Essay Comparing The Lottery And The Hunger Games

Improved Essays
Dystopian literature has become popular among young adults in recent years. One such story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, was written many years ago in 1948, but remains influential today. “The Lottery” is set in a rural village setting where each year, one person is chosen to die by stoning. “The Lottery” is a famous dystopian classic, but modern books can be great too. There have been many popular Young Adult dystopian novels, but the one that stands out is “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. “The Hunger Games” is set in a post-apocalyptic future where people are split into districts and two from each are selected to compete each year. Both of these stories have helped define the dystopian genre. While the two share some similarities, like the concept of the lottery, there are several differences, like who is up for the drawing, that can be found in both stories. …show more content…
In both stories, whoever is picked will be put in a deadly situation. From “The Hunger Games”, “Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death” (Collins 18). Several competitors are chosen to fight to the death with only one survivor. A line from “The Lottery”, “Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her” (Jackson 6). The villagers stone whoever is picked to death as part of the ritual. These pieces of evidence show how these two stories are similar in concept. Likewise, the two stories have several differences as well, like who is up for the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" and Suzanne Collins' novel The Hunger Games, both authors agree, by the use of divergent approaches, that conformity can lead to decisions one disapproves of which often lead to dangerous situations. In both "The Lottery" and The Hunger Games, the authors portray the dangers of blind allegiances on society and describe the ways conformity could end up harming many individuals. Jackson depicts savagery by the performance of a murderous yearly event which results in the stoning of a randomly-picked member of the village. The cruelty of the stoning tradition illustrates how the villagers have gotten so used to the idea of obeying the tradition that they have forgotten to follow their own morals: "Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (par. 265).…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One similarity from both stories, In both stories they both have specific…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins takes place in a post apocalyptic society where the only way to keep the “districts” in check is by hosting an annual program, known as a celebration, called The Hunger Games. During The Hunger Games one male and one female between the ages of 12-17 are chosen from each district. They are forced to fight to the death until only one remains as the victor. This year Katniss Everdeen, a poor girl from district 12, volunteers to take her sister’s place in the games. Katniss uses her wit and survival skills to conquer the games along with her new love interest, Peeta.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Hunger Games are a way to show the power of the government and flaunt it. Not much is forbidden and there are few rules, and there is only one person in a top position of power, but there are sizable differences between the classes. This makes it an unfair society to attempt to live in. The societies the two characters live in are…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Major difference between the two short stories are the sense of which the murders occur by tradition opposed to one’s selfishness.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the dystopian novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the country of Panem is ruled by the futuristic city called the Capitol and they rule the Districts 1-12. Every year in Panem two people, tributes, are picked to compete in a battle to the death called The Hunger Games which was created as a punishment for the Districts rebelling against the Capitol. We follow the tributes for District 12, Katniss and Peeta, and their lives before and throughout the Games. The Hunger Games has come a long way.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The book “The Lottery” and the book “The Hunger Games” have several similarities in the way that every year innocent people get murdered. But they have many differences at the same time in the way that in “The Lottery” once someone has drawn that card with the black dot they are sentenced to be stoned by their fellow villagers with no help to stay alive, yet in “The Hunger Games” during the games the sponsors that someone has gained are able to send thing out to them on the battlefield to help keep them alive. Both of these authors have set the facts that nobody has to go to horrible measures just to stay alive but at the same time anything can happen…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is a 374-paged science fiction novel. The book, written in the perspective of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, takes place in the post-apocalyptic society of Panem, North America. At this time, Panem is divided into 12 Districts, with The Capitol having all political power. Every year, The Capitol runs a national event known as “The Hunger Games.” During the Games, two tributes from each district — one boy and one girl from ages 12 to 18 — are involuntarily chosen to participate in a fight to the death, crowning one person as the victor. One of the contestants is protagonist Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the Games.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Hunger Games 1984 Analysis

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One of these novels, The Hunger Games, depicted a post-war nation ruled by a totalitarian government that divided its nation into 12 districts that each completed distinct tasks for the government. The Hunger Games and 1984 share many similarities in their core elements, plot, and characters. Specific parallel themes include the authority over the people, the rebellious characterization of the protagonist, and the large divide between the rich and the poor. Authority depicts the first parallel theme between the two novels. In both novels, some sort of overarching power had complete control over the lower-standing citizens.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Hunger Games and 1984 are two great novels depicted of a dystopian lifestyle. Both have numerous similarities relating them and nevertheless differences that help show their individualities. The Hunger Games takes place in the totalitarian nation of Panem that is divided into 12 districts and the Capitol. Every year, from each district two young people are selected by lottery to participate and represent their district in the annual Hunger Games.…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The people of the Capitol are amazed as these teens are killing each other for the win. As Collins states “To make it humiliating as well as torturous, the Capitol requires us to treat The Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every district against the others. The last tribute alive receives a life of ease back home, and their district will be showered with prizes, largely consisting of food. All year, the Capitol will show the winning district gifts of grain and oil and even delicacies like sugar while the rest of us battle starvation” ( Collins 19). Collins is saying that the Hunger Games is a sport where each tribute fights against each other to win goods from the Capitol and will gain fame and be recognized.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although the stories use different perspectives for the development of theme, both stories share a common…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Set in 1948 and published in The New Yorker, the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson describes an annual ritual, in a small village that leads to death for an unlucky winner. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” follows the genre conventions of a classic dystopian short story through the use of symbolism and connection between specific themes from the story to many common, yet profound and complex characteristics of dystopian literature in order to implicitly and thoughtfully convince the audience to protest against the dehumanization of society and random, pointless killings as well as become aware of the government. In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to show the dehumanization of the villagers. Shirley Jackson introduces the story to the audience with a warm and pleasant approach to suggest that the lottery is just another typical annual celebration, where the winner will obtain valuable prizes.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “The Hunger Games” takes place in the dystopian society of Panem, which is divided into twelve districts and a ‘Capitol’.…

    • 2099 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    -What is the lottery? -What dangerous the lottery can be? - What the author was to tell about writing “the lottery” -what the winner of the lottery won? Answer: _…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays