Stories are different in many ways, but there are also ways to compare them. Themes are a common way to compare stories by different authors, or character actions as well. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and in “Dead Men's Path” by Chinua Achebe, there are many themes between the two, but the theme of tradition seems to come up in both. Chinua Achebe’s “Dead Men’s Path” theme can be defined as a conflict between traditional values and modern principles. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” theme can be defined as the danger of following tradition. These two stories are completely different from one another but at the same time, has the same theme. Throughout the rest of this paper, I will compare the two stories, while also discussing the approaches …show more content…
Throughout the story, I believe that the characters do feel the same way about the theme. In, the story, the priest said “this path was here before you were born and before your father was born. The whole life of the village depends on it. Our dead relatives depart by it and our ancestors visit us by it. But most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born…”(Achebe, 188 paragraph 17) These lines throughout the novel show evidence of traditional values and modern principles conflicting. Another example is at the end of the story when Obi goes to find everything he has done around the school torn up. The two main characters, Obi and the Priest, are affected the same way because Obi wants to make the school look pretty and nice, while the priest wants to continue to follow the tradition from the past. The setting of the story plays a role with the theme, because when the school is described as “the beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right round the school, the flowers trampled to death and one of the school buildings pulled down…” (Achebe, 189. Paragraph 22) it helps to connect with the theme tradition, keeping things the same way, not modernizing anything. The theme of a conflict between traditional values and modern principles helps the story to be defined, and as a reader to be able to connect with the story. In the story, ‘the path’ is a great example of an symbol that helps with the theme. I think the path represents the tradition of using the path for years upon years no matter what the path looks like. The setting also contributes with the symbol of the path to define the theme. This is because having that visual image of what the university looks like, how the path is set up, and how messy everything is around, defines the theme
In society, the motives behind people partaking in violence and crime vary. Individuals may act for survival, peer pressure, religion, or even culture and tradition. Two short stories, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, both portray tradition in their themes. By exploring violence, brutality, and death within these traditions, similarities and differences emerge between the two tales.
In the story, The Lottery, there are many signs of duality of human nature. Many of the characters appear to be affected by the lottery at first, but towards the end their feelings start to change. Tessie, Mr.Summers, and Mrs.Delacroix all show two sides of humanity and they all generally appear to be good natured people, but are they really?
Utopian literature is characterized by being a place where you are free and everyone is free. Most people in a utopia are happy. However, in the story of “The Pedestrian” and “The Lottery,” the rebel rebels against the system and is punished as a result. In both stories, it seems there is a utopia but as the rebels speak out it, it is revealed that the society is, instead, a dystopia.
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.
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, and the movie "The Village" directed by M. Night Shyamalan, deal with the same theme; the danger related with following traditions and rituals blindly. In both cases, the townspeople are deceived into believing the established systems and values, the elders are not questionned and many ploys are used to keep the followers in line.
Symbolism shows the reader that there is a deeper message within the diction. “The Lottery” addresses the theme more successfully than “The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas” with the greater use of religious and traditional symbolism. The symbolisms in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” are various, but “The Lottery” uses symbolism for personal appeal and also makes a deeper connection between the symbols and the theme, making the short story more successful.
Compare and Contrast! Well, you use it on a daily right? The stories “The Lottery” and “The Landlady” are two stories that you can compare and contrast. Some examples of comparisons are that both of the stories use violence, and that they both end with a plot twist no one was expecting. One example of a contrast in both of these stories is that they use their imagery differently. How are these stories alike and how are they different?
Though many societies are different from each other in appearance, they have more aspects in common than some may expect. This is very true in the societies in the movie, The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross, and the short story, “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson. The Hunger Games is about the struggle of a young woman who is trying to survive a deadly competition between multiple people drawn and nominated to fight to the death for sport due to a failed revolt against the government. “The Lottery” is a story about how families are picked at random with one member getting stoned to death and how a young woman decides to stand up to her society. Both The Hunger Games and “The Lottery” have many similarities in regards to tradition
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.
The first important theme in the novel is the significance of tradition. In the story, keeper tells, how tradition is transferred from one generation to the other generation. For example, he explains “drum like this always belongs to the people. Same as the song you sing with it. Old man taught me some of
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison displays a few specific themes through the story which are easy to depict. A few themes from this story are, first racism and finding his self identity, then the danger of fighting stereotype with stereotype, and last blindness. These themes play an important role in the story to better help the reader understand it.
The theme in a story is the message or big idea that the author is trying to reveal in his or her narrative. If there was no underlining theme in Sherman Alexie’s short story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” then readers would have no interest in reading the fictional story. Understanding the message that Alexie is trying to display to his readers can vary in many ways and depends on the reader 's understanding of the story. Strong themes that are presented in the fictional tale are man versus self conflict, family, and tribal identity. Victor is a tribal member that has had a rough life and has to deal with his father passing away. Not only does he have to come to terms with his father 's death, but he also has to face his
In comparing and contrasting the short stories “Everyday Use” written by Alice Walker and “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, tradition is carried on throughout the generations. Symbols are often used in these short stories to convey these messages of tradition and heritage. Rebellious characters are also found in both of the stories, trying to alter traditions to meet their own personal expectations. However, in contrast “The Lottery” is a much more barbaric story that does not reveal the cruelty until the end of the story. The story involves an entire village of families following a tradition. “Everyday Use” is not as tragic, it deals with a conflict within a single family unit.
“The Lottery” is a story which shows the complexity and capability of human behavior. Something immoral, like stoning a person to death once a year, is a normal occurrence. The main character, Tessie Hutchinson, is the victim of the lottery. Tessie is a character with a number of seemingly good characteristics, yet her surrounding culture rejects these characteristics. The majority of the people in the village has opposite attitudes and beliefs in comparison to Tessie’s. These attitudes and beliefs reflect her personal desires which quickly struggle against the culture’s expectations. Tessie is unlike the other villagers; she is initially indifferent to the lottery indicating her desires are unrelated to the lottery. Upon winning the lottery, Tessie changes and her personal desires to survive and reject the lottery emerge in her selfishness and outspoken personality. These struggles against the village’s expectations are shown through the culture’s emphasis on tradition and small town ties.
Death can come in many ways. It can be sudden, or over a strenuous period of time. It can seem random, but sometimes is planned and thought out. There are just about as many ways to deal with death, as there are ways to die. While both The lottery and The Story of an Hour explore the theme of death and grief, The lottery tells a tale of the sacrificial death for a community (necessary, no grief) while The Story of an Hour depicts the natural death of a loved one (grief, but, later, revelation) and how we eventually come to terms with it.