Synthesis: "The Lottery" & "The Perils of Indifference"

"The Lottery" and "The Perils of Indifference" are both strong examples of terrible violence and inhumanity demonstrated by the most "ordinary" citizens. In "The Lottery", people in the little town are just ordinary people who live a normal life. Every year it is a tradition to have the people throw little stones and rocks at one person who wins the lottery. It remains unstated as to why people continue with this violent tradition. The power of a group of people can be very strong and convincing and can contribute to the violence and the inhumanity. "It isn't fair, it isn't right" Mrs. Hutchinson screamed out loud" as she was being stoned to death. Yet Mrs. Hutchinson could have stopped the violent tradition last year when it was happening to someone else. Last year, she chose to be a bystander and witness the acts of inhumanity and simply chose not to say anything at all. When it came time for her to be stoned, she made the statement of it not being fair. Where was she last year when someone else was in her position dieing? Mrs.Hutchinson was standing there, committing an act of inhumanity, probably not even realizing it. This short story contained a strong example of acts of inhumanity demonstrated by society and "ordinary" citizens.

In the story "The Perils of Indifference" Elie Wiesel talked about different situations of why people can be influenced in wrong acts such as the slaughtering of people. For an example world leaders are known to use propaganda to influence the public view on certain events. It allows for people to become indifferent. People are indifferent when they"avoid" awareness or a reaction to something. Elie Wiesel talks about how he wished that "leaders of the free world did not know what was going on behind those black gates and barbed wire" of Auschwitz because if they did, then "they would have intervened". But this was not truly the case, and this showed the indifference. Wars, suffering, disease, violence, famine are all happening but it is devastating to think that so many people have become indiffered to it all and feel like they are not able to do anything about it. Hopefully, the world has learned from some of these events and people will be proactive instead of indifferent.