Compare and Contrast: The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas and The Lottery

794 Words2 Pages

What would happen if an utopia wasn’t all that perfect on the inside? Judging by just the appearance of something may lead to a situation of regret and confusion.” The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson address the theme of religious and traditional symbolism.” The Lottery” demonstrates how something that seems so perfect on the outside isn’t all that great on the inside.
Symbolism shows the reader that there is a deeper message within the diction. “The Lottery” addresses the theme more successfully than “The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas” with the greater use of religious and traditional symbolism. The symbolisms in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” are various, but “The Lottery” uses symbolism for personal appeal and also makes a deeper connection between the symbols and the theme, making the short story more successful.
Traditions are usually passed on from parent to child at an early age. In the opening lines of "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson reveals the tradition of the lottery and how all of the villagers conform to the ritual of a human sacrifice. “The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock…” (Jackson 373) shows how the citizens of the village are used to the tradition of always gathering for the lottery. The children in “The Lottery” were stuffing their pockets with stones before all of the parents had arrived, " Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones" (373). This illustrates that the children were taught what to do in the event of the lottery and by being prepared it shows t...

... middle of paper ...

...though they were happy” (Le Guin 380) shows the reader that the Omelas were happy with their extravagant life. Le Guin states in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” that the “boys and girls were naked in the bright air” (380). An allusion to the Garden of Eden in biblical times, the nakedness represents the freedom, happiness, and utopian attitude of the people of Omelas.
In conclusion, “The Lottery” and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” both showed a town’s tradition. “The Lottery” had more religious symbolisms than “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”. “The Lottery” used the symbolisms to show a better understanding of the, not judging a book by its cover, theme. Breaking old traditions may be the best decision. Some of the Omelas walked away from the tradition, while others stayed. No one wanted to change in “The Lottery”, unless it was them getting stoned.

Show More
Related

  • Indoctrination In Bobby Martin's Short Story 'The Lottery'

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the short story “The Lottery”, the children remain ignorant of the actual detrimental consequences that ensue from the lottery due to the use of indoctrination teachings from higher authorities. This is first indicated when the children assemble around the town square with Bobby Martin’s pockets “already stuffed… full of stones, and the other boys soon follow[ing] his example, select[ing] the smoothest and roundest stones.” (1) The children are clearly aware of the social hierarchy within the town as they all follow Bobby Martin’s actions rather than pursue their own beliefs and values. This habitual action is a result of the indoctrination teachings that have been inculcated within every child. Because everyone else has accepted the long

    Read More

  • Comparing The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    These descriptions along with several others) provide positive connotations and allow the reader to relax into what they are. seems to be a comfortable setting for either story. Both stories also contain a gathering of the townspeople. In ".Omelas there is music, dance, and special. attire incorporated in the gathering, whereas in "The Lottery," the women show.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the theme of the story is dramatically illustrated by Jackson’s unique tone. Once a year the villagers gather together in the central square for the lottery. The villagers await the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box. Within the black box are folded slips of paper, one piece having a black dot on it. All the villagers then draw a piece of paper out of the box. Whoever gets the paper with the black dot wins. Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery! Everyone then closes in on her and stones her to death. Tessie Hutchinson believes it is not fair because she was picked. The villagers do not know why the lottery continues to exist. All they know is that it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. In “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays three main themes including tradition, treason, and violence.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson's Symbolism in The Lottery

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery', is a story that is filled with symbolism. The author uses symbolism to help her represent human nature as tainted, no matter how pure one thinks of himself or herself, or how pure their environment may seem to be. The story is very effective in raising many questions about the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. 'The Lottery' clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind?s evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. She shows how coldness and lack of compassion in people can exhibit in situations regarding tradition and values. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of 'The Lottery,' the objects, the peoples actions, and even in the time and the names of the lucky contestants.

    Read More

  • Conformity in The Lottery, The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas and The Namesake

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz. "The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas." Literature: the Human Experience. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 2006. 357-61. Print.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice.  The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens.  On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate.  Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice.  Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about.  Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting.  Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Lottery And The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though there are some noticeable differences between Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”, however the similarities in the two stories are clear. The themes of both short stories are centered on tradition and the sacrifice of one individual for the good all. In the “The Lottery” someone is stoned to death in order for the village to be prosper. While in the “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” the cities happiness solely depends on the suffering of a child whom has done nothing wrong. The point that both authors are trying to convey to the audience is; at what point do we as a society begin to question a way of doing things, question a tradition that has no real truth or reason behind

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas and Sur by Guin

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.

    Read More

  • Sacrifice in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    The point of view of tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is the normal once of year gathering on the townspeople. This gathering is held in order to pick, via a lottery drawing, to decide who in the town is going to be stoned to death. “The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people the lottery took two days and had started on June 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, and the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 251). The fact that the people gather and discuss everyday issue prior to the start of the lottery all point to the blind tradition of selecting some to be stoned to death.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" symbols are used to enhance and stress the theme of the story. A symbol is a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings. (Kirszner & Mendell 330) The theme of the story is how coldness and lack of compassion can be exhibited in people in situations regarding tradition and values. That people will do incredibly evil and cruel things just for the sake of keeping a routine. Three of the main symbols that Shirley uses in the story is the setting, black box, and the actual characters names. They all tie together to form an intriguing story that clearly shows the terrible potential if society forgets the basis of tradition. The story also shows many similarities between the culture of the village, and the culture of Nazi Germany. How blind obedience to superiors can cause considerable damage to not only a community, but the entire world. Symbolism plays a large role in "The Lottery" to set the theme of the story and make the reader question traditions.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Change In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every year, the lottery is held, and every year a person is killed. Each villager neglects to acknowledge the unjustness of the lottery and continue to participate because of the tradition it represents in their society. The lottery was a cultural tradition passed down from the very first settlers of the village. It makes up a huge part of the village’s history and culture. The villagers pay recognition to their culture by continuing the tradition of the lottery even though the lottery is not morally right. On page 93 it states, “There was a proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year… There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use in addressing each person who came to draw from the box…” This quote shows the tribal-like rituals and traditions associated with the lottery. Through the years, some of the rituals of the lottery were lost, but the main elements of the lottery remained the same. The idea behind the lottery was that the ancestors, of the villagers, believed that human sacrifice would bring in good harvest. This led to the development and continuation

    Read More

  • The Horror of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    Winning vast amounts of money can make anyone slaphappy, but unfortunately this type of wager won’t be discussed in Shirley Jacksons “The Lottery.” Jackson catches the reader’s attention by describing a typical day by using words such as “blossoming, clear and sunny skies” to attract the reader into believing a calm and hopeful setting which eventually turns dark. In this short story Jackson tells a tale of a sinister and malevolent town in America that conforms to the treacherous acts of murder in order to keep their annual harvest tradition alive. Jackson exposes the monstrosity of people within this society in this chilling tale. She allows the reader’s to ponder and lead them to believe that the lottery is actually a good thing; till she implements foreshadowing, to hint at the dreadfulness behind the lottery and its meaning. My goal in this paper is to discuss why Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a portrayed as a horror story, and the importance the townspeople used to glorify ritualistic killings, to appease to an unseeable force in return of good harvest for the upcoming year.

    Read More

  • Discussion of Literary Techniques Used in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, the use of symbolism, irony and setting in the Lottery is very evident, the author indirectly implicates the true darkness within the human heart. The Lottery remains relevant in society today because the overall vagueness of the city allows this story to be true to all people around the world. The short story shows us that humans are evil enough to follow traditions blindly, even if they cause pain and death in loved ones we know. Jackson also centers a lot of symbols and irony on religion and how they affect our culture and decisions. In this the reader can learn that sometimes it’s better for a person to follow his moral compass, and not just blindly follow his evil heart, and the evilness of others.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Lottery And The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    The two short stories “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin have much in common and differences as well. Both run. on tradition at the cost of other people’s despair. The Lottery has a gathering every year that is held to pick families out of a box, and from those families a person that gets picked is stoned to death, and in the Omelas there is a child that is locked up in a cage and forced to live in his own filth.

    Read More

  • The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolism has a meaning were the author uses symbols to represent qualities or ideas. On the plot “The Lottery”, there is some symbols that represents some qualities that are not easy to identify. Every element included on the text is something where represents the ideas from the author that wants to explore. The explorations of the symbols make the story interesting and challenging to understand. The author forces to the reader to discover the meanings by lacking the simple answers. An example for symbolism could be “the Lottery”, representing a tradition. the tradition of the lottery has been around years on the little towns. Furthermore, they are afraid of getting rid of it, since it has been always done that way and the outcome is always good, so they question themselves, why should we have to rid of it if

    Read More

More about Compare and Contrast: The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas and The Lottery

Open Document