Comparing Anton Chekhov And The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
Disappointment and Male Egotism; A comparison of two stories
“The lottery ticket” by Anton Chekhov and “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson have many similarities. Both pieces examine potential disastrous outcomes of participating in a lottery. Chekhov’s story is a very basic representation of one man’s negative lottery experience. Though Jackson’s work is about a very different kind of village lottery, it too tells the story of a devastating lottery experience. The pieces share many common ideas. In comparing the two pieces, it is evident that Chekhov’s and Jackson’s stories both depict two common themes: disappointment in winning the lottery, and male egotism.
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan Dmitritch, the main character and husband to Masha, is a content man who never thought much of the lottery. This changed however when he thought there was a chance that his wife won the lottery. They each daydreamed about how they would spend their fortune. Separately, the couple realized that they had different plans for how to spend the money. This …show more content…
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan shows several signs of male egotism. First, he believed that Masha would not know how to properly handle their newly acquired money. Also he believed that she was not entitled to experience the same quality travel experience because if Masha went abroad, she would probably just stay in the hotel. Similarly to Chekhov’s portrayal of male egotism, Jackson’s story entails a lottery conducted almost entirely by men. In fact, when one family appointed a son to draw from the lottery instead of his mother, one man’s reaction was, “Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.” This quote shows us that men had an egotistical attitude towards women’s role in the village. Like Chekhov, Jackson created characters that portrayed women in a negative light. This shared theme further paralleled the similarities between “The lottery ticket” and “The
“The lottery ticket” by Anton Chekhov and “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson have many similarities. Both pieces examine potential disastrous outcomes of participating in a lottery. Chekhov’s story is a very basic representation of one man’s negative lottery experience. Though Jackson’s work is about a very different kind of village lottery, it too tells the story of a devastating lottery experience. The pieces share many common ideas. In comparing the two pieces, it is evident that Chekhov’s and Jackson’s stories both depict two common themes: disappointment in winning the lottery, and male egotism.
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan Dmitritch, the main character and husband to Masha, is a content man who never thought much of the lottery. This changed however when he thought there was a chance that his wife won the lottery. They each daydreamed about how they would spend their fortune. Separately, the couple realized that they had different plans for how to spend the money. This …show more content…
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan shows several signs of male egotism. First, he believed that Masha would not know how to properly handle their newly acquired money. Also he believed that she was not entitled to experience the same quality travel experience because if Masha went abroad, she would probably just stay in the hotel. Similarly to Chekhov’s portrayal of male egotism, Jackson’s story entails a lottery conducted almost entirely by men. In fact, when one family appointed a son to draw from the lottery instead of his mother, one man’s reaction was, “Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.” This quote shows us that men had an egotistical attitude towards women’s role in the village. Like Chekhov, Jackson created characters that portrayed women in a negative light. This shared theme further paralleled the similarities between “The lottery ticket” and “The