The Lottery vs the Destructors Essay examples - 1046 Words

Thesis In Shirley Jackson’s, â€Å"The Lottery†, and Graham Greene’s â€Å"The Destructors†, the author creates a story filled with symbolism, irony, grim reality, and a ritualized tradition that masks evil, which ultimately showcases how people blindly follow tradition. Outline I. Introduction II. Setting B. Time Period III. Plot A. What messages are seen in both stories IV. Characters A. Main Characters B. Traits of Characters V. Tone of Stories VI. Conclusion Comparison and Contrast of The Lottery and The Destructors W. Goode English102 Liberty University Comparison and†¦show more content†¦Likewise Greenes literary piece is set in postwar London, â€Å"The gang used to meet every morning in an impromptu car park, the site of the last bomb of the first blitz† (Greene, 1990, p.3). Nothing in both stories foreshadows any act of violence as a ritual murder or destruction of the house. Moreover, in The Lottery and The Destructors, the setting greatly influences characters of the stories. For instance, in The Lottery, a traditional ritual is performed almost for seventy-seven-years among disturbing piles of stones gathered by all citizens of the villages, which metaphorically symbolize violence. Compared to Jacksons story, in The Destructors, young boys meet and carelessly play in a place where recently the bomb was dropped. While hanging out among wreckages of destruction, the young characters become initiated to act violently. As the plot of the stories unfolds, the greater influence of violent tensions become evident. I n The Lottery, people follow the tradition despite its cruelty and absurdity. Although the ritual of the lottery is brutal, the dwellers of the village do not seem to see how barbaric it is because â€Å"there’s always been a lottery† (Jackson, 1982, p. 118). Nevertheless, the tensions grow when the lottery begin and every citizen is awaiting for its end. The climatic moment of the story grows when the reader discovers that TessShow MoreRelatedShort Stories Review Essay6945 Words   |  28 PagesParts to this review: . Setting Characters Conflict Point of View Climax Irony Theme I. Setting . The Destructors:  around 1948 - 1950 England - London Little Cloud:  20th century 1920s or maybe 30s Ireland - Dublin I’m a Fool:  20th century, after WWII USA - southern state Just Lather, that’s all:  early 1900s, during revolution Mexico A special occasion:  modern day - 1960s USA, children’s hospital Defender of the Faith:  May, 1945 Camp Crowder, Missouri, USA Pauls Case:  1900 - 1920