Essay Comparing The Most Dangerous Game And The Lottery

A brief description of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is every June, in a small village, a raffle takes place to select the victim of their sacrificial ritual in the name of crop prosperity. To summarize Richard Connell's “The Most Dangerous Game”, Sanger Rainsford is castaway on an island populated solely by General Zaroff and his ally Ivan. Zaroff became dissatisfied with the big game he previously hunted and turned to “hunting” the people trapped on his islet. Within both pieces, the theme of desensitization to violence is present throughout. Points of the narrative that separate “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Lottery” are, the type of conflict, the antagonists reasons, and how they justify their actions. As consequence of the type …show more content…
General Zaroff chooses to hurt people because he has grown disinterested in hunting game due to his level of skill. Zaroff explains his predicament to Rainsford, “‘But the animal, General Zaroff?’ ‘Oh,’ said the general, ‘it (people) supplies me with the most exciting hunting in the world. No other hunting compares with it for an instant. Every day I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry with which I can match my wits.’” This interaction tells us that Zaroff justifies murder because of his own feelings. Contrarily, The people of the town believe the sacrifice of someone guarantees a successful crop that season. Old Man Warner explains this to Me. Adams, “Old Man Warner snorted. ‘Pack of crazy fools, he said. ‘Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.’” Contrasting Zaroff’s self-serving reason, the townspeople believes the ritual benefits everyone. This all coincides with the original theme because they conclude their rituals are rewarding and therefore,