Running Head: FICTION UNIT STORY COMPARISON 1
Fiction Unit Story Comparison
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FICTION UNIT STORY COMPARISON 2
"The Lottery" and "The Destructors" have numerous similarities, although they are
presented differently. At the same time, they have characteristics that set them apart. The Lottery
starts as a joyful event, where individuals queue to try their luck on something (Jackson, 1948).
However, it results in needless cruelty towards one member of the community. On the other
hand, The Destructors illustrates how war impacts society and boyhood mischievousness with
equal unnecessary destruction of another individual's property. Both authors employ interesting
methods to develop their stories, keeping the reader's attention hooked without revealing the
major surprise twists the make their work effective.
Both fictional stories were published in the late 1940s and early 1950s a few years
following the devastating World War II. In terms of setting, "The Lottery" takes place during a
fruitful month of summer, where the author states that the grass is richly green and flowers are
blooming (Jackson, 1948). The description of the environment and the joy that precludes the
event pushes readers to believe that the event is a positive one which may carry the same joyful
aura throughout the day. On the other hand, the story occurs in a spontaneous car park, which
lies in an area that was bombed during the war. Besides the park, stands a house that seemed to
have withstood the events of the war, which the children referred to as 'Old Misery's house.'
The characters in both settings vary with adults playing a significant role in 'The Lottery'
and boys in 'The Destructors. The adults are eager to carry on with the day's activity so that each
individual can go on with their daily activity (Jackson, 1948). In essence, the mood can be
described as hasty as individuals are aware of their culture and tradition's shortcomings and the
fact that an individual is about to be put to death. However, these people know that the tradition
and customs they are following need not to exist in this modern era, but they chose to go along
with it anyway. An example is when a villager tells Old Man Warner, a seventy-seven-year-old
FICTION UNIT STORY COMPARISON 3
man, about other towns doing away with the Lottery, and he responds mocking the new
generations. The Destructors, however, show children who are deemed clueless and do not know
what they are doing. Nonetheless, their actions result in cruelty.
The third aspect to which the comparison and contrast occur is on the theme of
leadership. The Destructor emphasizes on the leadership issue of the gang with Blackie falling
from grace as the gang's leader with Trevor "T" taking his place. It is through the events that
follow that Trevor's character develops. The fact that leadership slips from Blackie to the Newest
and quietest member Trevor is a twist in the plot, where readers may believe that the new
member would help lead the gang of boys into doing more positive things. Instead, he leads the
group into a more heinous path, hitching a plan of destroying Old Misery's house and going to
the full extent of put together the specifics of the plan for the other members to follow. In The
Lottery, leadership is subtly addressed with Mr. Summers, being responsible for the event. At the
same time, there is no central figure mentioned that could address the questions the individuals
have regarding the incident.
In the Lottery However, the theme of the vulnerability of the individual comes to life
where individuals are vulnerable to traditions that they barely know nothing about. They follow
along with the customs regardless. For instance, when it becomes apparently clear that Tessie
will be stoned to death, so Mrs. Hutchinson protests. However, the rest of the community is so
carried away with the event that they do not seem to notice its cruelty.
Finally, prominent writing devices stand out in both fiction stories. The Titles, for
instance, symbolize the events that take place in the stories. However, The Lottery as a title is
ironic as the lottery event in question is about picking or not picking the opportunity to be
stoned. This is contrary to ordinary lotteries that end with joy and bountifulness of the winners.
FICTION UNIT STORY COMPARISON 4
On the other hand, names like Mrs. Graves portray the mood of the story, despite it being painted
as a beautiful event. It also, on the other hand, the attack on Mr. Thomas's premises and is both
symbolic and paradoxical. Trevor does not necessarily hate the older man but rather, wishes to
remove the last indicators of the traditional world.
Conclusion
"The Lottery" and "The Destructors" are fictional stories that portray the cruelty of
human beings to each other. They possess multiple similarities and differences which the authors
employ to pass the message of the story. The Lottery uses an event on a beautiful date, to show
how individuals tend to stick to their traditions regardless of the consequences. In contrast, The
Destructors show individuals who move away from tradition by destroying the last shreds of the
same.
FICTION UNIT STORY COMPARISON 5
References
Greene, G. (1948). The Destructors. In G. Greene, Twenty-One Stories. New Hampshire:
Heinemann.
Jackson, S. (1948). The Lottery. New York: The New Yorker.
