Ethical & Moral Agency in 'The Lottery' & 'Omelas' Comparison Essay

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," focusing on the themes of agency, ethics, and morality. Both stories explore the suffering of individuals for the perceived benefit of the community, drawing parallels to the concept of a scapegoat. While both communities engage in rituals that highlight conformity and togetherness, a key difference lies in the citizens' reactions to injustice. In "The Lottery," the community unquestioningly participates in the ritual, whereas in "Omelas," some individuals reject the practice and choose to leave. The essay also notes the contrasting narrative styles, with "The Lottery" employing a fairy tale-like approach and "Omelas" prompting readers to confront their own beliefs. Ultimately, the essay argues that both stories offer distinct yet powerful critiques of community values and the individual's role within society.

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Comparison between The Lottery and The Ones Who Away From Omelas
The concept of agency is one of the most critical facts that have been used in the two
short texts like The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, and The Lottery. Both these texts have
been very interesting to note the ethical perspectives in the social scenario and the depiction of
truth.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Le
Guin have showed the impact of the ethical and moral factors that could be conveyed through the
concept of agency and other sociological perspectives (Le Guin: 12). The overall plot of both
these texts is basically based on suffering and the consequences of morality. Therefore, both the
short stories are kind of similar from different perspectives. Both the stories have evolved around
the agony of the human person and its results that they have felt afterwards (Jackson: 15). The
purpose of the agony for that one person was to make the other people’s lives joyous and happy.
The protagonists of both the stories turned against the horror of humanity and engaged
themselves to the betterment of all the persons who were going to be affected by the
bereavements. In the first story by Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, the conflicts between two
persons are indeed very clear (Jackson: 15). The reason for that conflict is the concept of having
the scapegoat in the society. This scapegoat would have to be the person who would absorb all

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the pain and suffering or sins of his community. Here the character can be compared to the Jesus
Christ who sacrificed His own life to salvage the sins of the human individuals on the earth (Le
Guin: 12).
In both these short stories, the togetherness of both the communities has been discussed
and the citizens of the communities are shown to take part in various rituals. All these events or
rituals have shown the conformity within the society and their hopes to stay together. Various
injustices have occurred in both the short stories and these injustices have been hinted properly.
The difference between the two short stories lies in the fact where the citizens in the Lottery have
not put any questions in the activities of their citizens.
On the other hand, the fewer people in the society or the omelas rejected these people and
they had to leave their communities. The style of the narrative has posed the major difference
between these two short stories (Le Guin: 12). The moral conscience of the people along with
their integrity has been questioned in these sections. Therefore, it is highly significant to note
that the narratives in The Lottery have been portrayed through the fairy tale like stories (Jackson:
15). In the second short story by le Guin, the readers would have to become very conscious about
their beliefs and how they could interpret these stories properly.
In the concluding section, it can be said that both these stories have shown their views on
the community and these views have been presented in the different ways. The narrative styles
have been different but the message to the community becomes apparent through these stories.

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References
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery (1948)." The Treasury of American Short Stories (1949).
Le Guin, Ursula. "The ones who walk away from Omelas." New Dimensions 3 (1973).