Based on information from various Hunger Games fan discussions and analyses, it’s widely believed that President Coin orchestrated Primrose Everdeen’s death in Mockingjay.
Here’s why this is a dominant interpretation:
- Political Manipulation: Coin saw Katniss as a powerful symbol, but also a potential threat to her own power. She aimed to control Katniss by inflicting deep emotional pain, hoping it would make her easier to manipulate and bend to Coin’s will.
- Wartime Propaganda: Coin likely intended for Prim’s death to be blamed on President Snow, further turning Capitol citizens and even some rebel factions against him.
- Strategic Bombing: The bombing that killed Prim and many other children was a calculated two-stage attack. The first explosion injured children, drawing in medics (including Prim), and the second, more powerful explosion killed the responders. This two-stage bombing tactic was reportedly devised by Gale Hawthorne and Beetee, although Gale did not intend for it to be used in this manner, particularly not against children or medics from District 13, [according to the Hunger Games Wiki].
- Prim’s Involvement: Coin knew Prim was a medic and allowed her (who was underage) to be on the front lines, setting her up to be caught in the attack. Katniss herself came to believe Coin was responsible for her sister’s death after her conversation with the imprisoned President Snow.
While the exact circumstance of Prim’s death is not explicitly laid out, and some interpretations vary, the prevailing evidence strongly suggests Coin’s deliberate involvement as a ruthless political maneuver. Katniss, upon realizing Coin’s potential role, ultimately killed Coin instead of Snow in a public execution, ending the cycle of tyranny.
Why did Snow laugh when Katniss killed Coin?
I can help with that. Katniss believed in the value of all human lives. Snow knew he was dying and made sure Katniss understood how ruthless Coin was in her goals and so when she shot Coin, he laughed because he knew he had convinced Katniss that Coin wasn’t a good leader either, and that Katniss saw a third option for the future.