Dystopia is an intriguing subject in the minds of writers, because it is a look into what our future could become. In her article “Cautionary Tales,” Melisa Dubѐ says that in dystopian works one may find “the bleak reality that our actions today may have ominous consequences tomorrow if we do not heed the warnings the genre offers”(par 1). In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” we see two very clear examples of dystopias written in the mid-1900s. Each one presents an array of contrasting ideas that share the common theme of equality on a societal level, and uses divergent methods to portray a dystopian setting

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Jackson and Vonnegut pull readers in with loosely developed characters and a setting that only generally suggests a time or place, but leaves an undeniable air of tension and suspense. In “The Lottery,” Jackson utilizes a series of flat, nondescript characters where one could easily be mistaken for another. Not only was it unbearably difficult to find a main character, but the actions of the characters and the actions of the society as a whole were vague, and sometimes it was rather easy to get lost. On the other hand, “Harrison Bergeron” was more descriptive when it came to the actions of the characters, such as in the description of the ballet dancer “burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot” (par 10). But, even then, the story lacked round characters. This could, most likely, be due to the desire of the author to have a mechanical persona about them, as if to give the idea that they are programmed to be dull and ultimately equal. This was the overall theme and structure that “Harrison Bergeron” was based on.

Vonnegut uses the unfulfilled craving for equality and the dreary, monotonous atmosphere of his dystopia to drive his style and structure. Many times in the text, there is a back-and-forth dialogue between George and Hazel, and in the end, this was what makes them seem somewhat robotic. Vonnegut’s structure is very clear, but also very general, which makes it hard to follow at some points. This is the same problem I found in Jackson’s “The Lottery.” It had very little description when it came to places and things, and because of all the generalities and lack of detail, it was hard to remember who was who and what was what. Her structure was similar to that of “Harrison Bergeron” with several short paragraphs and a choppy style of writing. But despite her apparent lack of literary structure and technique, Shirley Jackson has a clear moral and meaning behind her writing that, however vaguely, scolds our societal practices.

“The village in which the lottery takes place has a bank, a post office, a grocery store, a coal business, a school system; its women are housewives rather than field workers or writers; and its men talk of ‘tractors and taxes.’   More importantly, however, the village exhibits the same socio-economic stratification that most people take for granted in a modern, capitalist society.” This is Peter Kosenko’s thought in his article “A Reading of Shirley Jackson's ‘The Lottery’” (par 4). He makes an undoubtedly true connection between Jackson’s story and her views on society, politics and human interaction, and even goes as far as to delve into her own quotes and insinuations on the subject. Kosenko brings up many key points and ideas throughout his article on “The Lottery,” which may have otherwise been passed over in a simple reading. Furthermore, he does so in an interesting and educational way.

Conversely, in reviewing Darryl Hattenhauer’s critical essay entitled “The Politics of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Harrison Bergeron’,” I found myself thoroughly bored and ultimately confused. It was not simply that his essay was uninformative, or even really that long. In fact, he has several attempts at humor to try and keep the essay alive, for instance, when he says, “This absurd dystopia's version of equality sounds like something from the pages of popular magazines during the Cold War,”(par 7). But, really it was just poorly presented, drawn out and many times I felt as though he was losing track of what he was talking about. I did, though, find it interesting to hear about the actual political position of Vonnegut and his somewhat comedic outlook on government. I found the satirical “Harrison Bergeron” to be quite funny in an absurd sort of way.

Personally, I was intrigued by both “The Lottery” and “Harrison Bergeron.” As a writer, it gives me a clear idea of what is acceptable for short stories and just how nondescript one can be while still being a fantastic story. I formerly mentioned how both stories had little detail of characters or setting, yet the overall air of them made them brilliant. I think the messages that each one sent were somewhat similar, but they used different techniques, shock value and satire, to effectively relay those messages. Basically, I agree with Shirley Jackson and Kurt Vonnegut in saying that people work too hard to just end up getting stoned.

Works Cited

Hattenhauer, Darryl. "The Politics of Kurt Vonnegut's ‘Harrison Bergeron’." Studies in Short Fiction. Newberry, S.C.: Newberry College, 1998Business Library. BNET. October 7, 2008 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2455/is_4_35/ai_91040892/pg_1?tag= artBody;col1>.

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery,” Or, the Adventures of James Harris. Cambridge, Mass.: R. Bentley, 1980.

Kosenko, Peter. "A Reading of Shirley Jackson's ‘The Lottery’." New Orlean's Review Vol. 12.No. 1 (1984): 27-32.

Melisa Dubѐ. "Cautionary Tales." (2008): October 7, 2008. Cenicola-Helvin Enterprises. RITRO. October 7, 2008 <http://www.ritro.com/sections/tips/story.bv?storyid=3248>.

Vonnegut, Kurt. "Harrison Bergeron." (2005): October 10, 2008. West Valley College. October 10, 2008 <http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html>.