Compare the father in The Road by Cormac McCarthy to Katniss in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This is an interesting question.  The most obvious way
that the two characters are alike is that both of them get put into harsh
conditions--against their will, and most likely caused by human weakness, cruelty and
war--in which they have to survive.  They did not choose to be in those situations, and
in their environments, they have to survive against nature and human brutality.  Katniss
must fight for her life as others try to kill her, and the father has to do the same,
with the added stress of caring for his son along the way.  It is a kill or be killed
environment that they have to survive in.

Another
similarity between these two characters is their fortitude in difficult situations.  The
father, probably not a brutal or aggressive man by nature, hauls a gun around and uses
it and other weapons when he needs to in order to survive.  Katniss is the same; it's
not like she goes around hunting people for fun on her own time, but when required to,
she steps up to the plate.  They both demonstrate the ability to survive, using
fortitude and strength of character.

They are also both
protecting people they care about.  The father protects his son, and Katniss protects
Rue, and eventually Peeta.  This drives them to survive even more; they aren't just
doing it for themselves, they are doing it for someone
else.

Lastly, they both manage to hold on to their humanity
throughout their brutal circumstances.  The father could have easily turned to barbarism
to provide more meat and protection for himself and his son, but he refused, and even
taught his son about "the light" that he should carry within him at all times
(humanity).  Katniss manages to bring humor, love, compassion and selflessness to the
games, something that is rarely seen.  Despite her circumstances, she remains human,
exemplifying the positive traits rather than the
negative.

I hope that those thoughts help a bit; good
luck!