Sejanus Plinth

Sejanus Plinth was a Capitol citizen, formerly from District 2, and mentor of the male tribute of District 2, Marcus, during the 10th Hunger Games. Marcus was formerly a childhood friend of Sejanus and he was quite eager for Marcus to win. He was one of the 24 top-performing seniors of the Academy selected for a mentor role.^[1] He was a close friend of Coriolanus Snow.

Biography[]

Sejanus was born into the Plinth family as the only child of Strabo and Mrs. Plinth, a wealthy couple from District 2. His father, Strabo, made much of his wealth from munitions and weapon manufacturing. At a young age, he went to school with Marcus, whom he would later mentor in the Hunger Games. His father trained him to properly shoot with a gun every week with mandatory practice, considering it a part of the family business.^[2]

The Plinth family profited greatly during the First Rebellion, providing most of the weaponry used in the fight against District 13. Strabo Plinth's decision to side with the Capitol combined with the family's newfound wealth earned the Plinths Capitol citizenship, instantly affording them privileges that the oldest and most powerful families had earned over generations.^[1]

Sejanus arrived to the Capitol at the age of 8, ten years prior to the 10th Hunger Games. Having come from the Districts, he was immediately perceived as an outsider and subjected to a campaign of vicious bullying by his classmates. Snow considered participating in this, but decided against it, opting to ignore Sejanus instead.^[1]

Strabo Plinth's generous donations in the reconstruction effort after the war landed Sejanus a position at the Academy. He was a star pupil of Professor Agrippina Sickle, later becoming her assistant, whom she relied on for every frivolous whim.^[1]

Mentorship[]

During the Reaping Day festivities for the 10th Hunger Games, Sejanus was tasked by Professor Sickle to carry around an ornamental shield that she was awarded for overseeing bombing drills during the rebellion. His outfit drew the attention of Snow, with whom he engaged in conversation about the state of the Capitol and the burden of taxes put on the residents for the upcoming city restoration efforts. This discussion left Snow visibly shaken, to the point that Sejanus asked after him.^[1] Sejanus was later chosen as a mentor for the Games, assigned the male tribute from District 2. He theorized that his father influenced this decision through the use of bribes.^[3] Sejanus was unable to disguise his misery at this outcome.

Sejanus arrived at the Capitol Zoo the day the tributes arrived, carrying a pack with fresh plums and sandwiches made by his mother, in hopes of comforting them. He offered a sandwich to Dill, the female tribute from District 11. All of the tributes responded with distrust. A young girl commented to him that he should not feed the animals, referring to the tributes, who were presented in a cage. Sejanus argued on the tributes' behalf, but was met with further disdain. Sejanus enlisted Snow to convince his own tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, to accept his offering, hoping it might inspire the others to follow suit. This worked; Lucy Gray accepted, and invited over Jessup, the District 12 male. The other tributes hurriedly followed, with the exception of Marcus, who looked on dispassionately from the back of the cage. Sejanus' origins as a resident of District 2 had made him unpopular in his home District, which he cited as the reason for Marcus' apparent hatred of him. The knowledge that Sejanus could have been in Marcus' place was not lost on him. When Snow expressed his belief that Marcus had a shot at winning the Games, Sejanus suggested that they swap tributes, showing excitement at the prospect. However, Snow turned down the proposal.^[4] Sejanus expressed that he found the Games both absurd and unnatural, and that he did not want to be a part of the charade.^[5]

Sejanus continued to voice his opposition to the Games throughout his term as a mentor. He questioned the ethicality of the whole affair, and openly decried the cruelty of forcing people to watch children die as a sport. He held that only the inhumanly cruel would delight in such a thing. His objections were largely ignored, his stance dismissed as being the result of his District origins. His continued insistence that the tributes were human, and deserving of respect, got him labeled as a rebel sympathizer by Dr. Gaul. He attempted to recuse himself as a mentor, but was denied.^[5]

During his tenure as a mentor, Sejanus continued to draw attention to himself through both his behavior and his incendiary opinions. Snow attempted to mitigate this where possible, covering for him in small ways. While Sejanus appreciated what he perceived to be Snow's friendship towards him, he insisted that Snow stop rescuing him.^[6]

Sejanus was present on the tour of the Capitol Arena with his tribute, Marcus. When the bombs went off, Marcus escaped, though Sejanus was largely uninjured.^[7] He later visited Snow in the Hospital, bringing Snow's book bag and a stack of his mother's sandwiches.^[7] The loss of his tribute put Sejanus under even more suspicion. He used this as a platform to object to the entirety of the war, which some of his classmates agreed with.

10th Hunger Games[]

Marcus was recaptured, and put on display at the start of the Games, badly beaten and strung up to poles with no way to defend himself. Sejanus threw a chair at the viewing screen and left in retaliation, infuriated by this needless display of cruelty.^[8]

That night, Sejanus broke into the arena, intending to martyr himself, and protested the Games by holding vigil over Marcus' body. Dr. Gaul told Snow to enter the arena and bring Sejanus back before anyone noticed. Unfortunately, as Sejanus and Snow moved Marcus' body away from the cameras, the tributes Mizzen, Coral, Bobbin, and Tanner found the two and attacked them. Snow accidentally killed Bobbin in self-defense, and, terrified, Sejanus abandoned the idea of reclaiming Marcus' body. Both boys nearly died, but managed to make it past the barricade to safety. After the incident, Sejanus was consumed with grief over the loss of Marcus, and his participation dwindled.^[9]

Peacekeeping[]

For entering the arena illegally, Sejanus was forced to become a Peacekeeper in District 12, a lesser punishment bought by his father, who offered to improve the Academy gymnasium in return. Sejanus insisted that Snow also be allowed graduate the Academy, a request which was granted. When he arrived to his bunk room in District 12, he was immediately greeted by an excited Snow, who had also been punished for cheating in the Games.^[10] Sejanus' mother sent him care packages, such as baked goods and equipment, for his deployment in District 12. He also brought thousands of dollars in cash and a picture of his old class with Marcus.^[11]

Sejanus and Snow trained together, with Sejanus showing greater skill in marksmanship than the other Peacekeepers, who were believed to be badly trained.^[2] They were later assigned to the hanging of Arlo Chance for his part in bombing the coal mines.

Sejanus soon made the acquaintance of Billy Taupe, Lucy Gray's ex, and became embroiled in rebel activities.^[12] He then revealed to Snow that he was indeed planning with local rebels to flee to the north and escape Capitol influence, confirming Snow's previous suspicions. Unbeknownst to Sejanus however, Snow used one of the jabberjays to record him, and the bird was then sent to the Capitol.^[13]

During a performance at the Hob, Snow stumbled upon Sejanus, Billy Taupe and Spruce at a shed with a sack of weapons, finalizing their plans. Suddenly, Mayfair Lipp, the daughter of the then mayor of District 12, stumbled upon the scene and threatened to out all the rebels to her father. In the altercation that followed, Mayfair was shot dead by Snow and Billy Taupe was killed by Spruce.^[14] After the two had died, Sejanus claimed that he "didn't want anyone to get hurt" and became emotional at the thought.

Death[]

Despite Snow's efforts to stop Sejanus from getting into trouble, Sejanus' rebel sympathies and loathing for the Capitol won out in the end. Though Snow was certain Dr. Gaul would not bother to check the jabberjay recordings, she had. Strabo Plinth was unable to buy his son out of the situation this time. Despite being present at Mayfair and Billy Taupe's murder, it was the jabberjay recording which led Sejanus' arrest. He was executed at the hanging tree, and his last act was to cry out for his mother.^[14]

Physical description[]

Sejanus had soulful brown eyes and a tall, angular frame.^[4]

Relationships[]

Coriolanus Snow[]

Snow's abstention from bullying Sejanus initially inclined Sejanus to trust Snow more, believing that Snow was more likely to help him than any of his classmates.^[4] Sejanus treated Snow as a friend right away, even going so far as to call him "Coryo", a personal nickname that Snow resented. Snow sacrificed for and rescued Sejanus repeatedly, assisting him breaking out of the arena and defending him to Dr. Gaul. Despite their rather friendly relationship, Snow initially held Sejanus in contempt, silently judging him for his origins in the Districts, and getting angry when Sejanus expressed sympathy for the Districts in front of the class.^[15] While Sejanus believed their friendship to be genuine, Snow was initially pretending, in order to benefit from his family's hospitality.

They grew closer over time, with the friendship becoming genuine. Their relationship continued to develop for the better well into their Peacekeeping deployment. However, Snow betrayed Sejanus in the end, recording the rebels' plans and sending them to Dr. Gaul. His actions led to Sejanus' execution and death. After his death, Snow convinced himself that he'd had no choice in order to cope with his guilt.^[16] Afterwards, Snow concealed Sejanus' cause of death and became an heir to the Plinth family in return for his friendship.^[17]

Mrs. Plinth[]

Mrs. Plinth adored Sejanus, showing gratitude to Snow for being kind to and looking out him. She cooked and baked food for Sejanus, his friends, and his allies, including his Peacekeeper squad.^[10] She was crippled with worry when Sejanus failed to come home at the start of the Games.^[9] After his death, Mrs. Plinth was devastated. Strabo stated that Sejanus' loss left her in need of something to live for.^[17]

Strabo Plinth[]

Strabo Plinth had a strained relationship with his son, but showed some degree of kindness and care for him. The reason he decided to move his family to the Capitol was because he personally believed it would give his son and grandchildren a better life.^[11] However, he largely misunderstood Sejanus, who would rather have lived back in District 2. Strabo resorted to bribes and corruption to give Sejanus the best opportunity, as a mentor and a spot at the Academy, a fact Sejanus was acutely aware of. Strabo tried to make Sejanus conform to Capitol standards, believing it best for him, but was was met with resistance from Sejanus. Although their relationship was tumultuous, Strabo greatly mourned his son's death, choosing Snow as his heir to fill the hole of his son had left.^[17]

Dr. Gaul[]

Dr. Gaul and Sejanus disliked one another, with Dr. Gaul taunting him constantly, mockingly calling him everything but his name.^[9] However, Dr. Gaul believed that Sejanus' compassion to be a good trait. Nevertheless, their disagreements regarding the Districts led to arguments, as Dr. Gaul disliked the Districts greatly, while Sejanus believed that the Districts and the Capitol should reunite.^[6] He regularly defied Dr. Gaul, disrespecting her and refusing to adhere to her requests. Dr. Gaul didn't care for Sejanus at all, showing no sympathy for his death,^[16] and only helped save Sejanus from the arena to prevent the potential fallout his death would have for the Capitol.^[9]

Marcus[]

Sejanus and Marcus were in the same class in District 2. When a young Sejanus shut his finger in a door, Marcus attempted to help him by collecting snow from a windowsill to bring down the swelling.^[4] However, when Sejanus left for the Capitol, Marcus grew to resent him, alongside much of the District. Marcus was resentful of Sejanus during much of the mentorship program before the Games, largely ignoring him. Sejanus made several attempts to talk to Marcus, plying him with food and treats, but Marcus never answered him.^[5]

When Marcus was put on display in the Capitol arena, hanging and badly beaten, Sejanus was so upset that he stepped out of character and flew into a rage, displaying the sympathy he felt for Marcus.^[15] Despite their unfriendly relationship, Sejanus still attempted to make amends and help Marcus, going so far as to break into the arena to sit vigil over his body. Marcus' death was the last nail in the coffin of Sejanus' tolerance for the Capitol, setting him on the road that would lead to his own grave.

Etymology[]

The name Sejanus likely comes from Lucius Aelius Sejanus, a Roman soldier and friend of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. He was also a prefect of the Praetorian Guard. Both Sejanus the character and his historical counterpart were executed for treason.

A plinth is a heavy base that supports a statue, vase, or column, coming from ancient Greco-Roman times. This can be a fitting surname as the Plinths supported the Capitol militarily during the Dark Days.

Trivia[]

• Sejanus's birthday was in mid to late October.^[17]
• Sejanus was disliked in the districts for having connections to the Capitol, and disliked in the Capitol for being from the districts.
• Sejanus originally wanted to be a medic, as he disliked the use of violence. His lean towards pacifism, in opposition to his family's role in the war, made his assignment as a Peacekeeper all the more punishing for him.
• Josh Andrés Rivera, the actor who portrays Sejanus in the film, is in a real life relationship with Rachel Zegler, the actress playing Lucy Gray Baird.

References[]