Comparing Anton Chekhov And The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
Disappointment and Male Egotism; A comparison of two stories
“The lottery ticket” by Anton Chekhov and “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson have many similarities. Both pieces examine potential disastrous outcomes of participating in a lottery. Chekhov’s story is a very basic representation of one man’s negative lottery experience. Though Jackson’s work is about a very different kind of village lottery, it too tells the story of a devastating lottery experience. The pieces share many common ideas. In comparing the two pieces, it is evident that Chekhov’s and Jackson’s stories both depict two common themes: disappointment in winning the lottery, and male egotism.
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan Dmitritch, the main character and husband to Masha, is a content man who never thought much of the lottery. This changed however when he thought there was a chance that his wife won the lottery. They each daydreamed about how they would spend their fortune. Separately, the couple realized that they had different plans for how to spend the money. This …show more content…
quickly forced Ivan to loath his spouse and the life that they so contently lived. In Jackson’s story, a small village of families came together to draw an annual lottery. Representatives of each family were brought forward to pick their family’s lottery drawing. The family who won the lottery then participated in another drawing. The lottery ended up determining which family member would be stoned by the villagers. These two stories may seem different. However, they actually share many similarities, two of which stand out the most.
One of the most significant similarities between the two stories is that they each show negative outcomes of winning the lottery. In Chekhov’s story it shows how winning the grand prize could tear a marriage apart. The thought of $75,000 made Ivan resent his family members and his seemingly normal life. Furthermore, he even began to resent Masha, “and his wife’s face, too, struck him as repulsive and hateful.” These thoughts of resentment were a result of Ivan’s sudden potential fortune. Similarly, in Jackson’s story the lottery also led to a very negative experience for participants. It resulted in villagers and family members stoning a member of the community. This event instilled fear and devastation in at least one person, the unfortunate lottery winner. These examples show how both Chekhov and Jackson depict negative lottery experiences. In both stories, there really was not a lot to be happy about. Whether it be negative feelings towards the character’s own family members, or negative feelings towards one’s community, these stories parallel each other’s main theme. We read about destroyed contentment in both stories, and it is possible that one factor contributed to this shattered happiness- male egotism.
Both stories depict characters with sexist thoughts or traditions.
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan shows several signs of male egotism. First, he believed that Masha would not know how to properly handle their newly acquired money. Also he believed that she was not entitled to experience the same quality travel experience because if Masha went abroad, she would probably just stay in the hotel. Similarly to Chekhov’s portrayal of male egotism, Jackson’s story entails a lottery conducted almost entirely by men. In fact, when one family appointed a son to draw from the lottery instead of his mother, one man’s reaction was, “Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.” This quote shows us that men had an egotistical attitude towards women’s role in the village. Like Chekhov, Jackson created characters that portrayed women in a negative light. This shared theme further paralleled the similarities between “The lottery ticket” and “The
lottery.”
In comparing the two pieces, it is evident that Chekhov and Jackson’s stories both depict two common themes: disappointment in winning the lottery, and male egotism. Though the individual circumstances in each story vary, we surely see a commonality that lotteries can have potential devastating outcomes. Jackson’s and Chekhov’s concluding messages tell readers that whether you win or lose a lottery, the results can be negative. In addition, both authors created male characters with egotistical values. The overlapping themes of negative lottery experiences and male egotism show readers that “The lottery ticket” and “The lottery” have many similarities.
“The lottery ticket” by Anton Chekhov and “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson have many similarities. Both pieces examine potential disastrous outcomes of participating in a lottery. Chekhov’s story is a very basic representation of one man’s negative lottery experience. Though Jackson’s work is about a very different kind of village lottery, it too tells the story of a devastating lottery experience. The pieces share many common ideas. In comparing the two pieces, it is evident that Chekhov’s and Jackson’s stories both depict two common themes: disappointment in winning the lottery, and male egotism.
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan Dmitritch, the main character and husband to Masha, is a content man who never thought much of the lottery. This changed however when he thought there was a chance that his wife won the lottery. They each daydreamed about how they would spend their fortune. Separately, the couple realized that they had different plans for how to spend the money. This …show more content…
quickly forced Ivan to loath his spouse and the life that they so contently lived. In Jackson’s story, a small village of families came together to draw an annual lottery. Representatives of each family were brought forward to pick their family’s lottery drawing. The family who won the lottery then participated in another drawing. The lottery ended up determining which family member would be stoned by the villagers. These two stories may seem different. However, they actually share many similarities, two of which stand out the most.
One of the most significant similarities between the two stories is that they each show negative outcomes of winning the lottery. In Chekhov’s story it shows how winning the grand prize could tear a marriage apart. The thought of $75,000 made Ivan resent his family members and his seemingly normal life. Furthermore, he even began to resent Masha, “and his wife’s face, too, struck him as repulsive and hateful.” These thoughts of resentment were a result of Ivan’s sudden potential fortune. Similarly, in Jackson’s story the lottery also led to a very negative experience for participants. It resulted in villagers and family members stoning a member of the community. This event instilled fear and devastation in at least one person, the unfortunate lottery winner. These examples show how both Chekhov and Jackson depict negative lottery experiences. In both stories, there really was not a lot to be happy about. Whether it be negative feelings towards the character’s own family members, or negative feelings towards one’s community, these stories parallel each other’s main theme. We read about destroyed contentment in both stories, and it is possible that one factor contributed to this shattered happiness- male egotism.
Both stories depict characters with sexist thoughts or traditions.
In Chekhov’s story, Ivan shows several signs of male egotism. First, he believed that Masha would not know how to properly handle their newly acquired money. Also he believed that she was not entitled to experience the same quality travel experience because if Masha went abroad, she would probably just stay in the hotel. Similarly to Chekhov’s portrayal of male egotism, Jackson’s story entails a lottery conducted almost entirely by men. In fact, when one family appointed a son to draw from the lottery instead of his mother, one man’s reaction was, “Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.” This quote shows us that men had an egotistical attitude towards women’s role in the village. Like Chekhov, Jackson created characters that portrayed women in a negative light. This shared theme further paralleled the similarities between “The lottery ticket” and “The
lottery.”
In comparing the two pieces, it is evident that Chekhov and Jackson’s stories both depict two common themes: disappointment in winning the lottery, and male egotism. Though the individual circumstances in each story vary, we surely see a commonality that lotteries can have potential devastating outcomes. Jackson’s and Chekhov’s concluding messages tell readers that whether you win or lose a lottery, the results can be negative. In addition, both authors created male characters with egotistical values. The overlapping themes of negative lottery experiences and male egotism show readers that “The lottery ticket” and “The lottery” have many similarities.