This essay will compare two morally corrupt characters. Tessie from The Lottery and Mary Maloney from Lamb To The Slaughter. First of all, what does being morally corrupt mean? According to The Merriam Webster Dictionary, it defines corrupt as “to change from good to bad in morals, manners or actions.”. In both short stories, we see that Tessie and Mary Maloney are both morally corrupt due to selfish and self-centered acts they have made. The theme intertwined in both short stories is betrayal. To betray someone is to be disloyal. Tessie and Mary Maloney have either betrayed someone or someone has betrayed them. Firstly, Lamb to the Slaughter by Shirley Jackson is a synopsis where Mary Maloney, the protagonist, is waiting for her husband …show more content…
This confirms to us the Tessie is morally corrupt after having murdering other people before, but finally realising it is wrong when her name is picked out of the black box. Although Tessie is morally corrupt. The whole village is too. Old man warner has lived for 77 years, which means he has partook in 77 deaths. Instead of letting others live, he was selfish enough to keep his life and continue killing others. Traditions can be brought down generation by generation, but death is not necessary. In The Lottery, Tessie’s family grin as they know that her daughter is about to die. In a society, certain traditions should be removed if they do not improve or benefit the society. To conclude, Tessie and Mary Maloney are both morally corrupt resulting in selfish and self-centered acts. Both short stories were intertwined with the theme of betrayal. Mary Maloney betrayed her husband due to her selfishness. If she was not going to be happy, she made sure her husband was not going to either. Tessie partook in The Lottery for many deaths, however when her name is picked out of the box, she speaks up and says ‘it isn’t