The Lottery vs the Destructors

Thesis

In Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery”, and Graham Greene’s “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 Contrast of The Lottery and The Destructors

The Lottery and The Destructors are two remarkable representatives of the world literature. The authors of these two literary pieces are Shirley Jackson, and Graham Greene, in accordance, who hide the true meaning of their stories behind ironic depictions and comic pictures. Although The Lottery, as well as The Destructors transports the reader into a particularly different from each other fictional world, characters in these short stories equally undergo influence of their surroundings or society. Shirley Jackson and Graham Greene portrayed a clear picture as to how society might easily and sorely impacted the people that live in it. Thus, heroes of The Lottery and The Destructors remain under the influence of what has taken place around them, and their attitude towards everyday life is affected by circumstances of their miserable existence. Therefore, the plot of The Destructors and The Lottery represents the demolishing impact of society and customs on people's life.

Jackson's short story takes place in summer in postwar New York. The plot unfolds in the American village on the very pleasant June day, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of