The Tradition of Pain The “The Lottery” (1948) by Shirley Jackson and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (1973) by Ursula Le Guin share a setting that is both similar and different from one another. In both stories, the writers use social constructs and deep ritualistic traditions to pave a setting for both stories. Though both traditions pertain to one individual, the basis of each tradition is different from the other through life and death. The first element of comparative analysis pertains to the setting of either story, specifically the traditions that shape the corresponding societies and how they are similar and different. In “The Lottery”, Jackson portrays a small town of a few hundred citizens, both children and adults, gathering
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The tradition shapes the social construct of the village, as it’s dependent on the crops that season. Even though they face the possibility of death, the villagers accept it because it is the social norm, and construct of the village. The motives behind the practice boils down to peer pressure and the fact that they’ve always done it. When questioned why, they were shot down and called a “pack of crazy fools”(628). The use of tradition to form the social structure in “The Lottery” is also prominent in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. Le Guin applies tradition similarly to Jackson by using it to engender the social constructs in her story, though the setting is entirely different. The role tradition plays in the setting of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, is comparable to that of “The Lottery” due to everything being dependent on one singular individual. The tradition Le Guin paints is based off the suffering of a little child. This child lives in a small cellar, fed a “half bowl of cornmeal and grease” (817) daily, lying in his “own excrement” (817). The entirety of Omelas “know it is there…” (817). While everybody knows something is there, not everybody knows what is there. Though they “all understand that their… depend wholly on this child’s …show more content…
Comparatively speaking, both send the same subliminal messages regarding authority and the integration of tradition into society, though both settings are entirely different. Both stories make apparent that society preys on those beneath us, like a pyramid. Le Guin’s story brings about a purpose that both entries send together. The individuals who choose to leave Omela, are described as “walking in darkness, heads down…”. They are disoriented with no specific destination, leaving the city of happiness because it is built upon injustice, even though they trade for an uncertain future. Le Guin is trying to make the reader ask if there is a better society/structure that would equate to happiness for all. The tradition in “The Lottery” takes this concept and makes the reader wonder, if there was a better social structure known, why wouldn’t they be practicing that. Jackson and Le Guin both tell the lesson to stand up to authority, and critique democracy in today’s society. Just because the majority participates in something, doesn’t mean it is the moral or right thing to
The tradition shapes the social construct of the village, as it’s dependent on the crops that season. Even though they face the possibility of death, the villagers accept it because it is the social norm, and construct of the village. The motives behind the practice boils down to peer pressure and the fact that they’ve always done it. When questioned why, they were shot down and called a “pack of crazy fools”(628). The use of tradition to form the social structure in “The Lottery” is also prominent in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. Le Guin applies tradition similarly to Jackson by using it to engender the social constructs in her story, though the setting is entirely different. The role tradition plays in the setting of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, is comparable to that of “The Lottery” due to everything being dependent on one singular individual. The tradition Le Guin paints is based off the suffering of a little child. This child lives in a small cellar, fed a “half bowl of cornmeal and grease” (817) daily, lying in his “own excrement” (817). The entirety of Omelas “know it is there…” (817). While everybody knows something is there, not everybody knows what is there. Though they “all understand that their… depend wholly on this child’s …show more content…
Comparatively speaking, both send the same subliminal messages regarding authority and the integration of tradition into society, though both settings are entirely different. Both stories make apparent that society preys on those beneath us, like a pyramid. Le Guin’s story brings about a purpose that both entries send together. The individuals who choose to leave Omela, are described as “walking in darkness, heads down…”. They are disoriented with no specific destination, leaving the city of happiness because it is built upon injustice, even though they trade for an uncertain future. Le Guin is trying to make the reader ask if there is a better society/structure that would equate to happiness for all. The tradition in “The Lottery” takes this concept and makes the reader wonder, if there was a better social structure known, why wouldn’t they be practicing that. Jackson and Le Guin both tell the lesson to stand up to authority, and critique democracy in today’s society. Just because the majority participates in something, doesn’t mean it is the moral or right thing to