The Lottery Quote Analysis

Fyodor Dostoevsky quotes, “To live without hope is to cease to live.” Hope keeps us alive; it encourages us to reach out for the good of humanity, to keep on truckin’ even when we think the goings are just too tough. Totalitarian dictatorship and traditional structured government utilize this “hope” to exert power over those who do not have a voice. This is a reoccurring theme in Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery along with other works such as the Island and The Hunger Games. These works all depict similar things; the manner in which leaders use their political, social and economic hands to grasp control of communities.

The Lottery is based on a traditional structured government, and tradition for this town is scared: anyone who

wants to tamper with tradition will be killed. Mr. Summers the mayor is considered the highest political leader in the village. Although not evident in the written text of The Lottery, in the movie you can see the true reign of his power. Summers’ true power comes from a black battered box. As the conductor of the lottery, Mr. Summers gives the village the illusion that a prosperous harvest will occur if the lottery is conducted and complete. Before the lottery occurs, everything is normal. Yet when the box is present, the villagers become hushed and reserved. Fear is instantly placed over the whole village because of the mere fact that life and death all lied on slips of paper. Once the stoning is complete, the citizens behave as if nothing

has happened. The reaction of the people showed that he had absolute control over the way they functioned, reacted and ultimately conformed. The lottery instills hope with the promise of prosperity, yet results in heartbreak because of human sacrifice. Fear, power, and a little hope keep order. However, too much hope is dangerous.

In the movie the Island, Dr.

Bernard Merrick is considered the supreme ruler. This takes place utopian society within a contained facility. Merrick presents himself as a safe haven for the clones. He controlled every aspect of the clones’ lives; from what they are named to the kinds of food they eat to their everyday activity. Every move and thought was monitored by Merrick. To instill hope and compliance of the clones, they are mesmerized by winning the lottery. Winning the lottery meant a chance to go to “The Island” for a new life in paradise. Each time someone new wins the lottery all the clones tend to work harder to stay in order to increase their chances of winning. In some slight form, they are so accustomed to this routine, that no one tends to question anything that happens. They settle on being naive and accepting things as they are. Merrick uses these dynamics to keep order in the facility, while also keeping his “product” healthy for profit. Hopes of making it to the “The Island” then lead to heartbreak when Lincoln Six-Echo discovers that “The Island” is nonexistent. Those who won the lottery are killed to ensure that the owners of their insurance policies cheat death.

The Hunger Game’s Coriolanus Snow, president of Panem states, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” In this dystopian society, totalitarian dictatorship is key. President Snow had absolute power over the districts. He knew every move, plan, and uprising that happened within the districts.

His power instilled fear because he had the power to destroy whole districts on command. The annual hunger games are used as the contrivance to tyrannically oppress the districts. He also uses force to suppress defiance through “peacekeeper”, and also slaying any

method to keep hope alive. Economically, all of the twelve districts are poverty stricken while the capitol is extremely wealthy. When the time comes for the reaping, no one is particularly excited for the drawing of tributes besides those of the capitol. As each tribute fights to the death. This results in one left standing. They then serve as the beacon of hope for the people because they all pray for the “odds to forever be in their favor”. This “hope” is ultimately capsized by sorrow and heartbreak. In reality, the odds are never in their favor. President Snow inculcates just enough hope and fear to maintain command and submission diminishing any thoughts of rebellion.

Ultimately, hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. The Lottery, the Island and The Hunger Games show how totalitarian dictators and traditional structured government use their political, social and economic power to give a false sense of hope and instill fear to control and regulate their citizens. This hope becomes dangerous when it is able to conquer the fear that was instilled. The Lottery uses the rigid footing of the tradition of prosperity to keep a ghastly practice alive. It silences the people from questioning themselves as ritualistic murders and deadens their ability to think for themselves. This lottery is a prime example of what continues to happen in today’s society. Old traditions and beliefs aren’t questioned, therefore resulting in the blind acceptance of authority fashioning a false sense of