Predestination versus Free Will

Jem is caught up in the question of predestination versus free will from the time she realizes the numbers she sees are indications of the date of that person's death. Jem sees it as a curse and instinctively realizes she can't share the information with others even when some beg her for their dates. Jem and Spider have conversations about the topic as well. Early in the story, a teacher tells the members of Jem's class they are destined for dead-end jobs, welfare and crime. He makes the predictions as a means of trying to motivate the students to apply themselves, but some of the students know he's right and believe they can't achieve more no matter how hard they try. When Spider is shaken out of his home and leaves his burgeoning life of crime behind, he thanks Jem for it. Jem struggles most...