Similarities Between The Hunger Games And The Lottery

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The Lottery and The Hunger Games seem like two very different things on the surface but they may not be as different as one might think. The Hunger Games is a movie directed by Gary Ross, and The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson. These two creation are separate in many aspects but also very similar in other aspects. The Hunger games and The Lottery have varying symbolism, but have conflicts and societies that are very relatable. The Mockingjay in The Hunger Games represents hope and good things, while the black box in “The Lottery” represents fear and death amongst the people. Katniss takes the mockingjay from her district to the games and feels that it’s necessary to have it with her at all times. The mockingjay …show more content…
In The Hunger Games, the people of the district’s lead terribly depressing lives and barely survive, this is all because of the government. The Hunger Games is meant to remind citizens of their uprising many years ago and to keep the people in check. The society in The Hunger Games is extremely oppressed by the government, most of the district people live horrible lives compared to the people in the capitol. The government oppression is one of the largest themes in The Hunger Games, and society is in a very poor state throughout the movie. Similarly, the society in “The Lottery” is also in a bad state. In “The Lottery”, one person is sacrificed unwillingly each year in order for the town to have a good harvest. Some of the townspeople claim to support the lottery, but come the actually day of the lottery, almost every person is fearful of being chosen. The town killing a person and forcing people to live in fear is highly oppressive and sounds like an awful society to live in. All in all, The Hunger Games and “The Lottery” both have highly oppressed societies, largely in the same way.
The Hunger Games and “The Lottery” have similar societies and conflicts, but have contrasting symbolism. The Hunger Games’ mockingjay symbolizes hope while “The Lottery’s” black box symbolizes the exact opposite in death. The Hunger Games and “The Lottery” both have a man vs. man conflict and a man vs. society conflict that’s present throughout the story. Also, both of the societies in The Hunger Games and “The Lottery” are largely oppressed and undesirable places for one to live. While these two stories may not appear to be that similar, the more one analyzes the stories, the more similar they