The praiseworthy act of sacrifice illuminates what an individual as well as culture at large values in the face of difficult and often debilitating circumstances. Furthermore, it reveals how past experiences however good or painful dictate the values and actions of characters that may contradict venerable characteristics of the human condition. The theme of sacrifice threads together the powerful narrative proffered in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." This short story focuses on a town that holds a lottery each year to determine which denizen would be sacrificed in order to ensure that the community would subsist and provide a bountiful Continue reading...