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when lenore dove comes to me now, she’s not angry or dying (…). she’s grown older with me, her face etched with fine lines, her hair touched with gray. like she’s been living her life beside me as the years passed, instead of lying in her grave. still so rare and radiant.

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One of my absolute favorite points of comparison about Snow in the original trilogy vs in TBOSAS is his ability and willingness to lie.

In the original trilogy, Snow, despite all of his villainy, is a person Katniss trusts. Why? Because they promised never to lie to each other and they kept that promise. Snow told Katniss the truth, always. And in turn, Katniss could trust that Snow would always act on his worst impulses. He was never duplicitous in his intentions, never tried to mask his actions as good. He was always truthful and that is why Katniss always trusted what he said. She could trust that Snow would always act on his worst intentions. She could trust that he will always choose the worst option. She could trust that he would always tell her the truth. When Snow revealed that it was 13 who bombed Prim, Katniss trusted him immediately because Snow, in spite of everything, had never lied to her before. This is a quality that she couldn’t rely on when it comes to Coin and that’s why she never trusts her. Coin never told Katniss what she meant. Coin’s foible was how two-faced she was. She never said what she meant and she always hid her intentions, so much so that even her right hand man, Boggs, didn’t trust her. Despite all his faults, Snow was not a liar.

Which is so entirely different from the Snow we meet in TBOSAS.

Snow in TBOSAS lied through his teeth. He lied about his family’s wealth, lied about their destitution. He lied about liking Sejanus and then back-stabbing him to his Academy friends the moment he has the chance to. He lies about his Academy friends, pretending as if he liked any of them when really, he hated them. He lied to the Peacekeepers to get into the Tribute’s train when they first arrived and then he lied to Lucky Flickerman when he falls into the zoo cage. He lies about whether or not Clemensia wrote the paper with him and helped cover up the fact that she didn’t do anything. He lied about helping Lucy Gray in the Arena, so much so that he rigged the Games in her favor. He lied so he could become a Peacekeeper in 12 instead of in 8 and when he saw Lucy Gray, he lied again. He lied to Sejanus when he promised to keep Sejanus’ secret and when Sejanus is executed for treason because of Snow reporting Sejanu’s actions to Gaul, he lied to himself about his role in Sejanus’ execution. And in the climax of the story he lied to Lucy Gray when she asked who was the third person he killed. And then when he gets back to the Capitol, he lies to Sejanus’ parents about how his role in their son’s death.

In every chance that he could, Snow lied. And yet he never lied to Katniss.

I could spend hours speculating on why and not get a definitive answer. I’d like to believe it’s because Snow, for once in his life, wanted the truth. He always demanded the truth from Lucy Gray and yet never gave her the truth in return.

Lucy Gray valued one thing above all, above love and music. Trust.

Her trust, once lost, cannot be easily regained.

And Snow lost that.

In literature, when people lie there is always a motive. An intention to hide, a secret meant to be kept in the dark. In his youth, Snow was ashamed of his current situation. The Snows were once a the cream of the crop in Capitol society. They were prominent businessmen with huge military reserves in 13 and it wasn’t until the Dark Ages and the fall of District 13 that they lost all their fortune. Even his family, he was ashamed of. His senile grandmother, who did everything she could to raise the grandchildren left in her charge, and his older cousin Tigris, who did everything she could to ensure she followed her dreams while keeping their family afloat. Snow scorned that Tigris never went into higher education and even if he didn’t voice it to her out loud, his contempt at her career, the menial labor she was forced to endure, even the very act of prostituting herself to put food in their table, are all things Snow was ashamed of. And so he lied through his teeth. He never once let his shame fall through the cracks.

The characterization of how he evolved from this gangly 17 year old boy who lied about everything to a man who held absolute power and never lied is so interesting to me and I really hope we see more of how he became like this in Sunrise on the Reaping.