Similarities Between The Lottery And Young Goodman Brown

1301 Words3 Pages

Using “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne an analysis of othering and outsiders within disparate societies has been provided. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the protagonist is more justified in the stand they take than the protagonist in Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Mrs. Hutchinson is more justified in her stand because she is basing her stand on a real-life event that impacts the lives of the whole community while Young Goodman Brown shuns and judges everyone for a reality that he does not know is real to begin with. Both protagonists take stands against their perceived injustices: Mrs. Hutchinson by speaking up against the lottery and Young Goodman Brown by shutting himself …show more content…

In “The Lottery”, the unjust circumstance that Mrs. Hutchinson faces is a gruesome tradition that takes human lives, she takes a stand by protesting the tradition and giving hope for a world without it. On the day that the lottery took place, Mrs. Hutchinson “forgot what day it was,”, she was so concerned with everything but the lottery that she forgets it even took place. When she finally made it to the lottery no one noticed her absence because everyone was so concerned with their odds at winning the lottery. Mrs. Delacroix was the only one that noticed Mrs. Hutchinson’s absence when she showed up, ‘You’re in time, though. They’re still talking away up there.’ In “The Lottery”, after the lottery was drawn, a lot changed. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Hutchinson, she would be the unlucky winner of the lottery and would reveal to everyone in the village that she was the winner. On the contrary, in “Young Goodman Brown” Young Goodman Brown faces the circumstance of existentialist questioning that results in him isolating himself from his counterparts in the …show more content…

Hutchinson was incredibly selfish. Before Mrs. Hutchinson was selected as the winner of the lottery she did not care about the lottery and its effect on people. The lottery was so horrendous and gruesome that the residents of the community started to numb its effects on them and someone had to take a stand against it. Almost everyone was opposed to the surficial components of the lottery, but no one bothered to speak up since it was expected for everyone to support the tradition. Mrs. Hutchinson is more justified in her stand because she is basing her stand on an event that impacts her life as well as the lives within the community while Young Goodman Brown shuns and judges everyone for a reality that he does not know to be real. Mrs. Hutchinson is selfish, but in that given circumstance, anyone would want to save their own lives if it was being jeopardized especially in the moment; for Young Goodman Brown, the woods were rumored as a dream yet he outcasts everyone from his life. The concept of the lottery is so bad that even if her protest is selfish, someone must make a

Show More
Related

  • Conformity in Society Exposed in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Lottery, year after year, even since Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was a child, the same ritual has gone on. It is as if the community never learns from its previous mistakes. As long as no one in the town speaks up about such a twisted yearly event, nothing is ever going to change. If Martin Luther King or Malcolm X wouldn’t have raised their voices against the prejudice that they had experienced their entire lives, we might still be living in a segregated world, which was once thought to be “okay.” This is similar to The Lottery, in which the townspeople are brainwashed into believing that this ritual is normal. For example, Old Man Warner is outraged when he hears that the north village might give up the lottery, calling...

    Read More

  • Conformity In Harrison Bergeron, The Lottery, By Kurt Vonnegut

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    Almost all books have dozens of themes and elements in play that are open to interpretation, but a skillful reader will often be able to pull out a common theme between many different writers and their stories. Although they have very different plots with vastly different characters, a shared idea is cleverly intertwined by the authors of the following stories. “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut narrates a world where no one is allowed to excel in anything, everyone is made equal by scarring natural advantages such as beauty or intelligence, and the government imposes this austerely. “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson shows the story of a town preparing to conduct an age-old barbaric tradition, even though the reasons for the tradition are neither unknown, nor beneficial. The townspeople are determined and compelled, to follow this ritual through. The poem “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, a profound statement about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. “Harrison Bergeron”, “The Lottery”, and “Harlem” all share a common subject which is the danger and the burden of conformity is this: If an unjust system prevails with the support of the masses, the tyranny by the majority rules.

    Read More

  • Comparing Symbols and Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    lottery. She needs not give any explanation to the name, as it speaks for itself

    Read More

  • Identity in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Isaac Babel’s My First Goose

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson opens on a warm June day in unnamed village where people are waiting for the annual event which is the lottery. This ‘tradition’ is also held in other surrounding towns for a long time. Everyone in the town, including the children, participates in this event, yet not all of them are satisfied about it. Meanwhile some people show their dissatisfaction, yet they are unable to criticize this act directly. During the process of the lottery, which does not take more than couple of hours, some of the characters such as Mrs. Dunbar , Mr. and Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Hutchinson question the lottery, yet they are not voicing their protest clearly. This vagueness in showing dissatisfaction is related to the idea that most of the people in the town are accepting this ‘outdated’ trad...

    Read More

  • Young Goodman Brown And The Lottery Comparison Essay

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    The plot in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery” are surprisingly similar in many ways. Such as how they start, in “Young Goodman Brown” it starts off in an happy town. With him kissing his wife and being very loving of her and the townspeople being excited for “Young Goodman Brown”. It took a dark turn when Young

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing The Lottery And Young Goodman Brown

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jackson in her story, “The Lottery”, describes how society and villagers preserve the tradition of lottery without even knowing its origin. Hawthorne, in his story, “Young Goodman Brown” describes the presence of corruption and evil in the society. Both stories have common ideas such as corruption in our society, continuation of barbarous and unethical old traditions, and failure of people in handling those barbarous actions. Both stories have a common theme of evil and darkness but they are presented in different manners. This paper discusses similarities and differences in “The Lottery” and “Young Goodman Brown” by analyzing different literary elements. Jackson, in her story, questions beliefs of individuals, their actions, and blind faith towards old barbaric traditions by using an evil theme and symbolism. Hawthorne adopted a different approach to show presence of evil in our society by showing the inner struggle of the lead character.

    Read More

  • The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    370 Words  | 1 Pages

    As soon as all the families had drawn, no one moved. Everyone just stood still waiting to see who got picked to be in the final drawing. "Then the voices began to say, `It's Hutchinson. It's Bill,' `Bill Hutchinson got it (The Lottery, pg. 5)." From a readers point of view this would be the greatest thing that could have ever happened to them, but not in this case. Moving forward in the story, Mrs. Hutchinson is found yelling, "It wasn't fair!" and "You didn't give him time to choose any paper he wanted (The Lottery, pg. 5)." People in the crowd were telling her to "be a good sport. All of us took the same chance (The Lottery, pg. 5)." Mrs. Hutchinson did not like the responses at all. She even demanded that her married daughter draw in the final round with them. This was only to lessen her chances of getting picked in the end.

    Read More

  • Use Of Archetypes In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Lottery” is a satire that is meant to shock and provoke readers with the prospect that societal contentment and tradition can evoke the emersion of illogical and harmful actions. The author, Shirley Jackson, understands that the proper use of symbolism and character archetypes is followed by a more impactful story. “The Lottery” opens with children who are out of school for summer break “[on a clear and sunny… day.” (Jackson, 1948, p. 221). Such an innocuous, familiar scene, might elicit from the reader nostalgic, whimsical memories of childhood play. Appropriately, the children in this story represent the innocent, susceptible future generation of the town. They do not seem to fully fathom the severity of the lottery or the abhorrent nature of the violence associated with the town’s traditions. For this reason, the reader most likely develops an expectation that this story will be a pleasant and optimistic one that takes place on a beautiful sunny day and involves the laughter and tomfoolery of young happy kids.

    Read More

  • Theme of the Unexpected in The Lottery

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    What thoughts come to mind when you think of "The Lottery?" Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, "The Lottery." Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, instead they are gambling for their life. A shock that surprises the reader as she unveils this horrifying tradition in the village on this beautiful summer day. This gamble for their life is a result of tradition, a tradition that is cruel and inhumane, yet upheld in this town. Shirley Jackson provides the reader’s with a graphic description of violence, cruelty, and inhumane treatment which leads to the unexpected meaning of "The Lottery." Born in San Francisco, Jackson began writing early in her life. She won a poetry prize at age twelve and continued writing through high school. In 1937 she entered Syracuse University, where she published stories in the student literary magazine. After marriage to Stanley Edgar Hyman, a notable literary critic, she continued to write. Her first national publication “My Life with R.H. Macy” was published in The New Republic in 1941but her best-known work is “The Lottery.”(Lit Links or Reagan). Jackson uses characterization and symbolism to portray a story with rising action that surprises the reader with the unexpected odd ritual in the village. While one would expect “The Lottery” to be a positive event, the reader’s are surprised with a ritual that has been around for seventy-seven years , demonstrating how unwilling people are to make changes in their everyday life despite the unjust and cruel treatment that is associated with this tradi...

    Read More

  • Analysis of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the theme of the story is dramatically illustrated by Jackson’s unique tone. Once a year the villagers gather together in the central square for the lottery. The villagers await the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box. Within the black box are folded slips of paper, one piece having a black dot on it. All the villagers then draw a piece of paper out of the box. Whoever gets the paper with the black dot wins. Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery! Everyone then closes in on her and stones her to death. Tessie Hutchinson believes it is not fair because she was picked. The villagers do not know why the lottery continues to exist. All they know is that it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. In “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays three main themes including tradition, treason, and violence.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice.  The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens.  On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate.  Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice.  Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about.  Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting.  Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery,' irony is a major theme. This story is about a town full of elitist snobs that are stuck on their tradition of a lottery, even though it is a grim ritual and rather detrimental to the people in the town. The characters are honoring a tradition that is handed down to them from former generations. The reader is led through the outwardly normal and charming little village, and is taken on a ride of ironic horror as they slowly grasp the annual fate of one the village?s inhabitants. The title ?The Lottery? implies a contest with a winner of some kind, like a sweepstakes. When in reality the winner is actually the loser or person that will die by stoning. At the beginning of this story, the main character, Mrs. Hutchinson, is in favor of the lottery. The atmosphere of the town is casual yet anxious. Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late because she ?clean forgot? what day it is. This seems quite impossible to any reader that anyone would forget a day like lottery day. Her procrastination is reasonable but her excuse is lame. Mrs. Hutchinson complains that her husband, Bill, ?didn?t have enough time to choose.? And that the results of the drawing were not fair. In these statements, she is implying that the other villagers had more time to choose, and in fact given an advantage over the Hutchinson family. In reality, time had little to do with the drawing of the ?slips of paper.? As soon as they hold the second drawing, Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen. This is the climax of irony of this story. Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen for the lottery. She is shocked and astounded, having believed that she couldn?t possibly be chosen for the lottery. She begs or mercy, but the townspeople are strict with keeping to their traditions and her pleas of mercy fall on deaf ears and she is stoned to death.

    Read More

  • The Lottery and Human Behavior

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Gardner, Janet E.; Lawn, Beverly; Ridl, Jack; Schakel, Pepter. 3rd Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 242-249. Print.

    Read More

  • Blind Obedience in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author of “The Lottery” wrote this story “to shock the story’s readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives” (Jackson 211). This story reflects human behavior in society to show how although rules, laws or traditions do not make sense, people follow them. Throughout the story the three main symbols of how people blindly follow senseless traditions were the lottery itself, the color black, and the hesitation that people had towards the prize.

    Read More

  • Literary Elements In The Lottery

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the beginning of the story it starts out seeming like an ordinary civilized community where everyone gets along. In the first sentence of the story “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.”(Jackson). Even though the towns people knew what day it was and what happens on July 27th they had no problem with gathering in the town center to get the lottery under way. The kids would start gathering first, then the men, and then the women and they all would present themselves wearing nice cloths as if attending a special event. This became such a tradition that people even forgot about it and this is made evident when Mrs. Hutchinson said “and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running" (Jackson). Mrs. Hutchinson had put a target on her back from then on because she was seen as an outsider or not normal because she had joined the group late. “The villagers’ blind acceptance of the lottery has allowed ritual murder to become part of their town fabric.” (Sparknote

    Read More

More about Similarities Between The Lottery And Young Goodman Brown

Open Document