The Rocking Horse Winner and The Lottery Essay - 838 Words

In both â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† by D.H. Lawrence and â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, the authors take critical aim at two staples of mainstream values, materialism and tradition respectively. Both authors approach these themes through several different literary devices such as personification and symbolism; however, it is the authors use of characterization that most develop their themes. Well be taking a look at the parallel passages in the stories that advance their themes particularly when those passages involve both of the authors subtle character descriptions, and why this method of character development is so powerful in conveying the authors messages. The only story in which an author employed personalization is â€Å"The†¦show more content†¦His obsession, however, is made more evocative by what Lawrence doesnt tell us about him. Pauls mystique, which the author most frequently communicates through descriptions of Pauls eyes, serves to m ake him a more disturbing and, therefore, compelling figure. Yet, his altruistic motives help us as readers to view him as a victim, and, in turn, view that which killed him (obsession with material gain) as the villain. Shirley Jackson also utilizes literary devices to good effect in â€Å"The Lottery,† especially that of symbolism. By keeping the setting devoid of any identifying details, Jackson frees the reader to imagine that it could be any place. The only constraints that the author places on her readers’ creativity are that the town is decidedly rural, perhaps narrowing the critique to the cultural scene most frequently associated with small town America. Other symbols include the box from which the lottery slips are drawn (an old and black object which heralds death), stoning as a method of execution (a particularly old and excruciating way to kill someone), and ritual itself (a series of often ill contemplated actions for which one needs no particular reason to follow). All of these, with their marked reference to age, clearly refer to tradition. The real power in â€Å"The Lottery,†Show MoreRelatedThe Lottery And The Rocking Horse Winner852 Words   |  4 Pagesfiguring out what is part of the missing puzzle. In The Lottery and The Rocking-Horse Winner, authors Shirley Jackson and D.H. Lawrence employ symbolism and allegory to demonstrate the underlining deeds of secrecy as well as allude to the fateful unknown in the characters’ lives. Authors Jackson and Lawrence use symbolism as a device to bring to light the cherished items that have a symbolic message for each individual. In The Lottery, the black box represented tradition for the townspeopleRead MoreThe Lottery Versus The Rocking Horse Winner893 Words   |  4 Pages The Lottery versus The Rocking Horse Winner â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† provides two different uses of the settings in a short story that emphasizes the state of being in the story, whereas Shirley Jackson in â€Å"The Lottery† uses the settings to divert the reader, and D.H. Lawrence uses the settings to shape the story. â€Å"The Lottery is a short story that takes place in a town in New England. The story has nothing to do with an actual raffle, but instead refers to expirationRead MoreAnalysis Of The Rocking Horse Winner And The Lottery772 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis exploring the irony in â€Å"The â€Å"Rocking-Horse Winner† and â€Å"The â€Å"Lottery† Often times an author will use irony as a literally technique to throw a twist in his story, whereby allowing the outcome of it to be completely different from what the reader expected. In D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† and Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery,† Mrs. Hutchinson and Paul, despite their motivation, are victims of misguided reasoning, resulting in the irony of each character’s demise. In fact, eachRead MoreCharacterization Of The Lottery, And The Rocking Horse Winner Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesCHARACTERIZATION OF STORIES Characterization in â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† CHARACTERIZATION OF STORIES 2 Thesis Statement The essay is based upon,†The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† written by D.H.Lawrence. The element of which that is in focusRead MoreThe Lottery vs. the Rocking-Horse Winner1286 Words   |  6 PagesOutline Title: â€Å"The Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner† I. Introduction A. In what ways are the two shorts stories by Shirley Jackson and D.H. Lawrence similar and different. B. In â€Å"The Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner† we are analyzing the similarities and differences in setting from a fictional viewpoint between these two short stories. II. Body A. What are the settings of these two short stories, 1. Where do they take place 2. When do they take place 3. What similarities and differencesRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson And The Rocking Horse Winner1048 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† by D.H. Lawrence portray how people can act in atrocious ways when impacted by society. In both of these short stories there is an untimely death of one of the characters. The difference between the deaths is the emotional relation with the characters. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these two pieces of literature through the similarities and differences in the settings, characters, theme, and plot. â€Å"The Lottery†Read MoreComparison of The Rocking Horse Winner and The Lottery Essay779 Words   |  4 PagesThe Comparisons of â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† and â€Å"The Lottery† â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† by D.H. Lawrence is an unpredictable, fairytale-like short story about a mother of three who constantly worries about her financial problems. She has a son who is fervent about figuring out a solution to her predicament. This story also has an abrupt ending that gives off strong emotion. Another short story, called â€Å"The Lottery†, has the same spectacle of ending the story with suspense. Written by ShirleyRead MoreThe Theme Of Luck In The Lottery And The Rocking Horse Winner1514 Words   |  6 Pagestheme of luck in both The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner and show how in both narratives good luck and bad luck are excuses for good and bad decisions. Outline Introduction The Theme of Luck How Both Stories Use the Theme of Luck to Unearth the Real Causes of Tragedy in Peoples Lives The Lottery and Institutionalized Stoning The Sinful Nature of Men The Inversion of the Golden Rule Mrs. Hutchinsons Death Whose Fault? The Rocking Horse Winner and Bad Luck A MothersRead MoreThe Rocking Horse Winner By F. H. Lawrence, And The Lottery1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Rocking-Horse Winner, the author utilizes setting, imagery, and irony to accomplish the hidden theme in this short story, which is the absence of love that prompt the quest for cash and material wealth, or greed, and will eventually obliterate happiness and prompt inevitable defeat. In The Lottery, the author uses its setting and irony to show the theme, which is violence and cruelty towards another human being shows there is a lack of love in the community. In The Rocking-Horse Winner, byRead MoreTraditional Sacrifices in The Lottery by Jackson and The Rocking-Horse Winner by Lawrence772 Words   |  4 PagesIn the The Lottery, Jackson told the story from the point of view of a third person narration; whereas, in the The Rocking-Horse Winner, Lawrence narration is written and seen by several characters within the story. Both authors use social elements to bring the stories together with varies symbolic words that outline the conditions within each siting and the element of an individual death, which involves both characters in a conflict between one’s own passion and one’s responsibility. Both stories