How far are people ready to go to uphold a custom? In this essay, the theme of tradition will be analyzed using two stories – “The Lottery” by Jackson (1948) and “The Hunger Games” (Lawrence & Ross, 2012). Both tThe short story and the film present a dystopian world where people are chosen by lottery to die. The stories explore the theme of tradition in their choice of character, setting, and symbol.
The settings in both narratives are similar in many ways – the village in “The Lottery” and District 12’s small town in “The Hunger Games.” Both locations have a designated space for the event. In the short story, the reader sees a detailed description of a village where people gather for the lottery. They laugh, joke, and talk about their chores while children play (Jackson, 1948). In District 12, the crowd’s mood is less optimistic, but they all follow the procedure and do not question it.
Such characters as Old Man Warner and Coriolanus Snow show how ingrained the process is in both universes. In “The Lottery,” Warner enforces the lottery’s supposed importance by saying, “there’s always been a lottery,” and calling those who want to quit the tradition a “pack of young fools” (Jackson, 1948). In the movie, Coriolanus Snow is an direct antagonist and adheringes to the idea of the impossibility of abandoning the games (Lawrence & Ross, 2012). In an effortWhile trying to maintain citizens’ obedience and prevent removal from his position, he intends to preserve the tradition by all means, thereby strengthening his own authority.
The symbols of tradition in the short story and the movie are similar – a black box on a stool and a glass bowl. The lottery uses an old black box , which the villagers are afraid to replace so as not to upset the tradition behind it (Jackson, 1948). In the film, the reaping bowls are a part of the spectacle – they are the same in each district. Therefore, they are also a part of the world that people are scared to challenge.
The movie “The Hunger Games” and the short story “The Lottery” and the film “The Hunger Games” have a strong theme of tradition. Characters in both universes are used to the horrible events and do not challenge them. It is possible that the corresponding customs are gradually accepted in society and begin to be taken for granted as they take root. However, the acute question is whether tradition is a good reason for sacrificing human lives.
The setting for the lottery is casual, and people do not act as if they can change anything. There exist characters that enforce the tradition, even if they have different roles in the events. The symbols represent death for people in both stories, but the latter treat the items with reverence.
References
Jackson, S. (1948). The lottery.The New Yorker. Web.
Lawrence, F., & Ross, G. (2012). The hunger games [Film]. Lionsgate.