Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” and Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games share a similar plotline, but have extremely contradictory moods. “The Lottery” is a short story by author Shirley Jackson that has a easygoing, casual mood despite its horrific plot. The text tells of a small village that holds a yearly ritual known as “The Lottery” in which one person is chosen at random and stoned to death. However, Jackson’s choice of words makes the reader feel calm and at ease. In the story’s opening, the day is described as “...clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson 1). The portrayal of the flourishing plant life and bright sun adds charm to the village and puts the reader …show more content…
The novel is told from the eyes of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl forced to fight for her life in The Hunger Games due to an annual “reaping” of names. Toward the beginning of the novel, Katniss describes the area where the reaping is held, noting that “...Today, despite the bright banners hanging on the buildings, there’s an air of grimness. The camera crews, perched like buzzards on the rooftops only add to the effect” (Collins 16-20). The audience is put off by the way such a bright and colorful area becomes something sinister and disturbing. Likewise, the camera crews being compared to buzzards makes the reader feel uncomfortable and even a little frightened. Later, Katniss finally arrives at the reaping and mentions that “Family members line up around the perimeter, holding tightly to one another’s hands” (Collins 16-20). These people sound terrified and afraid, eventually provoking similar feelings in the audience. In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins uses strong words to invoke a feeling of fear and tension in her audience similar to the feelings her characters are