Discussion Board 2
Engl 102
Morgan Slaughter
With each classic piece of literature, I read, I think we can all understand, that all characters in these
stories showed one imperfection or another. This is a testament to all Christians, that we are all flawed
human beings. We all struggle with things we do in life that are considered sins. For this reason, I chose
“The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson. For the sins, these townspeople committed were atrocious. Perrine
said it best, “Essentially decent and kindly people may perform cruel, irrational acts through their
unquestioning acceptance of traditions and customs that have lost their original meaning or ground for
belief”.1 “The Lottery” is a symbol of things we see today; racial prejudice, religious prejudices and even
nationalism. Everyone lives in fear of the black box. No one wants to be the “winner”. Two characters I
found that showed all of these traits were Old Man Warner and Mrs. Hutchinson. He was such a bigot
and his hatred for young people was widely known. Mrs. Hutchinson was the meanest woman in the
town and the most self-absorbed. She even gives her young son, rocks to throw. No one ever takes
responsibility for the murder. This is such a tragic piece of writing and so intense. It shows our capacity
for violence. There is one character that I see could fill the Great Commission and that would be Mr.
Summers. Although he is progressive, he is civic minded, and I believe just wants what is best and can
bring the community to the Christian way of life.
