In Chapter 4 of "The Hunger Games," the main character, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, wakes up on the morning of the Reaping, a day when the tributes for the Hunger Games are chosen. Katniss lives in the impoverished District 12, one of the districts in the dystopian nation of Panem, which was formed after the destruction of North America. The Hunger Games are a brutal annual event in which one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each district to fight to the death in a controlled arena, until only one tribute remains.
As Katniss gets ready for the Reaping, she reflects on her family and her current situation. Her father died in a mining accident years earlier, and her mother is emotionally distant due to the loss. Katniss and her younger sister, Prim, rely on each other for support and are close to their neighbor, Gale, who helps provide for their family by hunting in the woods outside the district's boundaries.
At the Reaping, the name of the female tribute is drawn first, and to Katniss's horror, it is Prim's name that is called. Katniss immediately volunteers to take Prim's place as tribute, knowing that she has a better chance of survival due to her hunting skills and knowledge of plants. The male tribute is then chosen, and it is Peeta Mellark, a boy from Katniss's school who once saved her life by giving her bread when her family was starving.
As Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol to prepare for the Hunger Games, they are accompanied by their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, a former Hunger Games winner from District 12 who is now drunk and resentful of his role in the Games. The three of them are joined by Effie Trinket, their escort from the Capitol, who is overly cheerful and oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
As they travel to the Capitol, Katniss struggles to come to terms with the fact that she will have to kill or be killed in the Hunger Games. She also begins to develop feelings for Peeta, despite the fact that they are supposed to be enemies in the Games.
Overall, Chapter 4 sets the stage for the rest of the novel, as Katniss is thrust into the brutal world of the Hunger Games and must navigate complex relationships and challenges in order to survive.