Group identity has negative and positive effects on people in the society. For some persons, there is the belief that single person or specific groups in the society must make personal sacrifices that involves giving up one’s freedom and right so that the larger portion of the society may benefit. In the contemporary society, people make a lot of personal sacrifices for political, religious, social or economic reasons and these sacrifices often lead to an infringement on the rights of those who make these sacrifices. There are those who recognize that the needs of the society are greater and accept their role in helping to shape a better future. In this instance, Guin shows that “the people at the door never say anything” (Guin 3).On the other hand, there are those who are forced to take on the role and for these persons the sacrifice is even greater. Persons often embrace these evil actions as they are cowards who are afraid to admit that there is no honor in sacrificing one person for the good of others. The inhumanity in the society is clear as the villagers show no mercy to the child. Some “come and kick the child to make it stand” (Guin 3) even though “its buttocks and thighs are a mass of festered sores” (Guin 3). Jackson shows that the children in particular are crueler than their parents as: “The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready” (Jackson 8).
Clearly, groups are lacking in moral and human dimension as they seek to fulfill their political causes and many find “evil interesting” (Guin 1) and clearly show “a refusal to admit the banality of evil” (Guin 1). The truth is that the persons who place great value on group identity are cowards who cannot accept that these actions go against the teachings of the Bible on the value of life and the value of people. Medical organizations share an even greater sense of evil as they take away the freedom of choice in the poor by offering cash rewards for their sacrificial participation in developing health care. Eventually, the society as a whole benefits from new drugs to create a healthier society because as Guin notes: “If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. If it hurts, repeat it” (Guin 1). Similar to the contemporary society, violence is common place in the society and persons hide their evil intentions under legally binding laws that focus more on the laws, instead of the spirit and morality of the society.
Both Guin and Jackson present narratives that help the readers to see groups of people who place strong values on group identity and less value on the person’s right to liberty and life. In fact, there are contemporary issues that are present in each story and which makes the readers more aware of the relevance of the story. Additionally, both stories share the combination of the Dystopian and Utopian society and the readers see the façade of a happy society that was willing to make serious sacrifices so that the rest of the society could benefit. The façade appears in the opening paragraphs of both stories, Guin’s description of the “city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time” (Guin 2) comes out as the most horrifying tale of inhumanity. The truth behind the events in “The Lottery” strikes a nerve in the hearts and mind of many Americans as the implication of the story hits at the horrifying and sadistic nature of humans in the modern society. Person in the contemporary society see the lottery as a positive events but from the onset of the story, Jackson changes this perception of the reader as she writes: “The whole lottery took less than two hours” (p. 1) and suggests that there was little or no value place on human life as long as it served to help the group.
Jackson and Guin start their stories in a similar way as each writer shows an appreciation of the beauty of nature. Jackson notes the “fresh warmth of a full-summer day”(1) and “the flowers were blooming profusely” (1). Guin speaks to the bright air, the great meadow and the extensive growth of the gardens (1). Similarly, both stories reflect the gathering of happy people in the society for different occasions. Guin’s narrative reveals that the people had gathered for the Festival of summer. They danced in the streets in special attire. In many ways, the gathering of the people in “The Lottery” is similar the modern society where groups of people will continue to enjoy themselves despite the violence, poverty or health issues that exist. Arguably, no one can be happy at detriment of others and the happiness of the people is a façade that wears down eventually. The children in “The Lottery” are happy and the boys were the first to gather the stones and stuff them into their pockets (Jackson 1). Nonetheless, both authors show the forced pleasantness of the people even as they grapple with the cruelty and barbaric events that can give them happiness.
Jackson’s plot is similar to the modern society in many ways as the many persons are not as civilized as one would want to believe. The truth is that persons would rather save the lives of a number of persons in the society rather than to allow one person to jeopardize the lives of others. The villagers told Tessie “Be a good sport” (Jackson 5) as she tells them that “It isn’t fair” (Jackson 5). The truth is that cruelty such nature can never be fair. But, persons who believe in group identity dwell on the safety of the groups in the society and this often takes precedence over the lives of hardened criminals or anyone who may pose a threat to the society. In fact law enforcers are sworn to use lethal force in arrests if the perpetrator is suspected of being a threat to the society. The decisions to sacrifice a particular person in this case will depend largely on the assumption of the traditional and irrational beliefs of law enforcers who believe that they are making their decisions based on reason and logic. But, how much of these logical reasoning comes under scrutiny? The recent shooting deaths of a number of black males in the United States has left members of the black and white communities questioning the law enforcers logical arguments that these black men posed a threat to their group. The officers were quick in their decision to shoot and kill the unarmed minorities just as Jackson shows that the villagers took less than two hours to determine who lives and who dies.
The characters in Guin’s and Jackson’s stories face the same logical assumptions that lead to the death of innocent persons in their society, yet just as in the contemporary society, the barbaric acts are justified by the need to protect or save the rest of the group. The boy in Guin’s story “becomes [an] imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect” (Guin 3) and this serves as the highest point of the barbaric acts in the society. Despite the commonly voiced notion that the society is civilized, there are a number of persons who are similar to the characters in “The Lottery” and “The Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas” because they are consumed by their need for revenge, violence and advancement in science and technology. The truth is that the society is made up of different persons with different abilities to reason logically and of course, the law asserts that persons who pose a threat to the contemporary society must be eliminated so that the rest of the society can live in peace.
Despite the changes in the traditional practices of the villagers in “The Lottery,” there is the common need to maintain the traditional values and practices in different ways. Jackson writes: “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago,” (1) and still, similar to the modern racial divide in the United States, the villagers continued the barbaric acts against persons. Guin also alludes to that reality when she writes that “they all knew that it has to be there” (Guin 3) and those who do not agree “keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas” (Guin 4).
The decision to protect the group depends on the opinions and reasoning of different law making bodies in the society. The process of deciding who lives and who dies in the modern society is quite similar to that of the societies in the two stories. One may say that the modern society is different from Guin’s and Jackson’s fictitious society. Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that the fictitious society in the stories and the modern society are similar in the façade. Jackson and Guin depict a society that appears to be happy and civilized even as they plan and execute the deaths of innocent persons while the modern society exists under the guise of being civilized even as persons hide the murderous violence in the society. Guin is even more explicit in her plot as she emphasizes that “some of them understand why, and some do not“ (Guin 3). Eventually the people accept and “understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers” (Guin 3) results from “this child's abominable misery” (Guin 3).
Both authors present society’s where one person must be sacrificed for the betterment of the society. The Omelas appears to be a happy society, but the happiness relies on the horrifying circumstances where it is reputed that the suffering of a small child brings happiness to their society. In “The Lottery” persons are randomly selected to be sacrificed so that there the other members of the society can enjoy a “good” life. Such practices make the issues relevant to the modern society that promotes the figurative death of one set of persons so that the rest of the country may live in comfort.
The government puts high taxes on goods and services in the country so that there is more revenue. But, similar to the sacrificial nature of Guin’s “The Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas” and Jackson’s “The Lottery,” one set of persons in the society will suffer a figurative death. The poorer groups will pay more on taxes from the little they have and the rich are often exempted from some of these taxes or even if they pay these taxes, they do not face any challenges in paying these fees. The society benefits as the monies are used to provide more goods and services in the country. The child in Guin’s story is the ideal representation of the benefits that comes from sacrificing others in an inhumane manner.
The figurative nature of these taxes makes the stories relevant in the society as Guin and Jackson reflect on the lack of remorse others feel despite the negative effects that the sacrifice may have on those who are suffering. Arguably, the Utopian society is still present in the modern society as persons are in similar circumstances except for the literal death. Each society in the story justify their cruelty with pleasures that mankind cannot control. The selfish nature of these persons do not allow them to seek changes in the ways that the government enforces tax on food and health care, just as the characters in the story make no attempt to change the rules that govern the society. Instead, both the realistic and fictional characters in the stories and in the contemporary society display a high level of selfishness as they only think about their personal desires.
The laws of the society do not allow for changes to the system of governance. But, persons have the power to change the traditional ways of life. Neither the characters in the stories nor the “characters” in the present society makes the effort to change the law so that no one has to die either literally or figuratively. When the taxes increase in the country and those of the lower socio-economic strata suffer or when there is an unlawful death, many persons feel some amount of remorse. Guin’s characters show their remorse through tears and rage (3), yet nothing is done to change the actions of the perpetrators who cannot fathom the cruelty and the torture that persons make to ensure that the other groups in the society can be happy. Like the people in Jackson story who wish that things were different and that the events would not affect their friends (Jackson 6).
In concluding, groups often exert a lack of rational thoughts when they seek to protect the benefits and the rights of the majority. The minority groups are the sacrificial lambs that are slaughtered for economic, social and health benefits in the society. Jackson and Guin present a fictitious, yet creative outlook on the reality that the evil perpetrators with their political agenda cannot see the moral and ethical dilemma that comes with sacrificing the good of a single person or a smaller group so that the rest of the society may benefit. For the most part, many of the members of the society do not agree with these unorthodox methods, but are afraid to speak out against the rules that govern the society. Therefore, Jackson and Guin’s stories serve as relevant voices against the injustice in the society.
Works Cited
Jackson, Shirley, “The Lottery” (1948) 1 – 8. Web. 14 Feb 2016 <
https://sites.middlebury.edu/individualandthesociety/files/2010/09/jackson_lottery.pdf>
Le Guin, Ursula, “The Ones Who Walk Away from the Omelas” from The Winds Twelve
Quarters: Short Stories, (n.d) 1 – 4. Web. <umb.edu> 14 Feb 2016
