Tessie of "The Lottery", Robert of "Cathedral", and Symbols and Theme in "Persimmons"

Name
Professor
Subject
Date
Questions 1 and 7
Question 1
Character and its Relation to Theme
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The primary theme of “The Lottery” is the dangers of following traditions blindly which is evident when Tessie Hutchinson is stoned to death because of the traditions. Tessie who arrives late for the lottery is presented as a free spirit who opposes the idea, and she even claims that "it wasn't fair!" when her family draws the marked paper. Tessie is said to have drawn the wrong slip of paper and stopped being a member of the community. The character is expected to tore the lines just like other people in the community otherwise she can die. Even though traditions keep the activities of society alive, some traditions are not practicing with good intentions, and the societies may sometimes follow the beliefs blindly without questioning their ethics and morals. The character, Tessie exposes the bad side of following the tradition which even her husband cannot oppose wrongs because he is also swallowed in the beliefs. The character shows how preserving some bad traditions can be used by society to kill one of their own even though they can have an option of changing the rituals. Tessie is used as a sacrificial lamb, and she plays a key role in revealing the ritual murder that does not have a proper explanation except that they are used to it. Without the murder of the character, the theme of "The Lottery" would not have come out apparently.
“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver
The main character in “Cathedral” is the narrator who cannot see what the life offers to him and takes what he has for granted and the theme is the ability to differentiate between look and see. It is through the narrator that a reader sees the transformation from an insensitive and cynical person to a more understanding individual. The narrator finds his life banal, and he admits that he does not find pleasure in his work which seems to deny him joy or find meaning in life. The narrator helps in building the theme in the way he relates to other characters, especially Robert who seems enlightened and is opposite of what the narrator is despite being blind. The narrator is a self-centered and egotistical person with a great misunderstanding of people and relationship. It is the narrator who lacks the vision to see the world around him but feels that Robert's blindness is what defines his character. He feels that because he can see, he is capable of doing anything, unlike Robert who is blind and is capable of seeing the narrator's w...