Jimmy Cross Sacrifice

War and Human Sacrifice for the Greater Good

A story of a man during the Vietnam War along with his sacrifices, and a village’s forced participation in a town lottery where the winner is the human sacrifice for the year have a collection of similarities along with contrasts. The most recognizable similarity is the resemblance the lottery the towns people have, and the draft going on during the Vietnam War. The things they carried doesn’t talk directly about the draft, however the draft is one of the most notable historic events most people reflect back on when talking about the war, and was just as socially acceptable as the lottery was. Comparing the stories show some differences in how the characters deal with the burdens forced upon them

by society. Society shifts from sacrificing a person for a greater good, and ends up going to war and sacrificing countless soldiers for what the leader of the country thinks needs to be done.
One of the clearest similarities in the two stories is the connection between the lottery, and the draft that was in place during the Vietnam War. There is irony in the fact that almost anybody would want to win the lottery, but no one wants to win either one of these lotteries. In both situations the winner is chosen by chance, and must sacrifice their life either physically or mentally with no say in the matter. As horrible as this may seem to some, sending young men to an almost certain grave, and sacrificing a human being is socially acceptable in both stories. Having a society force one of their own members to give up everything, for what they believe is the greater good is a barbaric way of running a society. No society should ever force their members to sacrifice everything, and especially not by chance or luck of the draw.
Another major similarity in the two stories was how acceptable both scenarios are perceived in their society, and how they themselves are dealing with their scenarios. Before Mr. Summers declared the lottery open there were list to be made up of head of households, members of households, and he must be sworn in by the post master [Jackson 374]. The lottery was ran by the town’s government and involved the whole community. The things they carried doesn’t directly talk about the draft however it is almost certain that is how most of Jimmy Cross’s squad ended up in Vietnam. Citizens of a society are made to enter a lottery, which the government constructed, to try and fix a problem that the citizens have no direct association with, and are then used to try and fix the problem. Which is a sad but true reminder how societies can be and have been run over history. Examples of how the soldiers are dealing with death are shown by Mitchell Sanders using his radio to report one US KIA and to request a chopper, and then they rolled up Lavenders dead body in his poncho while smoking the dead man’s dope waiting for the chopper [O,Brien 1162]. It is clear that the soldiers in the story have seen and gone through so much they are desensitized to losing a member of their own squad. Desensitized is an understatement for the people in The Lottery as the whole town participates in killing Tessie Hutchinson even her own family.
The two stories did have an abundance of similarities, however the two stories also have great deals of contrast as well, especially when looking at the two main characters and how they are dealing with the tradition.

Looking at Jimmy Cross, he realized it was only a gesture, stupid and sentimental he thought but Lavender was dead and couldn’t burn the blame [O’Brien 1170]. As Jimmy burns Martha’s letters he burns all memories of her out of his head, he has to in order to keep his focus on his men’s safety. He sacrifices the one memory he can hold onto that brings him back home, in one of the worst situations imaginable on the other side of the world. Jimmy Cross was chosen to go to Vietnam and be first lieutenant and platoon leader, and in the end he had to sacrifice his own personal interests to do his job. Jimmy Cross stuck with tradition and continued onwards, however when Tessie was the clear winner of the lottery she was in the center of a cleared space with her hands up desperately, and as the villagers move in she screamed “It’s not fair” [Jackson 379]. Although Tessie’s obligation was more brutal than Jimmy Cross’s obligation she still agreed to the yearly lottery by being a citizen in that village. In theory she should have accepted her fate and stuck with the tradition without calling a misdeal or unfair choosing. In the end she had no choice in the decision and was forced to uphold the tradition, but Jimmy Cross made the decision to carry on with his duties, and keep the tradition of war

going.
The stories both talk about murder and killing for a greater good, but one major difference is that the soldiers are killing their enemy, and the villagers are murdering one of their own. Mr. Adams says to Old Man Warner that the village to the north is talking of giving up the lottery. Old Man Warner snorted and said “pack of crazy fools’ [Jackson 377]. It is obvious from Old Man Warner’s seventy five years of doing the lottery that it’s a tradition and a ritual that has been held up by the town’s people. The villagers must find some sort of good from doing this year after year, even if it is unclear in the story exactly what good does come. Human sacrifices have been happening for centuries and are a sign of an unevolved society. In the things they carried the narrator speaks of what the soldiers are carrying “Henry Dobbins a big man carried the M-60 which weighed twenty three pounds unloaded but was always loaded with ten to fifteen pounds of ammunition [O’Brien 1161]. The narrator makes it very known that the soldiers are carrying some serious weapons and plan on doing grave damage to their enemies. Doing grave damage to their enemies on their own turf of rough terrain, so they needed to be prepared for anything.
In conclusion two stories from two different eras tell the same tale of tradition and doing what is expected of being a citizen. The similarities show how society, no matter what era, has always depended on sacrificing one of their own for the needs of their village or country. It has always been accepted, and still is to this day, especially when looking at when young men in America turn eighteen, it is required to sign up for the selective service in case the draft is reinstated. The only differences is society is changing, and as we evolve less barbaric ways of going about situations is more prevalent.