“The Tell Tale Heart”, by Edgar Allan Poe, is about a man that murders his elderly neighbor. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a yearly lottery drawing by a town that turns deadly, where the “victor” gets stoned to death. Both short stories have murder in common, one that follows the act made by the individual and the other that follows the community collectively committing murder. Both authors’ identify the horrific acts, follow how these events affect the characters psychologically, and relate them to personal and societal issues.
Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Tell Tale Heart” to provide an idea of paranoia and mental deterioration. In the short story, the narrator becomes irritated with the eye of the old man that lives next door. The …show more content…
It all seems in good nature until it is revealed that individuals are in fact persecuted at random, and the victim is guilty of no law breaking other than having drawn the wrong slip of paper from a box. The elaborate ritual of the lottery is designed so that all villagers have the same chance of becoming the victim—even children are at risk. Each year, someone new is chosen and killed, in fact stoned, and no family is safe. In this story, the unfortunate victor is Tessie Hutchinson, who claims that it is not fair, while the villagers circle around her and being to throw stones at her …show more content…
One town member mentions that other cities have gotten rid of the lottery. When Old Man Warner hears this, he says, “Pack of crazy fools. […] 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” (Jackson 393). Old Man Warner is so brainwashed by the tradition that he fears, and knows, the villagers will return to barbaric times if they stop the lottery all together. After Old Man Warner says this statement, the townspeople seem to let the issue go and go on with the lottery. As they have demonstrated, they feel powerless to change anything, although there is no one forcing them to keep things the same. The townspeople do not have a reason for participating in the lottery other than it has been rationalized through the years and grants the justification they need to continue the horrible process. Jackson indirectly relates this short story and its theme to today’s society. Many people nowadays blindly follow tradition and it comes at a cost. There are many laws and policies that are in place that do not really apply anymore. Some people cannot seem to realize that not everything has to be set in stone and that they do have the power to make a change.
Overall, Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson brought to life pieces of works, “The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Lottery”
Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Tell Tale Heart” to provide an idea of paranoia and mental deterioration. In the short story, the narrator becomes irritated with the eye of the old man that lives next door. The …show more content…
It all seems in good nature until it is revealed that individuals are in fact persecuted at random, and the victim is guilty of no law breaking other than having drawn the wrong slip of paper from a box. The elaborate ritual of the lottery is designed so that all villagers have the same chance of becoming the victim—even children are at risk. Each year, someone new is chosen and killed, in fact stoned, and no family is safe. In this story, the unfortunate victor is Tessie Hutchinson, who claims that it is not fair, while the villagers circle around her and being to throw stones at her …show more content…
One town member mentions that other cities have gotten rid of the lottery. When Old Man Warner hears this, he says, “Pack of crazy fools. […] 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” (Jackson 393). Old Man Warner is so brainwashed by the tradition that he fears, and knows, the villagers will return to barbaric times if they stop the lottery all together. After Old Man Warner says this statement, the townspeople seem to let the issue go and go on with the lottery. As they have demonstrated, they feel powerless to change anything, although there is no one forcing them to keep things the same. The townspeople do not have a reason for participating in the lottery other than it has been rationalized through the years and grants the justification they need to continue the horrible process. Jackson indirectly relates this short story and its theme to today’s society. Many people nowadays blindly follow tradition and it comes at a cost. There are many laws and policies that are in place that do not really apply anymore. Some people cannot seem to realize that not everything has to be set in stone and that they do have the power to make a change.
Overall, Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson brought to life pieces of works, “The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Lottery”