Famous philosopher, Plato, once said, “Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil”. What makes one evil? One’s harmful actions? Lack of empathy? Going against other’s morals? All acts of cruelty have one thing in common: ignorance. Ignorance of accepting others ideas. In the short stories, “The Lottery”, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, evil characters ignored the protagonists’ reasoning to stay alive. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, on a sunny Summer day, the whole village gathers together to attend their yearly tradition called the Lottery. Every family is entered, but only one family is chosen. Out of that family, one member will be randomly selected to be sacrificed for a good harvest.
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In “The Lottery”, Tessie Hutchinson tried to show the villagers how unreasonable the tradition of the Lottery was. The Lottery had been around as long as memories go back. The reasoning that led to them believing sacrificing one of their own would lead to a good harvest is unknown. On the seventy-seventh annual lottery, Tessie Hutchinson, a housewife, was selected. Now, a once loved member of their community, is being murdered by her own family and friends. She tried to change their minds, explaining their cruelness as she screamed, “You didn’t give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair” (Jackson 5). Tessie tried to reason with her friends and family how their system was unjust and they could do without it. Tessie realized how unfair the system was when she fully understood the consequences. The system was unfair because she was a member of their community, but so quickly, they turned on her. There was no proof that sacrificing a community member leads to a good harvest, but no one would listen to her. She was speaking to everyone, anyone who would take her ideas seriously. Dialogue is used to show how desperate Mrs. Hutchinson was for her life, and all she had left to do was speak up. Dialogue was continued to be utilized in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, when the …show more content…
In “Where Are You Going ,Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend had been stalking Connie ever since he laid eyes on her, and saw nothing wrong about his actions. When Connie’s parents and sister went out to a barbecue, she was home alone, creating a the perfect opportunity for Arnold Friend to stop by and reveal his intentions. Connie does not know one thing about the fake man who stood in her drive way, but he knew everything about her. Arnold revealed “I know your name and all about you, lots of things,’ ...He had not moved yet but stood still leaning back against the side of his jalopy. ‘I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl, and found out all about you- like I know your parents and sister are gone somewheres and I know where and how long they’re going to be gone, and I know who you were with last night, and your best girl friend’s name is Betty” (Oates 12). Arnold Friend reveals his truth to Connie, revealing his unreasonable actions that he sees nothing wrong with. O’Connor used dialogue to express that Arnold’s intentions were dangerous and unreasonable. He wanted to take Connie into his possession, and him saying that outloud to his victim and expecting her to be okay with that idea shows how sinister he is, and reveals how far he’ll go to
In “The Lottery”, Tessie Hutchinson tried to show the villagers how unreasonable the tradition of the Lottery was. The Lottery had been around as long as memories go back. The reasoning that led to them believing sacrificing one of their own would lead to a good harvest is unknown. On the seventy-seventh annual lottery, Tessie Hutchinson, a housewife, was selected. Now, a once loved member of their community, is being murdered by her own family and friends. She tried to change their minds, explaining their cruelness as she screamed, “You didn’t give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair” (Jackson 5). Tessie tried to reason with her friends and family how their system was unjust and they could do without it. Tessie realized how unfair the system was when she fully understood the consequences. The system was unfair because she was a member of their community, but so quickly, they turned on her. There was no proof that sacrificing a community member leads to a good harvest, but no one would listen to her. She was speaking to everyone, anyone who would take her ideas seriously. Dialogue is used to show how desperate Mrs. Hutchinson was for her life, and all she had left to do was speak up. Dialogue was continued to be utilized in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, when the …show more content…
In “Where Are You Going ,Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend had been stalking Connie ever since he laid eyes on her, and saw nothing wrong about his actions. When Connie’s parents and sister went out to a barbecue, she was home alone, creating a the perfect opportunity for Arnold Friend to stop by and reveal his intentions. Connie does not know one thing about the fake man who stood in her drive way, but he knew everything about her. Arnold revealed “I know your name and all about you, lots of things,’ ...He had not moved yet but stood still leaning back against the side of his jalopy. ‘I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl, and found out all about you- like I know your parents and sister are gone somewheres and I know where and how long they’re going to be gone, and I know who you were with last night, and your best girl friend’s name is Betty” (Oates 12). Arnold Friend reveals his truth to Connie, revealing his unreasonable actions that he sees nothing wrong with. O’Connor used dialogue to express that Arnold’s intentions were dangerous and unreasonable. He wanted to take Connie into his possession, and him saying that outloud to his victim and expecting her to be okay with that idea shows how sinister he is, and reveals how far he’ll go to