The Lottery and The Rocking-Horse Winner

The Lottery and the Rocking-Horse Winner
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The Lottery and the Rocking-Horse Winner
Films and other forms of literature are a reflection of the things that characterize societies. They mirror the societies’ way of life to address some specific issues. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, and The Rocking-Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence are two works of literature that deal with the weaknesses of human beings. The authors of these pieces use characterization effectively to address the common theme of slavery.
The main characters in Jackson’s piece are Old Man Warner and Tess Hutchinson. Old Man Warner is a traditionalist, while Tess Hutchinson is a responsible wife. Old Man Warner is a slave of traditions. His quality comes from the fact that he has practiced the custom of sacrificing people for a long time, and he cannot believe that some ‘foolish people’ in other communities are abandoning it (Jackson, 1948). Tess’ quality comes from the fact that she has to look after her family, as her husband is not responsible enough even to fight for her, as the public stones her.
In Lawrence’s piece, the main characters are Hester and Paul. Hester is a malcontent woman, who is a slave of money. Her quality comes from the fact that she cannot purchase the things she wants because her husband does not make enough money. Paul is a responsible son who devises ways of earning money for his family. He puts in a lot of effort to prove to his mother that he is lucky (Lawrence, 1926).

He dies in the process.
Concisely, the authors of the two pieces employ characterization appropriately to bring out the danger of slavery. Whereas, in Jackson’s piece people are enslaved by traditions, in Lawrence’s piece, money enslaves the characters. Nevertheless, the responsible people in both pieces died for the sake of others.
References
Jackson, S. (1948). The lottery. The New Yorker, 26, 25-28.
Lawrence, D.H. (1926). The rocking-horse winner. Retrieved from www2.alcdsb.on.ca/~robertsd/EWC%204U/rockinghorsewinner.pdf