"The Lottery" and "The Story of an Hour"

Paper Summary:

This paper compares two stories ,Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery' and Kate Chopin's 'The Story of an Hour', which both demonstrate change, but in two very different ways. The paper notes that both stories show how change is necessary for life to be constructive and without which life becomes static and boring. The paper compares the way the characters in both stories handle change and how it affects their lives.

From the Paper:

"In Jackson's "The Lottery," the townspeople face a unique opportunity to change the way they do things - more than once. In fact, every year the people can do away with the lottery but they are afraid of change and what it might bring. It is interesting to note that they may even be more afraid of the lottery than they are of change but because they are so accustomed to their way of life. The townspeople illustrate how we can become comfortable in our daily lives and, as a result, lose our sense of what is right and wrong. "The Lottery" also illustrates how people become so familiar with their daily routine that the idea of change, regardless of how good the change may be, seems too difficult. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Lauter, Paul, ed. Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company. 1990. Pp635-7
• Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Cassill, R. V. ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. 1981. pp. 617-25.

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