Similarities Between The Lottery And Haircut

Small towns may appear picture perfect with their white picket fences, but behind closed doors, there's a darkness that lurks in the shadows. Authors Shirley Jackson, as well as Ring Lardner, accurately portray the experiences of individuals facing difficulties throughout small towns in the short stories "The Lottery" and "Haircut." Both authors primarily utilize irony and symbolism; However, Jackson's use of irony is revealed through plot development whereas Lardner's utilization of irony is emphasized by the reader's perception. Additionally, both short stories' contents depend heavily on symbolism. Both authors applied symbolism, yet their meanings are conveyed very differently.

Ring Lardner's short story "Haircut" is presented from the

He chats with a reticent client about a local man named Jim Kendall’s death. The barber then proceeds to explain to the client how Jim had lost his job and had been spending the majority of his income on alcohol. Additionally, he talks to the client about all of Jim Kendall's livelihood issues. The barber describes to the client how another local, Paul Dickson, shot Jim Kendall to death. In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," a small community holds an annual lottery in the hopes of a bountiful harvest. The lottery winner is selected by the town mayor by selecting wood chips from a box with the names of the town residents engraved into them. Although winning the lottery in our reality is something one would like to do, in the short story, the consequence of winning is being stoned to death. The residents of the town agree that one life must be sacrificed annually to produce a decent crop yield. Both short stories have several traits, including themes, settings, and literary devices. This raises the question of

The irony is made clear toward the end of the story when the reader discovers that winning the lottery results in being stoned to death. This is known as situational irony, when one anticipates something to occur, however, the outcome is completely different. Additionally, the author's word choice demonstrates symbolism. Stoning is a very simple procedure that would end a life in unimaginable pain. Because the stones used to kill the lottery winner symbolize death, death is the central theme of the story. Moments before Tessie gets stoned, she says, "It isn't fair," as she is struck in the face by pebbles and