The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson and A Good Man Is Hard To...

In Shirley Jackson’s short story the Lottery and Flannery O’Conner’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, there are a few aspects of a similar nature that attempt to tackle the nature essence of the human condition. Both short stories respectively portray two similar types of foreshadowing where one is random the other is premeditated, which leads these stories to their very surprising dramatic climax that is held until the end of each story. I believe that these important variables of both stories have a strong influence on the reader’s objectification regarding the way each story presents the idea of the human condition. Flannery O’Conner’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard To Find† portrays a very random type of foreshadowing. The radom foreshadowing in†¦show more content†¦These are elements of random foreshadowing that helped the reader understand why the grandmother believed so strongly that a good man is hard to find. This would be a prelude to the horrific events that would later unfold when the grandmother encounters the misfit who by all intense purposes was not believed to be a good man. In addition, Shirley Jackson’s Lottery presented us with some a similar form of foreshadowing that is not random but premeditated. Jackson explained the boys eager preparativeness to collect the stones for the horrific stoning of Tessie Hutchinson â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroxie..eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. (Jackson 235). Jackson used this premeditated foreshadowing technique in her story which like O’Conner helped to slowly build up the tension and suspense that was needed to prepare their readers for what would be a very shocking climatic ending to both their stories. But Jackson also used certain symbols in the premeditated foreshadowing of this story to help illustrate the flow and movement of the story to th e reader. For instance, the shabby splintered black box which was no longer black in color, This was due to the years of careless handling by Mr. Summers andShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis of Shirley Jacksons The Lottery and Flannery OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find1360 Words   |  5 PagesShirley Jackson The Lottery Shirley Jacksons short story The Lottery depicts life in a provincial American town with rigid social norms. Mr. Summers symbolizes everything that is wrong with the town; he represents blind adherence to ritual, social rigidity, and resistance to change. His name corresponds with the seasonal setting of The Lottery, too, drawing attention to the importance of his character in shaping the theme of the story. Summers is in charge of the central motif of the storyRead MoreSimilarities Between The Lottery And A Good Man Is Hard To Find1376 Words   |  6 PagesTessie Hutchinson from Shirley Jacksons â€Å"The Lottery† and the grandmother from A Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Flannery OConnor, treat their family members both similarly and differently and how they are treated in return. Throughout â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† the family members ignore each other, argue, and act selfish towards one another, but in the end, O’Connor presents the theme of fami lial love. In â€Å"The Lottery† however, family relationships are important for the lottery to work, but then theyRead More Inhumanity in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find and Shirley Jacksons The Lottery1133 Words   |  5 Pages In Flannery O’Connor’s, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† and Shirley Jacksons, â€Å"The Lottery,† both short stories deal with man’s inhumanity in different situations, and ending with a similar consequence. Jackson and OConnor both use two characters to depict man having the power to manipulate truth and objection into something people accept. In O’Connor’s’ A Good Man is Hard to Find, the Misfit is a character in need of desired assistance, troubled and confused he wanders savagely murdering strangers