Self-Reliance Vs. Conformity In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

October 9, 2014
Self- reliance Versus Conformity
Think about self-reliance, or in other words, independent thoughts and why it is important for one’s identity. The consequence of an individual standing up against societal norms or an individual conforming to the norms of his or her society represent the overarching theme in both TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD By Harper Lee and THE LOTTERY By Shirley Jackson. These authors may have used different kinds of literary techniques to impart their messages in the book/story but we could still compare and contrast their literary techniques that they have used to inform their readers. The authors Harper Lee and Shirley Jackson both illustrate the overarching theme of self- reliance versus conformity to their
Jackson further describes where the lottery takes place, “The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock… there were only about hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours,” (1) The tradition of the lottery is a norm in the village, in which it occurs once a year. This village does not speak for itself like other villages do, for example no one questions the fact that the towns people continue with this tradition. In fact, some go as far as to speak down about the towns that have given up the lottery. Here the town shows the overarching theme of self- reliance versus conformity because some towns stand up for their right rather than sit back and not question the tradition which has no apparel
Therefore, killing them is a sin, because they don 't hurt anyone as Harper Lee shows in the novel to convey her message to the audience she uses two major “mockingbirds” who are Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson; they help us define the overarching theme of self- reliance versus conformity. Harper Lee describes Boo’s situation from Scout’s point of view, “When they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things . . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . .” His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (284) Arthur also known as Boo Radley, an intelligent child ruined by a cruel father, is one of the books most important mockingbirds. He stayed inside the Radley place this whole time and seemed like a monster in front of the society. He never stood up for what people thought of him without truly knowing him. However, these words from chapter 31 conclude the novel. As Scout falls asleep, she is telling Atticus about the events of The Gray Ghost, a book Jem read to her which show resemblance with Boo Radley’s cause and Atticus gently notes the truth of that observation. Harper Lee uses many characters to show the major theme of self- reliance versus conformity but nothing better than Boo Radley who shows the perfect example between his innocence and the societies accusation for which he did not stand