Choices With Consequences VsThe Lottery, And Young Goodman...

Talal Almutairi Dr. Gates English 305 5 July 2017 Choices with Consequences In this paper, I shall focus on drawing comparisons and contrasts between â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In her short story, ‘The Lottery’, Jackson uses a series of specific details and ordinary personages to describe the events leading to an unfair death. These details reveal the dangers of blindly upholding traditions and passing them to the next generations, without knowing much about the origin or the significance of the tradition. Jackson wisely incorporates various elements of fiction into the story in order to bring a create a vivid understanding of the meaning of her story and the message she is trying†¦show more content†¦The devil refers to seeing Goodman Brown’s grandfather whipping a Quaker in the streets and handing Goodman Brown’s father a flaming torch so that he could set fire to an Indian village during King Philip’s War. B y including these references, Hawthorne reminds the reader of the dubious history of Salem Village and the legacy of the Puritans and emphasizes the historical roots of Goodman Brown’s fascination with the devil and the dark side. On the other hand, â€Å"The Lottery† was written in 1948, not long after the end of World War II and The Great Depression. The two events changed the way people in society related with one another, in such a way that people were made to embrace the thinking that every man would be on their own in order to survive. This is shown throughout the story by the citizens not having a problem with the lottery until if affects them directly. Jackson’s story also shows the sense of division and sexism between men and women associated with the 1940s. Women were often fired from their jobs in order to make room for the retuning male soldiers and were expected to return home to stay with the family. This idea of women being forced from one positio n of power to a lower position is shown in the last scene of â€Å"The Lottery† when the â€Å"winner† Tessie Hutchinson is the one who receives the black dot and is stoned to death. She tries to fight for her life but in the end is over powered by society’s rules.