The Lottery & The Perils of Indifference

Life, as we know it, is full of unexpected circumstances where, we as humans, question our own humanity and our conscience. In the short story " The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, and the speech done by Elie Wiesel "Perils of Indifference", the topic of uncivilized behaviour comes into question.



"It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair." is an extraordinary quote I would like to indulge in. A family of five consisting of a father, a mother, two daughters, and a son lived a happy life together in a small city. They, however had many challenges such as their homing status and barely being able to feed themselves. Fortunately enough, their own community ,which they have lived in for many years, found it in their hearts to come to their aid. They came together to give them a gift that the family "...will never be able to [repay]...". The "Final Solution" drawn up by Hitler was enacted in the year 1933. Many Jewish citizens suffered, starved, and were beaten in the concentration camps. Not only were they horrendously tortured, but some were experimented on. Hitler wanted power over the world. He was seduced into indifference by his own greed. Having heard the description of "...the black gates of Auschwitz, the most tragic of all prisoners were the "Muselmanner"...[the prisoners] wrapped in their torn blankets, they would sit or lie on the ground...They felt nothing. They were dead and did not know it." has forever put horror into my heart of what "civilized" people are capable of. As the speaker of "The Perils of Indifference" has mention, "..our only miserable consolation was that we believed that Auschwitz and Treblinka were closely guarded secrets ...[the leaders of the free world] would have moved heaven and earth to intervene."



Has man ever acted upon something just for the sake of doing so? "The Lottery" portrays this philosophy in a mere story that had outrages many people who read "The New Yorker Magazine" in 1948. Ponder about how many years it has been since you first moved into your home. Think about the neighbours you have befriended over the years. And also, now think about how one of those friends being selected by your community to be stoned to death. Would you take part? Your mayor would then say '"All right, folks[.] Let's finish quickly." . There is no reason for death, nor for the reason to have a lottery for death. In the short story, " [although] the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.". Does this not depict how violent man is and always will be? The one who was chosen was Tessie Hutchinson. She had many relations in the village, as well as her family. Yet it was her own children to throw the first stones that, we infere, lead to her demise.



There certain circumstances where I could act inhuman. In cases such as the murder of my family. Would that not bring forth hatred and heart wrenching ache to you as it would me? I would act as inhuman as you would. Having the overwhelming need to cause the murderer absolute sorrow and unforgettable agony is a sensation we thrive on until the act has been played out. That is a unquestionable reason for a civilized individual to act in such a way. But as in "The Lottery" and the Holocaust, acting upon absolute nothingness, and racism is a thing that can be put aside in order to live a life without the fear of cause and effect.