by the downfall of his family’s business empire, and in turn, he finds an enemy in Sejanus. He not only becomes resentful, but he continuously ponders over the erosion of the Snow family name, filled with anxiety over the public humiliation of people finding out about his family’s fall into poverty. When looking at his own situation in contrast to the Plinths–who are able to buy their way in and out of virtually any circumstance–Coriolanus is filled with contempt and jealousy.

His character is also influenced by his father, whose values were shaped by Coriolanus’s grandmother. TBoSaS makes references to Coriolanus’s father, Crassus Snow as a “munitions tycoon,” who held pride in the Snow name, a pride that he passed on to his son Coriolanus. The book also mentions how Crassus Snow would have “loathed seeing Strabo Plinth admitted to the Capitol and becoming a titan of the munitions industry.” Coriolanus’s delusional Grandmother often goes over the “legendary grandeur” of their family.

In the very first page of the book, Coriolanus compares his own family’s situation to that of “district scum,” and when the idea that Tigris might have had to sell her body for money crosses his mind, he ponders over whether the Snow name had fallen that far down already. Later on, when he learns of the property tax laws that are mandated in the Capitol, he becomes filled with anxieties over falling to the “grimy ranks of everyday citizens, without status, without influence, without dignity.” Coriolanus is constantly pondering over his family’s situation–at times blaming the Capitol for it, at other times blaming the Districts for starting the war that ended their family fortune. As a mentor in The Hunger Games, Coriolanus does everything he can to win the prize that could make his family’s situation a whole lot better–notably being able to afford university tuition and property taxes. This leads him to make the choice of cheating in various ways to help his tribute win. This eventually works. However, upon the discovery of the cheating committed by Coriolanus, Dean Casca Highbottom–the founder of The Hunger Games and the Dean of the Academy–decides to punish him for it. While the Dean wanted a heavier punishment for Coriolanus, the Head Gamemaker Dr. Gaul saw Coriolanus’s usefulness elsewhere–banishment to the Districts to serve the Capitol as a peacekeeper for 20 years. Briefly after his exile, Coriolanus finds that Sejanus had joined him, however, his banishment was voluntary rather than forced–due to the trouble that Sejanus got into during The Hunger Games, his father tried to plead with the Academy’s management for a solution that would not stain the Plinth name, to which Sejanus suggested the punishment of being sent to the districts as a peacekeeper.

Exile, Betrayal, and Unity

In the final decade of the Wars of the Roses, the throne was in the hands of the House of York under Richard III, which he used to banish Henry Tudor, later known as Henry VII. Henry Tudor–of the Lancastrian House–was sent into exile in Brittany. This parallels how Coriolanus, due to his cheating and deceit in helping his tribute win the The Hunger Games, was sent into exile to the Districts as a peacekeeper. In exile, Henry raises an army and goes against Richard III, who is killed in battle in 1485–effectively ending the reign of the House of York. Similarly, Coriolanus engineers Sejanus’s downfall by manipulating events that lead to his execution–effectively extinguishing the Plinth male line.

During their exile, Coriolanus learns that Sejanus had befriended district rebels and are plotting against the Capitol peacekeepers. Due to fears of being implicated in their rebel plot, Coriolanus used a jabberjay, a bird capable of recording human speech, to record Sejanus detailing his plan to help rebels escape District 12 and communicate with an imprisoned rebel. Coriolanus then sends the jabberjay to Dr. Gaul. Based on the information provided by Coriolanus’s jabberjay, Sejanus was arrested by military police and subsequently hanged for treason.

“It wasn’t as if they’d adopted him; he’d been too old at eighteen. Being designated an heir worked better for him anyway. He’d never give up the name Snow, not even for a munitions empire. It had all happened very naturally. His homecoming. Their grief. The merging of the families. Sejanus’s death had totaled the Plinths.” – TBoSaS (Epilogue)

This is not merely a political maneuver but a consolidation of power: Sejanus, a Capitol outsider elevated by new wealth, posed both a threat and a moral contrast to Coriolanus’s ambition. With Sejanus eliminated, Coriolanus steps into his place, not just socially but symbolically, by being taken into the Plinth family–thus absorbing their wealth and influence into his own legacy. This mirrors the conclusion of the Wars of the Roses, when Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, uniting the rival houses and establishing the Tudor dynasty. Similarly, Coriolanus’s integration into the Plinth family secures his ascent, blending the old (Snow lineage) with the new (Plinth fortune), ensuring the survival and dominance of his line under the guise of unity. Yet unlike the historical marriage that aimed to bring peace, Coriolanus’s adoption is marked by coercion and exploitation, highlighting his ruthless climb to power masked by familial alliance.