Characters Of Ray Bradburys The Lottery AndAll Summer In...

Humans behave mysteriously when they are put into challenging positions. This was especially evident in Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery† and Ray Bradbury’s short story â€Å"All Summer in a Day†. In both of these stories the characters raise hell for the protagonists, compelling the reader to ask themselves what the motivation behind these cruel actions was and why the characters allowed themselves to act in such an unjust manner. Protagonist Tessie Hutchinson of â€Å"The Lottery† is stoned to death by her own townspeople who looked upon her as their equal only moments prior to her death. Protagonist Margot of â€Å"All Summer in a Day† is locked away inside of a closet by her own classmates; the same classmates who end up feeling shameful†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anthing’s be ing done.† (Jackson). Since the lottery is an accepted annual ritual, the villagers see no reason to end it regardless of the sobering and uncomfortable reality it presents. Unfortunately for Hutchinson (and any future victims), the villagers had accepted the lottery as a part of their lives and would not dare to question its credibility. For example, Old Man Warner (the oldest member of the village) mentioned how those who have discontinued the lottery ritual are a â€Å"[p]ack of young fools† (qtd. in Jackson). This suggests that the villagers have accepted the somber reality of the lottery and its authority over them. It is this authority that motivated the villagers to stone Hutchinson to death. In â€Å"All Summer in a Day†, the authority figure is the nine-year-old schoolboy William. The dark story takes place on Venus, where it rains constantly and only one hour of sunlight is witnessed every seven years. The students who live on Venus are unaware of the joy that the sun can potentially bring to them because they were not old enough to appreciate it during its last appearance seven years ago. Young Margot moved from Ohio to Venus five years ago. Therefore, she had recently experienced the sun and even had the ability to properly describe it in her poem as â€Å"a flower, that blooms for just one hour.†