Salem Massachusetts And The Lottery: Literary Analysis

Chaos… the total lack of order… Stephen Vincent Benet and Shirley Jackson show in their respective books; Salem Massachusetts and The Lottery how chaos in society is. We know that Benet’s story talks about the witch trials in the 1691’s and Jackson’s story makes us live a long lasting tradition of a weird lottery that involves killing innocents. In fact, Chaos is a main theme found in both books through the actions, the thoughts and the feelings vehiculed/transmitted by the main characters of each story.

Initially, we can see through the actions of the characters of Jackson’s and Benet’s book that the chaos is present. In fact, the deaths in both stories represent chaos. Jackson tells us in her book: one hanging on June , five on July 19,

Although these books are similar they are also different in some ways. Even though the deaths represent chaos in each books there are both different in the way they die. During the time of reading Salem Massachusetts we see that there are Trials both in the Lottery there is only an event a tradition, so in both the way they die is different and also how they die is different. In Salem Massachussets there are hanged and in the Lottery they are killed by stones. Once again although these books are similar they are also very different by the way they die and in the different lack of

To begin with, Salem Massachusetts demonstrates how people have no empathy nor remose for killing others that are for the most part innocent. For example, the community say this on the first two hangings: Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn were no great losses to the community…The villagers of Salem felt relieved.These feelings demonstrate how even the people don’t care at all of the chaos that they created. And then, there's the count who is said to have congratulated themselves on their prompt and intelligent actions. There congratulating themselves for killing innocent people, no remorse, just happiness, this really demonstrates how there is chaos in this village and the way they feel about what they do. And yet, there is the way that the characters feel in the Lottery, Just the same. No empathy, nor remorse. We know that the Lottery is a tradition so the people have done it for a long time and still live happily. But to be more precise, there is one civilian that has been part of it for the 77th year; old man Warner. At one point, he even says: Come on, come on everyone so that everyone would throw their stones at Jessie. He encourages the killing, the death, the chaos. He is so used to it he has become it, no empathy for the one in front and no remorse after and it will continue as it was for this past 77 years. Even some people say to