The Lottery Vs the Most Dangerous Game

Outline

In "The Lottery" the narrator is unknown and describes the events from the outside whereas the narrator in "The Most Dangerous Game" is a main character who is involved in the events. In "The Lottery" the narrator describes the setting as a beautiful, warm summer day where the town's people are gathering for what seems to be a typical social event. The reader anticipates a positive outcome as the narrator describes the day and the characters dispositions. However as the story reaches its climax, the reader realizes that the outcome is not positive at all. The winner of the lottery is to be stoned to death. The author's intention of this story shows how people become blind to the outcomes of their traditions because of their obsession with traditions. In Richard Connell's, "The Most Dangerous Game" and Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" the characters are portrayed as normal human beings with normal behaviors, but as both stories unfold, the characters are shown to be evil with an enjoyment for murder.

In the "The Most Dangerous Game" the setting is somewhat vague in comparison to that of "The Lottery." In this story, Rainsford is one of the two main characters. He is portrayed as a good man, but is also a hunter who has no sympathy for the animals he kills. The other main character is General Zaroff. He is described as having normal qualities and is also a hunter. However as the narrator tells the story, the reader is introduced to the fact that Zaroff no longer hunts animals, but humans. Because he has perfected the hunting of animals, he now finds that hunting humans is more enjoyable as they pose more of a challenge for him. As the story unfolds, the narrator now depicts Zaroff as an evil, murderous man compared to his initial impression of him. Rainsford realizes that Zaroff is going to use him as his next hunt. After Rainsford grows tired of being Zaroff's prey, he devises a plan to kill Zaroff. In the end of the story, Rainsford kills his opponent.

There are many comparisons and contrasts to be made between Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game." The purpose of this paper will be to compare and contrast different elements of both these stories, but the main focus will be on the characters and the setting. In "The Lottery" and "The Most Dangerous Game" the characters are portrayed as normal human beings with normal behaviors, but as both stories unfold, the characters are shown to be evil with an enjoyment for murder.

"The Lottery" opens with an undisclosed narrator describing a perfect day in June. "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." This sentence signifies to the reader that the day is off to a good start. After the opening sentence, the narrator continues to describe the setting and why the people of the village are gathering in the square. Thus far, there is nothing that would make a reader suspect anything more than the town's people gathering together on a perfect day in June for the town's lottery. The narrator continues to disclose various pieces of information to the reader about the day's event and the tradition of the lottery. "The lottery was conducted-as were the square dances, the teenage club, the Halloween Program-by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities." After the narrator has established the setting, the main characters are slowly introduced as they gather in the town square. The narrator portrays the characters as ordinary people with normal behaviors and attitudes. "Guess we better get this thing started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work, Anybody ain't here?" The narrator continues to disclose the characters conversations and the events that are taking place leading up to the lottery. There is still no indication that the lottery is anything but a normal tradition for a town. "There's always been a lottery." All the events leading up to the climax of the story signify that the lottery is anything but unusual or evil. However when the story reaches its climax, the reader sees that the town's tradition is very unusual and evil. The narrator does an excellent job describing the setting and the characters without ever giving any indication of what the lottery winner receives. The reader is left in dismay