The Reaping in The Hunger Gamesand The Ceremony of Twelves from The Giverare both ceremonies that limit individual choice and demonstrate the anxiety and fear that can occur when people do not have control over their destinies. In The Hunger Games,The Reaping is an annual ceremony that every child must participate in to determine which children will be selected as the district’s tributes in the hunger games, a fight to the death between 24 children across the country. Katniss’ reflections during The Reaping demonstrate that she resents the way in which she has no choice but to be entered in the drawing, and she expresses disdain for her government because of the power that they yield over her. Although she demonstrates some personal choice by volunteering in her sister, Prim’s, place, because she is essentially volunteering to die, one can conclude that she feels as though she has no real options to live a meaningful life in her society. In a similar way, the Elders of Jonas’ community control the decisions for its people. In The Ceremony of Twelves, the Elders determine the jobs for each twelveyearold in the community. Following the ceremony, the children begin to train for their assigned profession. Jonas expresses his fear and nervousness about this assignment, both in his reflections before the ceremony and in his conversation with his parents. He is concerned that the Elders will assign him a position he does not like, and recognizes that decisions made by the Elders are not easy to change. As a result, he feels anxiety for the future because he does not have control. Although Jonas does not face or fear death like Katniss, both individuals feel a sense of fear and lack of control as a result of their societies.
