Lottery vs. The Hunger Games

Lottery Hunger Games

Picking children at random to be killed cruelly seems like an outlandish premise for any story, but remarkably, Suzanne Collins's 2008 novel The Hunger Games resembles Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" in many ways. Both are about a cruel, senseless annual event, in which people are chosen at random in a lottery situation. The selected people face death, and their death is presented to the public as a form of entertainment. Both authors make powerful commentary about society being cruel, and both also suggest that individuals should speak out against the unjust and outmoded institutions of society. However similar these two stories may be, there are some significant differences between them. One is a short story, which allows for less character development. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is told from the point-of-view of a third person omniscient narrator, whereas Collins's novel is told from the first person perspective of the protagonist Kaitniss. There is also an element of social bonding among the children in The Hunger Games that is absent from "The Lottery." "The Lottery" and The Hunger Games are comparable on three main accounts: literary structures, themes, and motifs.

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a short story, told from a third person omniscient point-of-view, which presents to the reader the core concepts related to morally corrupt social institutions. As a short story, "The Lottery" can only choose a few literary dimensions to develop in depth. Jackson chooses theme and mood, and sacrifices character development. For example, the reader knows little to nothing about Mrs. Hutchinson. Yet this does not detract from the impact of the story. The reader still identifies the most with Mrs. Hutchinson, who was the only person to express disgust with the system. The main themes that are explored in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" include the senselessness of some of the most established traditions in society. Thus, Jackson could use The Lottery game as a metaphor for laws that promote segregation and inequality. The Lottery could also connote the Church's interference in the law, as with anti-abortion activists. Finally, the motif of The Lottery is central to Jackson's short story. As a motif, The Lottery signifies the deep cruelty at the heart of many social institutions that are taken for granted. For example, patriarchy is a social institution that is taken for granted but which many in power will not let go of, as the town does not let go of The Lottery.

Suzanne Collins's novel The Hunger Games is told from a first person point-of-view of the protagonist Kaitniss. Kaitniss's first person narration encourages the reader to identify fully with her terror and her triumph as she experiences the Hunger Games. With this approach, Collins is able to develop a character, even though the reader is not privy to the overall perspective that a third person point-of-view offers. The primary theme of The Hunger Games is that not all people in power or authoritative structures are legitimate. Kaitniss questions authority, even as she is forced to submit to it in her own way. Finally, the motif of the Hunger Games is important in that it symbolizes socio-economic inequality in society given the term "hunger," corresponding with the experience of poverty.