The decisions someone makes throughout their life can drastically impact their future. In the two short stories “The Lottery” and “Editha,” it is interesting to see how the two main characters determined their own fates by their actions. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” Miles Hyman illustrates a character named Tessie Hutchinson. She appeared to be a wife and mother that lived a seemingly normal life. In the story, everyone gathers in the town on June 27th for another lottery (Hyman 19-20). With her own life being threatened, her motives drastically change (Hyman 96). Throughout “Editha,” William Howell writes a story that follows two young lovers and their fight over the Spanish American War. Editha is infatuated with the idea of marrying someone who is masculine, and she demands her fiancé to be a soldier(Howell). In both stories, Editha and Tessie are selfish and deplorable, and their decisions ultimately cause their own dismay. Throughout “The Lottery,” Tessie pays no attention to how horrible the lottery is until her own life is at risk. Carelessly forgetting about the event, she…show more content… Griffin said the story describes, “society’s tendency toward violence and its tendency to hold onto tradition (44).” In her examples, she talks about the way the characters showed little sympathy toward their neighbors. Just like the others, Tessie knew the circumstances and never tried to stop it (Griffin 40). In the end, Tessie willed her own fate by her actions. Had she not been stoned, she would have likely been the one throwing them. Her quote can also be used to evaluate the story “Editha.” Along with Editha, it was obvious in the book that many people were anticipating the war, but her excitement was a direct link to her immaturity. Editha seemed to have little empathy and was fixated on George fighting as a symbol of strength. Although different, both stories show the tendency toward
