The world is consistent in society. Individuals become a group, and each group becomes a society. Society expects one individual to follow one another to become a whole. Ursula K. Le Guin and Shirley Jackson has a similar and a different literary elements concerning individuals and society. The short stories “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “The Lottery” has a similar literary element analyzing the theme of tradition and a difference in conflict that provide insight into individual and society.
In the two short stories, both the authors use their theme of tradition to convey that tradition is important in society, and can be difficult for one to leave the tradition. Theme is evident in “The Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas” when the narrator analyzes the town’s people as they depend on the suffrage of a single child for their happiness in the whole society: “But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose …show more content…
Conflict occurs in “The Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas” when the narrator mentions the choice the society makes: “Happiness is based on just a discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither nor destructive, and what is destructive” (Le Guin 259). Society finds misery in one child is acceptable to have their happiness. When an individual understands guilt, they are the ones who leave the Omelas. However, in contrast, Jackson emphasizes society the choice makes: “People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly, Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summer, ‘you didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!’” (Jackson 267). Tessie refuses to accept she is chosen for the lotter. She denies the societies norm. One individual has no power and their opinions do not