Comparing Cruelty In All Summer In A Day And Thirteen Reasons Why

“Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.” (George Eliot) In the world today, cruelty is everywhere. People in every city and every home are attacked in large and small ways by thoughtless actions of others each day. While it is true that there is cruelty in every human being, at the same time, kindness can attempt to repair what hate disturbs. However, without kindness, people impacted by cruelty have nothing that can protect them from a complete loss of hope. No place or circumstance anywhere is safe from pain, and this explains why it is a driving factor in so many pieces of literature. “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury and “Thirteen Reasons Why” both are centered around the idea of cruelty. They approach consequences of this similarly, as they both feature a main character who feels powerless against what pain others bring upon them, and cannot recognize joy in their lives. They differ in how characters react to cruelty and how they realize how they are hurting others. …show more content…
The main character Margot is consumed by never-ending flrainstorms, and deeply longs to see the Sun when it appears every seven years. However, when this day comes, the other children, who hate her sorrow and differences, lock her into a closet until the sun is gone and she has no hope of seeing it. The cruelty of the school children produces the theme that being cruel to another person has consequences that are damaging and irreversible. When they act out of hate and keep Margot from seeing her one wish, they destroy her, and only regret it later when the rain returns and Margot was robbed of the chance of witnessing the only thing that she