Innocent victims lead to unjustified deaths A lamb to the slaughter is a person who is killed for no reason. The stories "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, and "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury were all innocent victims who suffered unjustified deaths.
Tessie Hutchinson from "The Lottery" was a victim who suffered death due to society's traditions. An ancient tradition lived on in the village where Tessie Hutchison and her family are living. Each year, around June, a lottery was held that selected someone to sacrifice his or her life. Instead of winning prizes, they win their death. During the lottery, one member of each household must talk a piece of paper from he black box and whoever is chosen at the end has to sacrifice their life. Tessie went to the village expecting she wouldn't win and when she received the lottery paper with the black dot, she was stoned by society as she screamed out "It isn't fair."
Shirley Jackson
Ray Bradbury
Photo of Ray Bradbury.Likewise, Herbert White from "The Monkey's Paw" had to sacrifice his life. Mr. White had received a monkey's paw, which allowed them to make three wishes. Mr. White wished for 200 pounds to pay off the mortgage and Herbert clearly said that he expected he would never see the money. This coincidentally came true, for Herbert died. As compensate for his death, his parents receiver the money they had wished for. Inadvertently, they were the cause of their son's death.
Finally, George and Lydia Hadley from "The Veldt" just wanted to do what was right for their children. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley tried to give everything they wanted through money and technology. Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Hadley bought a "Happy-life home" for their family that included a nursery. They thought it would be helpful for the children and for them to have this Happy-life home because it would do all housework chores, take care of children's needs, and doing the littlest thing for them, such as tying their shoes or combing their hair. When the parents realized that they felt they were useless to their kids, they decided to shut down the nursery and leave the Happy-life home. The consequences of their decision lead them to death. The children had plotted their parents' deaths in the nursery. Given that their children was too spoiled, and all their time was spent in nursery, the children felt that the nursery was more useful important than their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley thought that it was best for them to take away the nursery and in result, their children got angry and planned their deaths.
If you've ever felt like a lamb to a slaughter, the things you can learn from these stories are to make wise decisions. You can also learn that you need to think about others feelings before you make a decision. The characters from the stories, Tessie Hutchinson from "The Lottery", Mr. White from "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, and the Hadleys from "The Veldt" were all characters who have suffered unjustified deaths due to consequences of decision-making.
The Monkey's Paw (film)
Bradbury receiving the National Medal of Arts awar...
Apollo 15 Landing Site at Hadley Apennine