Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner in What

¶ … Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner

In what ways are the two shorts stories by Shirley Jackson and DH Lawrence comparable and dissimilar?

In "The Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner" there will be analysis of the differences and similarities in setting from a fictional perspective across the two short stories.

What are the settings in The Lottery and The Rocking-Horse Winner?

Where do both stories take place?

When do both stories take place?

What comparisons and variances do these stories share, considering the time and location in which they take place?

What is the atmosphere within the world of the two stories?

Are the characters affected by anything within the setting?

What are the differences and similarity of atmosphere between The Lottery and The Rocking-Horse Winner

Conclusion

A. Did the settings of the two stories yield better analysis of similarities and differences?

"The Lottery" and "The Rocking-Horse Winner" are two wonderful short stories that both deal with the "darker" side of humanity. In "The Lottery," one of the fundamental themes of the story, is the viciousness and brutality characteristic of even the most civilized of societies. "The Rocking Horse Winner" is a fable that highlights human greed and the dangers of being greedy. Both stories share the analysis of human behavior and the consequences of such behavior with the differences lying in the kind of behavior and the consequences associated with it. The setting helps to place focus on these similarities and differences along with how the characters within their settings react to the world they are in.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" is about a mother who in the tale is consumed by greed. This greed becomes so extreme that it estranges her from her children. The estrangement leads her son to go to desperate lengths in order to help his mother. It is central to note that although the momentary respite provided by Paul's "winnings" only assists to supplement the sense of greed within the mother along with the voices in the house that drive the children to madness. The didactic short story ends with DH Lawrence showing the reader the danger of greed by permitting the mother to acquire the wealth she covets, but only at the cost and death of her son.

"The Lottery" is a short story with the main message consisting of a twist only discovered in the end that explains the darkness of society and the people that inhabit it. The reader never sees the "prize" of the lottery until the very end, where the frightening implication of the piles of stones made by the children at the beginning of the story is brought full circle. Going further into analysis, the ending brings about the idea that the most advanced societies are still able to obligate and execute revolting acts against one of their own, each other, even an innocent person, all because of selfish pursuits. This may be viewed as being linked to the inability of the group portrayed in the story to stand up as persons and object to the violence. In the end, all contribute in the forbidding act of violence that brings the tale to its finale.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" takes place in England in the year's right after the First World War. The places within the story include: a home in an anonymous locale in or neighboring London, London's Richmond Park, a car roaming to a home in Hampshire County, southwest of London, lastly, Lincoln Racecourse in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The narrator references chief races in England well recognized by readers of the story when it made its first appearance in 1926. These races include: "the Grand National Handicap Steeplechase at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, the Royal Ascot at Windsor, west of London, the Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs in Surrey, southeast of London, the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster in South Yorkshire, and again, the Lincoln, at Lincoln Racecourse in Lincoln, Lincolnshire" (Cummings, 2010, p. 1) The races, the gambling, the death brought on by the actions of the son, the greed fueling her son's actions, they're all dependent within the context of the setting. The setting is pivotal in not only laying the atmosphere within the story, but also providing the catalyst for the plot, driving it to its tragic conclusion.

Unlike "The Rocking-Horse Winner," "The Lottery" has hardly any description of specific places or mentions of locales and locations readers would find familiar or know of. The setting is a small village and the time is within the summer, with an unspecified year. The namelessness of the village points to its universality. It contributes a layer of horror to the story that because the lottery could take place anywhere, in any small town. Unlike in "The Rocking-Horse Winner" where it is confined to a region and an event, like the races, the violence of the lottery cannot be confined to a specific area or a particular set of people. The references to other towns that hold lotteries contribute to the reader's sense that Jackson is critiquing society as a whole.

As for the lottery's chronological setting -- a day in mid-summer -- it designates a period of unrestrained growth and thoughtless intemperance. The children are challenging the freedoms of summer. We might read the village's ritual murder as its process of trimming unwarranted growth. The lottery's timing during the "summer solstice" is seen by some who critique the story as an understated gesticulation to former primeval rituals. The differences in regards to setting can also be applied in a temporal sense because "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is not clear on the day, the time, or even the month, all it eludes to is Christmas time whereas "The Lottery" states it took place "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. It could begin at ten o'clock in the morning" (Jackson, 2008, p. 5).

In regards to atmosphere, in the story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, there is an atmosphere of enthusiasm. It stems from several things. First, the lottery occurs only annually and it is significant to the village for their crops though some in the story are starting to question its importance. The effects are seen in every family as the characters dress quickly to get there in time. Every family feels the pressure as they call to each other on the way to the meeting ground. Picking up the rocks adds to this pressure as the reason for the meeting strengthens. When the Bill Hutchinson's name is announced, everyone else relaxes. When Tessie, his wife who had arrived late, is the member of the family elected for sacrifice, the villagers start the systematic throwing of rocks, not permitting any escape from the ruling of the lottery.