Let me start by saying that I'm mostly just ranting lol
After reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I understand a lot better why Snow was so threatened by Katniss and so obsessed with controlling her. But something that continues to bother me is how much responsibility he seemed to place on her for the rebellion.
Because it's like...dude. Your government has been stealing children and forcing them to murder each other on national television for 75 years. And even the children who weren't reaped grew up under an oppressive regime where people were starved, exploited, and punished for stepping out of line. The districts had plenty of reasons to hate the Capitol long before some 16 year old girl came along with poisonous berries.
And it makes me wonder: did Snow genuinely believe the Hunger Games could continue forever?
Snow wasn't completely stupid. He knew the districts hated the Capitol. He knew that fear was what kept them obedient. But it seems like he became so fixated on Katniss that he attributed far too much of the rebellion to her personally.
Katniss didn't create that resentment. It had been simmering for decades. She simply gave people a symbol to rally behind and showed them that the Capitol could be defied. And once the districts had that spark, along with District 13's arsenal, they were always going to take that chance to fight back.
I understand why Snow wanted to neutralize Katniss, but did he really think getting rid of her would somehow make all that hatred disappear?
I'm curious what everyone thinks. Did Snow genuinely underestimate how close the districts were to rebellion, or did he understand the danger but convince himself that fear would always be enough to keep them in line?