The Perils of Indifference

1. Does Society Even Care? 2. While the ending of "The Lottery" may be shocking to readers as the impression the townspeople were perfectly normal was portrayed throughout the story. It shows that society doesn't care who you are, if a ritual is set in stone then the consequences remain intact. The black box lottery stoning event takes place every year according to the story. So the townspeople are used to the fact that an innocent citizen will fall prey to the game and get stoned to death. The results dont phase them, as its just another year of playing "The Lottery". This passage connects to the sacrifices the Mayans made in their culture. The mayan community and faith would sacrifice humans from boys ages 5-8. They did not care who fell victim, as a ritual and belief was in place. The mayans did sacrifices of humans as they believed these would be foundations of temples and other symbolic structures. I got the chance to travel to Mexico and was fortunate enough to view the Mayan ruins of Talum. Right before my eyes I was looking at Mayan temples where actual sacrifices were once occuring. The Mayans also had rituals of sacrificing an innocent boy's heart in order to properly ascend a new king. While the Mayans weren't playing a game. They still connect to the passage as they performed a yearly ritual of sacrificing anyone without being brutally phased, as it was performed on a consistent basis. 3. Elie Wiesel's speech and "The Lottery" connect in a similiar manner. In the speech Wiesel attempts to strike the reader with the message that not taking action and being careless is as harmful as approaching a situation in a negetive or hatred way. Throughout the speech Wiesel produces points that signify this message. These points follow the same curriculum and guidelines the townspeople live by. Ellie makes an interesting reference to America's connection to the Germans. "Why did some of America's largest corporations continue to do business with Hitler's Germany until 1942?". I found this fascinating as it seemed like despite Hitlers actions towards jewish people, American society felt like there economy overshadowed those horrific events and continued business negotiations. By this time Germany had already been involved in the invasion of Poland and was ultimatly trying to reign supreme amongst the globe. So how do you explain the Americans indifference? This connects so closely to the townspeople playing "The Lottery" game. They know that sacrificing an innocent civilian isn't right. You get the idea as everyone involved is so intense and verbally communicative. However, despite past history they continue to fall through and use the black box to see who unwillingly will be stoned to death. Its almost like society just doesnt seem to care about the surroundings there revolved around. Society falls prey to careless decisions that leaves those who stop and think about the topic indifference, simply stunned and confused. Both the speech and the story strike the same message. Society for the past, current, and future ages has seemed to fall into a crisis of indifference.