In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery," one theme is Man's ability (and need) to rationalize generally unacceptable actions.
The closest I can come to relating to something in society today, in my view would be the rationalization of people going to war. In the United States people glorify war, romanticize it, and call it your duty. In the sixties when my brother and cousins were of age, there was the draft, which to me would be exactly the same as a lottery in this story. My cousin gave his life for the greater good. So they say for our freedom and for the safety of our citizens and our way of life, which I think neither one of there were protected because of that military action (war). Today it is still considered justifiable to loose your life for the greater good. The men in the story talk about how its tradition and you shouldn’t mess with tradition that the people in the other villages have talked about giving up the lottery and that they were, “just crazy fools”. I think that’s how society views the people who protest involvement in war.
I think your comparison to the draft and the story is quite true and a great example. It truly is amazing how someone can die for the greater good and it be accepted, while the true matter of someone dying is almost overlooked.
ReplyDeleteThis is a strong comparison, though the process is a bit different. There is no draft process, so the individual enlisting in the military is essentially choosing his/her potential fate. Individuals enlist knowing that they might die while on duty.
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