The Lottery Quote Analysis

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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 …show more content…

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.

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