Comparing The Lottery And The Most Dangerous Game

Two thought provoking short stories, The Lottery by Richard Connell and The Most Dangerous Game by Shirley Jackson provide the authors’ outlooks on society and human behavior. At first view one might find it difficult to compare these literary works, written in different eras, side by side. However these seemingly unrelated stories share multiple interworking components. With further reading you can identify common aspects of both stories. Take for example the theme, literary devices, and figurative language. These elements help to distinguish the stories and compare them to each other.

In almost all literary works a theme is revealed throughout the story. The theme may be easily established or may require a great deal of thought. Whatever

the case may be, themes express the intended message or point of view of the author. In the case of The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game, the themes of ironical humanity, socially condoned murder due to unquestioned societal logic, and violence are consistent in each work. The question of “What consequences occur when society no longer cares about human beings?” will more often than not become evident with further reading.
Perhaps the most common theme of the two works is the one of injustices and cruelties accepted as “normal” behavior. When the dark side of human nature prevails, evils are evident in the heart of man thus making his/her’s morals compromised by circumstance. The main characters in each story, Tessie and Rainsford remain indifferent to the cruelty of murder until they become the recipients of it. Richard Connell at first shows how Rainsford is indifferent to the game by showing that he hunts for prideful reason. Jackson likewise shows the nonchalantness of Tessie to the lottery at the beginning of the lottery. Only with the introduction of dire circumstances to both characters do they begin to examine what they would have previously believed to be one of their major beliefs.
Another major theme that is present is the irony in human nature. The line between socially acceptable violence and murder is blurry in both of these works. The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game reveal how human beings are capable of cruel behavior when condoned by tradition or society. In The Lottery, violence and murder are portrayed as common acts. The lack of attitude and emotion of the characters towards the socially accepted tradition suggest that this homicidal ritual had become so rooted in their ways that no one questions its morality. The savagery in the townspeople who initially seem civilised reflects the possibility of violent acts taking place in any context. Likewise this “ironical humanity” is present in Connell’s Dangerous Game.
Authors use the common literary device of foreshadowing to build suspense towards something that will occur in the story. They choose from these elements to craft mood, plot and anticipation. Both authors challenge the seemingly pointless rituals of The Game and The Lottery. The themes of fear and danger are conveyed through the use of literary elements in Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game and later on in Jackson’s The Lottery. Irony, foreshadowing, and imagery are all used to create the mood and develop a suspenseful plot in a way that is entertaining to readers.
When Connell opens his thriller, he uses dialogue that foreshadows the main conflict happening in the story. When Rainsford and his friend Whitney stand on the deck of the boat, Rainsford argues, “The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are the hunters”. This foreshadowing shows that soon the tables will be turned. The reader becomes prepared for the plot twist that will follow.. In “The Lottery” Jackson foreshadows the story’s ending in many different ways. Three main ways the author employs the literary device of foreshadowing are by the excessive mention of the kids in the story, the amount of times the community has executed the lottery, and the importance of the papers that choose which family will get stoned to death. Throughout both stories, the authors foreshadow the ending of the story to create a tense and suspenseful mood for the reader.
When you think of the connotations surrounded by the term of “lottery”, one might quite naturally assume that winning it would result in a prize and not brutal murder.

However this is not the case in The Lottery. This is an example of irony which is a literary device. Irony is usually used to create some sort of condemnation or contempt towards something or a way of thinking. Irony conveys a deviation between how things seem and actual reality.

Not only is the title ironic in “The Lottery” but also the setting and certain characters point of views. Jackson uses a bright day in June, when the sun is shining the weather is warm and the townspeople are out and about as the happy setting of a shockingly, unexpected story.

Cornell adds irony into the story in order to enrich the plot and provide the mind with twists and turns. He mixes cruelty and violence with pleasure to engage reader and make a statement at the same time. It is apparent in the very beginning of the story that Rainsford believes hunting is “the best sport in the world”. He claims that “The world is made up of two classes--the hunters and the huntees” and he considers himself to be the hunter. After this statement, he proceeds to fall off the yacht and swim to assumed safety aboard Ship-Trap Island where he meets General Zaroff. Here, Zaroff provides Rainsford with room and board and treats him with the utmost respect. Slowly, Zaroff reveals his true nature and tells Rainsford of his activities on the dreaded island. He informs Rainsford that he hunts humans for sport and Rainsford is his next target. The hunter became the

hunted.
There is also a sense of irony when Old Man Warner, in The Lottery calls the people in other villages that do not follow the lottery crazy young fools. Not only does he believe that giving up the tradition of the lottery will result in going backwards for humanity but the reader also learns that Old Man Warner believes in superstition (‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon’). He also tells Mr Adams that without the lottery the village would be eating acorns and stewed chickweed Old Man Warner and his blind acceptance of tradition suggests that he is the fool rather than those who have decided to stop the tradition of the lottery.
Just how the setting in The Lottery provides irony, it also is effective in providing imagery to its plot. Our senses allow us to experience the world, but the literary device , imagery, helps our senses experience words on a page in the same way. The Lottery features sensory imagery that helps the stories irony. Jackson uses imagery by selecting vivid parts if daily life in an ordinary community to make the story more realistic. This imagery inspires an ironic sense of comfort, peace, and tranquility. Moreover from reading the story further we can tell that this is definitely not the case.
Connell’s use of imagery is centered around the importance of “lightness” and “darkness”. Rather than contrast these two, he creates an interplay with the light and dark. The light deceptively lures or attracts rather than providing safety. The sinister nature of both the darkness and light continues throughout the narrative.
The figurative language that is most commonly applied to The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game is symbolism. The symbolism used in both stories aid the reader in creating a message or lesson. Take for example the ominous black box. It serves as a physical representation to the corrupt tradition of the lottery. Jackson is precise on this point, when the subject of replacing the box comes up in the story. “No one liked to upset the tradition ad was represented by the black box” . This informs the reader that the purpose of the box, much like the lottery itself, has become shrouded by the passing of time. It is very worn, but the villagers are averse to the idea of letting it go. It’s fair to say that the villagers treatment and respect of the box represents their thinking on the subject of the lottery. They are scared of both the lottery and the box, but they are too caught up in tradition to let go of either one.