Chapter 25 Summary
Katniss rushes into the bombed Capitol square to save Prim, but she catches fire. Now, Katniss describes herself as a fire-mutt and although she tries to reach Prim, she is horribly burned instead. When she wakes up, she is again in a hospital. Her doctors are concerned that she has lost her voice, but there is no indication that she is physically unable to speak. Instead, it seems that she has become a “mental Avox.” In time, she will speak again.
The parachute bombs ended the war. Coin is now president of all of Panem. Peeta is recovering from burn wounds. Gale, who was shot twice during his escape, is already back in the field defeating what remains of the Capitol forces. Snow has been tried and is sentenced for execution, and Katniss is supposed to once again take on her role as Mockingjay and execute him. Now that Prim is dead, Katniss can only console herself with the thought of exacting revenge on Snow.
One day while walking around the President’s mansion, Katniss comes upon the smell of Snow’s roses. There is a guard posted outside the door and Coin has decreed that no one will be allowed inside. Commander Paylor of District 8 overrides Coin’s orders and allows Katniss inside. Katniss looks for a beautiful rose to put in President Snow’s lapel before she executes him. However, just as she is about to take one of the roses, Snow’s voice interrupts her.
Snow apologizes for the wasteful death of Katniss’s sister. He explains that there was no reason for him to kill the Capitol’s children, but it was a brilliant strategy for Coin to take. Whoever still remained loyal to Snow at that point switched their allegiance to the rebels. However, make no mistake, it was Coin that ordered the bombs be dropped on children. In spite of herself, Katniss remembers Gale and Beetee’s plans to use bombs in the same way that the Capitol did. Snow continues to explain that Coin’s plan all along was to take over Panem and she did so by allowing Snow and Katniss to distract each other while she slowly took control of the outlying districts and eventually the Capitol. It was District 13 that started the last rebellion against the Capitol, and they abandoned the other districts when the Capitol seemed to be gaining the upper hand.
Katniss speaks for the first time since her burning, accusing Snow of lying to her. However, Snow reminds her that the two of them agreed long ago not to lie to each other.
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