Comparing Society In The Things They Carried And The Lottery

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Society is often divided between those with power and those who are powerless. However, powerlessness tends to deprive an individual of control over their own destiny. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson depict this idea as we are shown the effects of tradition that is left unquestioned, resulting in individuals being deprived of autonomy over their own lives. Furthermore, two other texts, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula Le Guin and The Red Sari by Apirana Taylor exposes the indifference of society to this inequality, widening the divide between the powerful and the powerless. Through these texts, the harsh reality of society is exposed as the consequences of its flaws are revealed. Tradition …show more content…

Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.” O’Brien deliberately utilizes a metaphor to illustrate the soldier’s ‘fear of blushing’ as something they carried, exposing the pressures and expectations of society that deprived the soldiers of control over their own future. The danger of tradition is therefore exemplified through this short story, as the effects of it are clearly seen as many young men lose control of their own lives. Similarly, in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the power of tradition is depicted through an unassuming village that conducts a ‘lottery,’ in which the individual that is selected is stoned to death. This tradition, that would otherwise be seen as immoral, is kept alive through this village’s expectations and fears of breaking the status quo and no explicit reason is given for the lottery except for the fact that “there’s always been a lottery.” This village’s unquestioning attitude is further revealed when “someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” as her mother, Tessie Hutchinson is being stoned. Therefore this shows, similarly to …show more content…

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a short story depicting a utopian city called Omelas. However, under its guise of joy and happiness, it is revealed that Omelas’ prosperity depends on the imprisonment and mistreatment of a little child. The little child is first introduced to us in the line, “In the room a child is sitting”. It could be a boy or a girl. It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten.” The uncertainty of the child’s gender or age reflects upon the neglect the people of Omelas show to the child and by depriving it of its identity, the child is dehumanised. This is further reinforced as the narrator states, “It is too degraded and imbecile to know any real joy. It has been too long to be free of fear. Its habits are too uncouth for it to respond to humane treatment.” The repetition of ‘too’ emphasises the hopelessness of the child and reveals the way in which the people of Omelas justify the mistreatment of the child. Through the story of Omelas, Le Guin exposes the immorality of society’s neglect and indifference to those who are in the position of powerlessness. Furthermore, the reader is invited to reflect upon their own society, and the ways in which the minority is treated in society. Similarly, The Red Sari by

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