Fiction Essay

APA

Thesis Statement The themes of the short stories “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking- Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence are similar in the way that they both use a game of chance or gambling in the presentation. Both of these stories are based on luck but instead of happiness being the ultimate prize for winning, death is the tragic outcome.
Outline
Introduction/Thesis paragraph I. Underlying message from the stories about the problems not directly addressed

a. Lottery

i. Conforming to traditions even when they are wrong or outdated

b. Rocking Horse Winner

i. Love or worship of materialistic things instead of each other

II. Objects used by the author for symbolism

a. Lottery

i. Black box even though all other items have been forgotten

b. Rocking Horse Winner

i. Wooden rocking horse to symbolize the horses in the race

III. Authors use of the gamble

a. Lottery

i. Being drawn means the prize is getting stoned to death

b. Rocking Horse Winner

i. Although the prediction of the race winner is correct Paul ends up dead and still without his mother’s love

IV. Conclusion

a. Restate and reword thesis and close.

Playing the lottery or betting on horse races is a game of chance where the ultimate prize is money and fortune. The themes of the short stories, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking- Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence are similar in that they both use a game of chance or gambling in their presentation. Vikrant Parsai once said, “It is hard to decide whether gambling is a means of getting something for nothing or nothing for something” and the outcome of each of these short stories is an ultimate prize but not one worth the gamble. Both of these stories are based on luck but instead of happiness being the prize for winning, death is the tragic outcome. Both stories present the reader with unwritten messages. Jackson’s “The Lottery”, was not a lottery where the winning ticket wins a great prize. The story showcases the dangers of conforming to a tradition or old habit just because it is what is always done. The characters feel powerless to change the tradition of a violent murder each year where the winner of the lottery is stoned to death. Jackson tells the reader that the villagers know very little about the origin of the traditional lottery. Some of the villagers ask questions about it, some talk about how the neighboring villages have ended it, but in the end they try to preserve it anyway. The author continues the story by stating that all of the traditions of the lottery had been changed except the “black box” where the names are drawn from, but even the box has changed in appearance over the years. On the other hand, Lawrence presents the reader with neglect, obsession and a poor set of family values in “The Rocking-Horse Winner”. The story starts by describing a woman who wants to represent to the outside world that she loves and adores her children but the author tells that she does not. Hester, the main character’s mother, is obsessed with money and materialistic things that she calls luck. Paul, the main character, becomes obsessed with trying to make his mother happy by winning her money and giving her “luck” to make her love him and to free his mother from being in debt. The author gives the reader details of how Hester wants others to see her life. She wants everyone to notice a pleasant house, nice things, extravagant Christmas gifts for the children and an overall image of wealth, all while she exclaims to her husband and children , “there must be more money”. Jackson and Lawrence both use symbols in their writing. Jackson uses a black box in “The Lottery” that holds the names of all of the villagers that the “winning” slip is drawn from. The box is described as falling apart but was made from a previous black box and because of this they are unwilling to replace it like they have all other traditions surrounding the lottery. The lottery itself is another symbol Jackson uses to show the unwillingness of the village to end an annual ritual of murder. She uses these symbols to show just how resistant the people are to change a ritual even though no one really knows why it is kept. Lawrence symbolizes the derby horses with Paul’s extravagant Christmas gift of a wooden rocking horse. The gift is one of the ways the author explains how Hester wants the other town people to see the love she has for her children although the children never feel loved. The horse is also used as a symbol of the horses that are to run in the derby. Paul rides his rocking horse and is able to predict the winner of the race and win “luck” for his mom. Although in both stories, the reader is told of a prize winner and the prize is the end of life for a character both do this very differently. Jackson’s portrayal of the winning lottery ticket is a planned stoning. The ending leaves the reader with a doubt that love ever really existed between family and friends; especially the kind of bonding and love that was hinted at when the story began. The author even explains that the young children of the village and the winner’s family participate in the brutal, ritual killing each year. Lawrence, however, never gave the reader the idea that the family was built on love. Actually he told the opposite. He began the story with an image that the mother was only concerned with materialist things and a true love of money. It was Paul who wanted for the love of his mother and thought this could be obtained with gambling on the horse races and winning her money. He did predict the correct outcome of the derby and did bring her money but it was never enough. In the end Paul died after using the rocking horse to predict a winner and still never felt his mother’s love. Overall, both stories warn the reader of the detriment that can come of a gamble. Traditions are not always the best and love for each other should never be taken for granted nor replaced with idolatries and materialistic images. Many would say that life is a game of chance however an old German proverb says, “there is no better gambling than not to gamble.” The winner of “The Lottery” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” were claiming the fortune of death; the prize was not one that was valuable to any.

References
Jackson, Shirley. (2007). The Lottery. UK: Robinsons Publishing.
Lawrence, David H. (1982). The Rocking-Horse Winner. New York: Perfection Learning.