The Structure and Values of Society Is Able Shape and Influence People and Their Ideas
The Structure and Values of Society is Able Shape and Influence People and Their Ideas
The subject of society and its influence is one that has been lamented and explored by many an author. It is not a widely disputed concept that society drives the thought and behavior of individuals within that society. In Both Nadine Gordimer’s “Once Upon a Time” and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” are useful examples where society is the driving force behind the actions of the characters within the stories. This is highlighted by the existence of leaders or icons, usually only one or two in the whole society that had the mental strength and breadth to think in ways outside of the ordinary for the society. They would be perceived as controversial within their society historically, until they managed to provide a thought process so strong, and with such an accessible logic, that it overcame the ideals of that historic society by implanting those beliefs in the thoughts and behaviors of a material volume of society members. The “Lottery” and “Once upon a time” show this throughout the fictional writing. Through these stories, those outside of the norms, and those from the society with the benefit of hindsight, can identify the imperfections and effects of that historic society, but those within it at the time are unable to act independently from its ideals. Gorimer and Jackson use this loss ability to voice personal opinions through society with their stories “Once Upon a Time” and “The Lottery.” The examination of the effect of societies on individuals behaviors has been the cornerstone of the works of Nadine Gordimer, whose work has focused on the effect of apartheid on the lives of South Africans and the moral and psychological tensions of life in a racially-divided country, which she often wrote about by focusing on oppressed non-white characters, a theme explored in her short story,”Once Upon a Time”. Froelich and Halle note in their short story criticism “Explicator”
The subject of society and its influence is one that has been lamented and explored by many an author. It is not a widely disputed concept that society drives the thought and behavior of individuals within that society. In Both Nadine Gordimer’s “Once Upon a Time” and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” are useful examples where society is the driving force behind the actions of the characters within the stories. This is highlighted by the existence of leaders or icons, usually only one or two in the whole society that had the mental strength and breadth to think in ways outside of the ordinary for the society. They would be perceived as controversial within their society historically, until they managed to provide a thought process so strong, and with such an accessible logic, that it overcame the ideals of that historic society by implanting those beliefs in the thoughts and behaviors of a material volume of society members. The “Lottery” and “Once upon a time” show this throughout the fictional writing. Through these stories, those outside of the norms, and those from the society with the benefit of hindsight, can identify the imperfections and effects of that historic society, but those within it at the time are unable to act independently from its ideals. Gorimer and Jackson use this loss ability to voice personal opinions through society with their stories “Once Upon a Time” and “The Lottery.” The examination of the effect of societies on individuals behaviors has been the cornerstone of the works of Nadine Gordimer, whose work has focused on the effect of apartheid on the lives of South Africans and the moral and psychological tensions of life in a racially-divided country, which she often wrote about by focusing on oppressed non-white characters, a theme explored in her short story,”Once Upon a Time”. Froelich and Halle note in their short story criticism “Explicator”
References: Froelich, Vera P., and Jennifer Halle. " ' ' Explicator." Explicator 56.4 (Summer 1998): 213-215 Oehlschlaeger, Fritz. "The Stoning of Mistress Hutchinson: Meaning and Context in 'The Lottery '." Essays in Literature 15.2 (Fall 1988): 259-265 Shurgot, Michael. "Imagery and Structure in Nadine Gordimer 's 'Once upon a Time '." Journal of Literary Studies 24.3 (2008): 54+.Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Oct. 2010.