Short Story Comparison Essay
In a society ruled by the rich and powerful, one cannot simply question traditions and habits that were followed for centuries past, and centuries to come. If you challenge rituals and have no evidence that they are wrong, then you were deemed an alienated member of the society ruled by an obscured judgement of the government. In the short stories The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Watchers by Florence Engel Randall, two women who did not follow the accustomed lifestyle of the rest of society, eventually paid for their actions with their lives. Societies whose citizens blindly follow what they believe is the norm do not rebel, or are afraid to, because of the likelihood of the consequences, such as being ignored, …show more content…
Firstly, in such a society, one cannot question rituals practiced by the government otherwise you will be overlooked. Tessie Hutchinson, one of the main characters in The Lottery, challenged the tradition’s validity, asking whether it was right or fair to choose an innocent member of society to be sacrificed for the sake of the success or failure of the farming season. In this case, Tessie’s question was shot down with a “Shut up” (Jackson, 5) from her husband, a farmer, who believed the lottery would bring him crops, and a “Be a good sport, Tessie” (Jackson, 5) from another tradition abiding citizen. The quick dismissal of Tessie’s question suggests women during this time were oppressed, another reason why no one listened to her reasoning. The Watchers’ society is similar to the one in The Lottery. It’s belief, “three strikes and you’re out”, had the …show more content…
Tessie Hutchinson didn’t believe in random persecution because the victim chosen was guilty of no crime, other than drawing the marked piece of paper. The phrase “And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson few pebbles [to participate as well]” (Jackson, 7) shows how convinced this village was that murdering someone who was innocent by stoning them to death, even your own mother, just because they chose the “marked” piece of paper, is right. Althea was raised her whole life to always be defensive, afraid of death if she gets three strikes in her lifetime. For instance, even when she got home, “She rode [the elevator] to the fourth floor and got out. She took the stairs the rest of the way, then stood before her own front door for a moment, listening. When she was positive [her home] was safe, she inserted her key in the lock” (Engel Randall, 4). The fact that both Tessie and Althea were so convinced that what they were doing was the reason why the Earth still turned for them was the result of the government’s
In a society ruled by the rich and powerful, one cannot simply question traditions and habits that were followed for centuries past, and centuries to come. If you challenge rituals and have no evidence that they are wrong, then you were deemed an alienated member of the society ruled by an obscured judgement of the government. In the short stories The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Watchers by Florence Engel Randall, two women who did not follow the accustomed lifestyle of the rest of society, eventually paid for their actions with their lives. Societies whose citizens blindly follow what they believe is the norm do not rebel, or are afraid to, because of the likelihood of the consequences, such as being ignored, …show more content…
Firstly, in such a society, one cannot question rituals practiced by the government otherwise you will be overlooked. Tessie Hutchinson, one of the main characters in The Lottery, challenged the tradition’s validity, asking whether it was right or fair to choose an innocent member of society to be sacrificed for the sake of the success or failure of the farming season. In this case, Tessie’s question was shot down with a “Shut up” (Jackson, 5) from her husband, a farmer, who believed the lottery would bring him crops, and a “Be a good sport, Tessie” (Jackson, 5) from another tradition abiding citizen. The quick dismissal of Tessie’s question suggests women during this time were oppressed, another reason why no one listened to her reasoning. The Watchers’ society is similar to the one in The Lottery. It’s belief, “three strikes and you’re out”, had the …show more content…
Tessie Hutchinson didn’t believe in random persecution because the victim chosen was guilty of no crime, other than drawing the marked piece of paper. The phrase “And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson few pebbles [to participate as well]” (Jackson, 7) shows how convinced this village was that murdering someone who was innocent by stoning them to death, even your own mother, just because they chose the “marked” piece of paper, is right. Althea was raised her whole life to always be defensive, afraid of death if she gets three strikes in her lifetime. For instance, even when she got home, “She rode [the elevator] to the fourth floor and got out. She took the stairs the rest of the way, then stood before her own front door for a moment, listening. When she was positive [her home] was safe, she inserted her key in the lock” (Engel Randall, 4). The fact that both Tessie and Althea were so convinced that what they were doing was the reason why the Earth still turned for them was the result of the government’s