English

The authors in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson show death as an inevitable part of life, which can occur by the hands of those who care. The old man in Poe’s story and Mrs. Hutchinson in Jackson’s story are never expecting that death has come for them. At midnight, the old man wakes up because of a sound and begins to come up with rational reasons for the occurrence of the noise. Poe’s protagonist is standing outside of the old man’s door, silently, listening to the old man say, “It is nothing but wind in the chimney or it is merely a cricket which has made a chirp”(Poe 1); unaware that the protagonist is behind his door waiting for the optimum moment to attack and suffocate the old man using his own bed. Likewise, Bill Hutchinson’s family has been suddenly chosen as the winner’s of the lottery and his wife, Mrs. Hutchinson, is chosen as the sacrifice for the sake of good crops and harvest; this is a tradition and a belief in the village the Hutchinson’s belong to and is fulfilled every year for many generations. The Hutchinson’s are chosen in an instant, which does not allow Mrs. Hutchinson to realize what she is saying, “Get up there Bill Hutchinson” (Jackson 299); unable to understand a member of her family will lose their life for the sake of good crops and harvest. Both these innocent characters are unaware that death is just a few moments away. Also they lose their lives to than hands of those who care for them. Poe’s protagonist “loved the old man” but decides to take his life because the old man has an eye that resembles a vulture’s eye, which he feels as a threat. The protagonist’s words contradict his actions as he “made up [his] mind to take the life of the old man, and thus...

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...e Navy Hydroplane, looked at each other and grinned.” (Thurber 33), Walter Mitty creates many scenarios throughout his day, in which he does amazing tasks like driving the boat. Zhong Yu isolates herself from her daughter, in peace and quite where she can go to her ideal fantasy life. Reading books written by her favorite writer Chekov is the method Zhong Yu uses to escape reality, imagining she is within the book or with the writer. “She never tired of reading him. Why for over years, had she had to read him every single day” (Jie 42); always trying to stay find time in her day to be with the love she never found. Both characters find and create ways to isolate themselves, so they can live in their ideal imaginary life. Both main character must not be satisfied with the outcomes of their lives in reality and create fictional lives to satisfy the desire of success.