Through every story written or told, long or short, there is a meaning behind the reasons why those stories were made. Primarily the meanings behind these stories are called themes. Themes can portray the author’s purpose in writing these stories. In the short fiction story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the theme primarily focuses on the dangers of how people irrationally participate in traditions without second guessing why do they do them, in contrast, to the short fiction story “The Destructors” written by Graham Greene which theme focuses on how people lose their innocence while amid destructions, However, both stories have an underlining comparison of how human nature is dangerous if it is unchecked.
“The Lottery” theme focuses on the dangers of not questioning traditions. Before the true message is conveyed in the story, Shirley Jackson the author of “The Lottery” uses the irony in the title the lottery to pull the readers into believing that what they are about to read is a story of one who will win a prize. But, instead, the readers…show more content… In “The Lottery” and “The Destructors” both stories give a glimpse to the readers that human nature is capable of allowing and causing things and people to be destroyed. When the character Tess in “The Lottery” suddenly believes that the village yearly ritual was unfair because she must now face death can be concluded of hypocrisy because she would participate in violence but would stop believing in the violence if it was done to her. In “Destructors” the group of gangs began to normalize that it was ok to destroy a man’s house and belongings because it did not sit well with them that the house still stood. The gang started believing immoral things were just as moral to them. Both authors Greene and Jackson show the readers that human nature can be dangerous and humans must look within themselves and find the
