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Fiction Essay Assignment
Timothy S. Jones
ENGL 102: Composition and Literature
Dr. Yaw Adu-Gyamfi
09 September 2024
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Outline
I. Introduction
A. Brief Introductions of “The Lottery” and “The Destructors”
B. Thesis Statement
II. Theme Analysis
A. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
i. Major Theme: Dangers of blind tradition and mob mentality ii.
Conveyance of the theme iii. Challenge or confirmation to
conventional values
B. “The Destructors” by Graham Greene
i. Major Theme: Deterioration of societal norms and values ii.
Conveyance of theme
iii. Challenge or confirmation to conventional values
III. Comparison of Themes
i. Similarities ii.
Differences
IV. Author’s Techniques
A. “The Lottery”
B. “The Destructors
V. Conclusion
Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Graham Greene's "The Destructors" are stories that
explore human behavior and its propensity for evil and the need for conformity. "The Lottery" is
based in an unnamed town showing the consequences of blind adherence to tradition. At the
same time "The Destructors" is set in post-World War 2 England after The Blitz, where a gang of
boys display the broken societal effects of war on the morals of the adolescent. This essay will
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compare and contrast the themes of the two stories and what the authors were trying to
convey.
Thesis Statement: In "The Lottery" and "The Destructors" the authors show the darker
side of human behavior in their themes. In "The Destructors" a group of boys destroy an old
man's house in post-World War 2 England. In "The Lottery" a small-town populace uses a lottery
system to decide which of their citizens will be sacrificed for some unknown reason because of
tradition. Both the normalization of violence and the influence of collective behavior are used to
show a degradation of morality and normal behavior.
In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the author conveys the dangers of blindly accepting
traditions and mob mentality. In what appears to be a normal town, an annual lottery is held in
which families must draw names from a box. Once a family is chosen, they draw to choose an
individual family member who is the "winner," who then is stoned to death by the town
members. Jackson never states how the tradition began, but that the black box used was older
than Old Man Warner, "the oldest man in town" and that "There's always been a lottery."
(Jackson, 1948)
The setting for "The Lottery" is a small town where the lottery is an annual summer
event. Everything seems routine throughout the story from boys stacking up rocks, a woman
coming from her dishes, and the drawing of family names. It isn't until an actual "winner" is
drawn that the author turns the story dark. Tessie Hutchinson draws the "black spot," indicating
that she is the one selected for a ritualistic stoning by the town, including her family members.
The Lottery challenges conventional values, exposing the dark side of tradition for
tradition's sake and that can lead to the normalization of violence. A mob mentality ensues once
the first stone is thrown, and the town participates in the brutal murder of someone's wife. This
type of behavior would normally not occur if an individual was told to act alone in normal
circumstances.
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Conversely, in Graham Greene's "The Destructors" the issue of moral degradation and
societal norms is displayed through the actions of a gang of boys during The Blitz era in London,
England. In the story, a group of boys decide that they will completely and systematically
destroy the home of an elderly man that has managed to survive the bombing raids of London.
The leader, a boy named "T," decides that his group should destroy a beautiful home without
remorse showing a moral decay of values in the youth.
Greene conveys the theme in the backdrop of a war-torn, bombed-out society in
disrepair. Pre-war affluence displayed in Old Misery's home is thrown aside by the gang of boys
that are surrounded by destruction. Trevor is shown the beauty of the inside of the home and
without remorse or stated reason decides it needs to be destroyed, displaying how traditional
values have eroded.
"The Destructors" goes against conventional values by depicting the post-war era of
London has led to the crumbling of morals. The actions of the boys, as displayed by their apathy
to other's property rather than personal gain, underscore the collapse of traditional norms.
Greene shows the behavior of the gang as a shift away from societal values and behaviors as
impacted by destruction and psychological changes of war on its populace.
In both "The Lottery" and "The Destructors", the authors explore the themes of violence
and human cruelty. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" masks a shocking ritualistic act of violence
toward a member of the town in the veneer of a long-standing tradition. Similarly, Greene's
"The Destructors" depicts a group of adolescent boys who commit a brazen act of unwarranted
destruction of an elderly man's house, even locking him inside his outhouse in order to
complete their plan. Both stories highlight how ordinary people can engage in acts of violence
when pressured by their surroundings or circumstances.
Conversely, the stories differ significantly in their motivations and depictions of violent
acts. "The Lottery" focuses on the ritual of the annual lottery, where a seemingly rational town
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comes together every year to brutally murder a member of the population through tradition.
"The Destructors" presents violence through the rebellious actions of the boys, rather than a
traditional act. Greene does not specify why the gang leader wants to destroy the house of "Old
Misery" other than the want of youthful nihilism.
In summary, both "The Lottery" and "The Destructors" provide compelling critiques of
societal norms and morals. Jackson shows how following blindly in traditions can normalize
violence while Greene shows how the ravages of war can break down empathy and moral
values. Through differing writing styles the authors effectively communicate their themes and
challenge the reader to think about the broader impact of blindly following a group or leader
without critically thinking about the reasons or consequences.
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References
Adu-Gyamfi, Y. (2024). Supplement to Online ENGL 102 Liberty University. Macmillan Higher
Education. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781319575472
Meyer, M., & Miller, D. Q. (2023). The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature (13th ed.).
Macmillan Higher Education. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781319527013
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