The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

by

Suzanne Collins

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes teaching easy.

The Grandma’am Character Analysis

The Grandma’am is Coriolanus and Tigris’s grandmother. Tigris dubbed her “the Grandma’am” long ago, as other familiar names for a grandparent didn’t seem to fit such an imperious woman. The Grandma’am has been caring for Tigris and Coriolanus for more than a decade, since both were orphaned during the war with the rebels. The Grandma’am did everything in her power to care for them during the war, including bartering for lima beans, which fed the family for years. During the war, she also began playing an old recording of Panem’s anthem and singing along with it in the morning. Though she still does this into the present, the Grandma’am has begun to decline in terms of her health and mental acuity. She’s unable to cope with the fact that the Snow family is, in the present, extremely poor and at risk of losing their lavish penthouse apartment—and every bad thing that happens to the family makes her even more disoriented. The only thing that keeps her grounded is her rooftop rose garden, which she’s been tending since before the war started. She often sends Coriolanus to special occasions with one of her colorful roses pinned to his shirt or lapel. In the epilogue, the Grandma’am is doing better now that she has the Plinths’ money to help support her lifestyle; she thinks of Ma Plinth as a new maid.

The Grandma’am Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below are all either spoken by The Grandma’am or refer to The Grandma’am. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Propaganda, Spectacle, and Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Coriolanus thought about his grandmother’s roses, which were still prized in the Capitol. The old woman nurtured them arduously in the roof garden that came with the penthouse, both out of doors and in a small solar greenhouse. She parceled out her flowers like diamonds, though, so it had taken a good bit of persuasion to get this beauty. “I need to make a connection with her. As you always say, your roses open any doors.” It was a testament to how worried his grandmother was about their situation that she had allowed it.

Related Characters: Coriolanus Snow (speaker), Lucy Gray Baird, Tigris Snow, The Grandma’am
Related Symbols: Roses
Page Number: 38
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes PDF

The Grandma’am Quotes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes quotes below are all either spoken by The Grandma’am or refer to The Grandma’am. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Propaganda, Spectacle, and Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Coriolanus thought about his grandmother’s roses, which were still prized in the Capitol. The old woman nurtured them arduously in the roof garden that came with the penthouse, both out of doors and in a small solar greenhouse. She parceled out her flowers like diamonds, though, so it had taken a good bit of persuasion to get this beauty. “I need to make a connection with her. As you always say, your roses open any doors.” It was a testament to how worried his grandmother was about their situation that she had allowed it.

Related Characters: Coriolanus Snow (speaker), Lucy Gray Baird, Tigris Snow, The Grandma’am
Related Symbols: Roses
Page Number: 38
Explanation and Analysis: