Acts of Violence and Brutality Illustrated in Jacksons...

From the beginning of time, human nature has lent itself to violence and brutality. You see evidence of this as you read the news, or watch television. You might have been, or will be, the victim of this dark side of human nature. Looking back to the children of Adam and Eve, Cain killed his brother, Abel, marking, as I heard in a theology class, what many theologies claim as â€Å"the paradigm for conflict and violence.† Throughout our readings in The Story and It’s Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction, we have seen many episodes of violence and brutality, ranging from torment to ritualistic murder. What do these acts represent within each story? In examining â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, and comparing it to â€Å"Sweat† by Zora Neale†¦show more content†¦In comparing the acts of violence and what they represent in these two stories, I feel it’s important to summarize the events that lead up to the violence. Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† begins with a description of a clear and sunny day in June. The narrations describe the activities of the village residents, each activity done as cheerfully as if it were a town picnic, the same as the years prior. If you look closer into the description of the activities, and the character’s involved in them, you will see a division of gender that is stereotypical. The boys gathered stones, protecting the pile â€Å"against the raids of the other boys,† while the girls stood to the side, â€Å"talking amongst themselves† (365). This reminds me of the â€Å"boys will be boys† comments that our society has used to explain away the rowdiness of boys in contrast to the mild manners that most girls present with. The story moves on to describe the activities of the men and women, in much the same way. The men are standing around talking about â€Å"planting and rain, tractors and taxes† (365), these would be co nsidered men’s things in past and present society. The women â€Å"greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip,† which is the image of women that society presents to us. Nothing in the activities, to this point, reveals the horrific scene that will play out in the end. The boys gathering stones, while significant to the brutality at the