Exploring power dynamics, intersectionality and Social stratification: a comparative analysis of the protagonists’ romanticisation and resistance in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and its cinematic adaptation

Abstract

[eng] In the dystopian novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020), Suzanne Collins explores the complexities of the socially stratified nation of Panem through the relationship between the characters Lucy Gray Baird and Coriolanus Snow, who belong to opposing social strata. Its filmic adaptation, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Lawrence 2023) presents an absence of internal monologues, which is a recurrent narrative technique of its literary counterpart, since it offers the reader a medium to view the contradiction between the actions of the protagonist, Coriolanus Snow, and his thoughts. Consequently, to provide contrast, the cinematic adaptation modifies Snow’s actions several times, presenting his development in a gradual form and creating more tension towards the end of the story. However, these modifications contribute to a romanticised portrayal of the story, leading to differing perceptions of Snow’s intentions, and power dynamics in his relationship with Lucy Gray Baird. Furthermore, the ending of the film, which follows the romanticised tone of the plot, differs from the ending of the novel, and serves as a reinforcement of Baird’s resistance. The analysis, which will be performed utilising Michel Foucault’s theory of power ([1975] 1980), Kimberlé Crenshaw concept of intersectionality ([1989] 2013), Karl Marx’s theory of social stratification and Pierre Bourdieu’s forms of capital, reflects on the social stratification, intersectionality and power dynamics at play that shape the complexity of the protagonists’ relationship. Subsequently, a comparative approach, through textual and filmic analysis, is adopted to contrast two key scenes from the film with their narration in the novel. These juxtapositions explore the diverse aspects that introduce Snow’s romanticisation and consolidate Baird’s resistance in the film.