The two stories, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," look at the dynamics of human encounters, behavior, and judgment. The stories look at the distinctive characteristics of the characters' actions both inside and outside of their professional positions. While Young Goldman Brown explains the dynamics of good and evil traits in human nature, The Lottery critically examines the evil nature ingrained in humanity. The narratives incorporate literary devices like location, plot, and characterization that highlight the themes, enabling readers to understand the stories' underlying messages.
“The Lottery” is the story of a small village. The story begins with the description of a beautiful day. The villagers gathered in a square for the lottery draw on that day. They collected stones and took them in their pocket. Mr. Summer is the host of the lottery. Mr. Summer and Mr. Graves prepared everything to host the lottery. Mr. Summer entered the crowd with the black box. He followed the postmaster on his way to the crowd. It is not the old black box as they lost it a long time ago. Mr. Summer replaced the wood chips with paper after convincing the villagers. They got the list of all families in that village and called them to pick a paper. Mrs. Hutchison got the paper with a black dot, but Tessie argues against it. Mr. Graves put the papers into the ground and given five papers to the family members of Mrs. Hutchison. They got the black dot on all of these papers as Tessie marked them with a black dot. Everyone started to throw stones on Tessie because of her evil act.
“Young Goodman Brown” is the story based on a village named Salem and a young man named Goodman Brown. The story begins with the sunset while Goodman Brown said goodbye to his young wife, Faith. He was on his way to the forest with an evil purpose. He thought that Faith was concerned about his evil purpose and he promised to be a better person. He traveled to the forest to meet with an unknown mystery. He met with the devil in the forest, and they were on the way of evil rituals. On his way to the unholy rituals, he noticed few respected people from his village proceeding to the same place. He suddenly heard the voice of Faith. He assumed that Faith was also joining in this unholy rituals and proceeded to the procession. But he found himself alone in the forest. He was confused to identify it as dream or reality. He returned to Salem next morning and found everything new to him. He lost his faith from everyone, and everything seemed to be false in his eyes.
Comparative Analysis
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson employs a third person narrative approach in describing how events that are normally accepted in society can result in extreme and barbaric outcomes especially when people fail to consider the implications of their actions. Hawthorne in “Young Goodman Brown” also uses a third person narrative approach; however, it is applied in a different manner compared to Shirley Jackson’s approach. The differences in the presentation of the stories are distinctive and separate the two author’s presentation style. Jackson attempts to evoke reactions from the readers while Hawthorne delves into the inner conflicts that emerge from the character’s thoughts. Though the presentations styles are different, the two authors have a similar objective of encouraging readers to examine their actions, beliefs and their society.
Symbolism is used in the two narratives as a means of describing the underlying themes and elucidating the plot. Hawthorne uses “Young Goodman Brown” and “Faith” as a symbolic representation of decent human beings. For instance, the name, Faith characterizes a Christian person who is faithful as the narrative suggests, “and Faith, as the wife was aptly named” (Hawthorne 24). Mr. Graves is a character that symbolizes death considering that he is used in the entire narrative as the coordinator and executor of the lottery. The two stories integrate names, acts, and objects that are significant symbols that contribute to the development of the plot and themes.
On the one hand, Hawthorne employs the use of names to emphasize the good nature of human beings; however, he depends on objects to depict Satanism in the narrative. The primary object that is an obvious reference to Satanism is the staff that is mentioned variously throughout the narrative. The object is clearly defined when the older travel companion drops it and “it assumed life, being one of the rods which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian Magi” (Hawthorne 28). The occurrence can be described as similar to biblical events where magical powers were used to turn staff into snakes. On the other hand, Jackson makes use of a “black box” throughout the narrative to symbolize a tradition that has not been adulterated by changing times. She states that “every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything being done” (Jackson 8). The depiction of the box as old, black and worn out invokes superstitious through, and the reader can easily associate it with evil. The differences in the use of symbolism can be seen in Hawthorne’s use of objects to depict Satanism whereas Jackson uses them to demonstrate the innate evil in human beings.
In the Lottery, the author does not expressly indicate that the townspeople are anxious about the upcoming lottery. Jackson makes use of subtle suggestions that contribute to creating a sense of apprehension. The author creates a vivid description of the men gathering at the town square. She creates an image of children stacking stones while the men are gathered discussing routine issues such as “planting and rain, tractors and taxes.” However, Jackson states that the men “stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet, and they smiled rather than laughed” (Jackson 6). The description suggests there is unusual activity contrary to other days; as such, it is not a typical town gathering. However, the author does not disclose the reason for lingering anxious mood. Jackson continues the narrative in a similar tone causing the reader to feel apprehensive especially when the Hutchinson’s are chosen as the winners. The tension is further exacerbated when Tess expresses concern that her life might be in danger and her scream that “it isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson 16) resonates with reader’s growing sense of foreboding.
Hawthorne adopts an approach that is less subtle as he describes Goodman Brown’s mood. As the protagonist walks through the woods, he contemplates on “what if the devil himself should be at my very elbow” (Hawthorne 25). The thought can be described as an ambiguous expression of anxiety. This line of thought is continuing even after Brown has met his traveling companion as he starts to describe his inner struggles. He observes that their quest is in conflict with his conscience. As the two continue their conversation, Goodman raises concern regarding the impending initiation; however, he does not turn back and continues to trudge on at the behest of his companion who intimates that even the best people in town have undergone a similar experience.
The two narrative take divergent approaches in their description of fear; as such, they have different ways of explicating what constitutes morality. In “The Lottery,” the villagers are deeply engaged in preparing for the annual lottery; however, in the beginning, the reader may not be able to discern any ominous event as the author ingeniously veils the horror that is yet to come. The significance of village life is emphasized while the secrecy of the lottery and the actual implications are hidden. The children take the event as an opportunity to get away from their parents while the elders perceive the horrific event in the lottery as mild and necessity. However, when the time for the lottery arrives, everyone is nervous since there are only two possible outcomes; one can be a spectator or the selected victim of the sacrifice.
In “Young Goodman Brown,” the protagonist’s moral issues emerge through the conversation with his companion. Though the narrative seems to adopt a simplistic approach at the begging, it becomes more complex as the narrative progresses towards the end. As Hawthorne states the protagonist “had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through and closed immediately behind” ( Hawthorne 25). At some point, he feels encouraged as he gets to know that other people in the village have experienced and undergone a similar rite. In some instances, he questions the authenticity of such assertions and wonders whether he is doing the right thing. The questions that are raised aid in elucidating the dynamics of human nature; however, the author’s description is ambiguous in contrast to that of fear. The author follows the protagonist’s thoughts as they leap back and forth; however, Hawthorne’s exploration of morality is far less ambiguous in contrast to Jackson’s approach. As the narrative approaches the end, Hawthorne observes that “it was a dream of evil omen for young Goodman Brown” (Hawthorne 34).
Meanwhile, Shirley Jackson adopts a different method to question the moral compass of the townspeople. The author succeeds in developing a narrative that is embroiled in tension from the beginning up to the point where Tessie, Bill Hutchinson’s wife, can be heard screaming. Though the reader may get an impression that the events described in the narrative are unfair to Tessie, the townspeople may have a different view of the situation. They may argue that the selection process was random and not targeted at any one person; therefore, a sacrifice had to be selected to ensure that their crops remain healthy. Though the event may be considered as an outdated, barbaric practice, its application in the context of the situation and prevalent sociocultural dynamic makes it a rational and moral choice. It can be equated as similar to the modern socioeconomic systems whose morality is hardly questioned. There is a probability that the townspeople will question their actions especially since some people in the community are selected and harmed; however, it can be construed as a moral decision where one life is sacrificed in order to save many lives in the town.
The Lottery motivates readers to question the fairness in the world as especially in view of the ending that can be construed as unfair and shocking. However, in Young Goodman Brown, the author creates an atmosphere in the narrative that allows a more direct and involved perspective regarding morality through a comprehensive description of the protagonist’s inner struggle. Essentially, Hawthorne lets the reader know what is construed as moral or immoral whereas Jackson describes events in the narrative that prompts the reader to question his or her own morality. In the “Young Goodman Brown” narrative, the author develops moral certitude; therefore, the reader is made aware of which actions or inactions are considered moral. Jackson’s narrative, the Lottery does not seek to teach a moral lesson; therefore, readers are prompted to question their beliefs, values, and principles on what constitutes moral actions. She presents a situation that describes a unique set of circumstances that demand a human sacrifice in order to save an entire society. Morality becomes an ambiguous concept depending on which viewpoint the reader assumes; the townspeople’s or Tessie’s position.
Conclusion
“The Lottery” keeps the reader interested in what is going to happen in the next. Villagers are playing the leading role in this story. It shows us how people follow the tradition blindly. Shirley Jackson filled the story with reality, irony, old tradition, evil acts. “The Lottery” gives the readers a sense of hope at the beginning and it continues to follow the trend. He used a great symbolization in characteristics and portrayed some evil acts throughout the story. It shows us the influences of an old tradition in society. It can be described as a narrative that provides the reader with a personal awakening in view of an ending that was unexpected and concerns of what constitutes fairness.
“Young Goodman Brown” expresses different scenario to describe the goodness and evil in the human nature. It described how evil thoughts flow in our mind and take us away from the holy thinking. It portrays how people judge others by their individual characteristics. After Goodman Brown met with the devil, he started to think that all other respected persons of their town have connections with the evil including his wife Faith. Hawthorne used imaginary and figurative language and diction to establish his critics of Puritan ideas. He tried to establish his idea of good and bad, nature of sin and how evil affect human nature. Jackson and Hawthorne used many symbols and plots to provide the reader clear message about evil and goodness. They used their own unique way to symbolize the different traditional facts and how the devil convinces our minds to commit bad things. It shows the loss of innocence. It shows us how we judge others from an individual perspective. The two narratives inspired the reader to examine his or her morality and succeeded in exploring the ugly aspects of tradition and society.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown and other short stories. Dover Thrift Editions. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2012.
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Scituate: The Creative Company, 2008.
