The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collin and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson both demonstrate that tradition, scapegoating, and sacrifice are the theme of their story. In “The Lottery” a violent murder occurs every year to preserve the tradition. The same happens in The Hunger Games, where a tribute, a male and a female, is chosen to represent their district in a deadly battle. However, both stories end with different outcomes. In The Hunger Games whoever wins will live a life of wealth and freedom while in one family member is chosen to be stoned to death. These two stories have a big difference. While the Hunger Games are a punishment, the Lottery is the result of tradition. The stories contain scapegoating by the characters who try to escape their fate in any way possible, including selfishness. Both of these stories demonstrate the meaning of tradition, scapegoating, and sacrifice. First, both stories show that the main characters Peeta, Katniss, Bill, and Tesse follow tradition because no one would dare to go against it. In "The Hunger Games" the capital requires two tributes to be chosen from a district regardless of their status. “The Hunger Games” began because of the civil uprising and to remind citizens to stay in their places. One of the characters, Peeta, says, “I wish I could show the Capitol that they don't own me, that I'm more than just a piece in their games” (Collins). He knows that it is wrong for the districts to suffer from the defeat against the Capitol but he knows that tradition must be followed otherwise otherwise. At the beginning of The Lottery the citizens of a small town all gather in the town square for the lottery. With only three hundred people in town, the lottery only takes two h...... half of the paper ......Andersen) . Both stories rely on tradition for society to function. Katniss and Tesse realize that if they don't participate the damage will befall their families. To maintain order and balance it is necessary to follow tradition, no matter how cruel and harsh. Sacrifice is beneficial to both of these stories because without sacrifice the characters would be putting their families in a bad situation unless they step up. Both The Hunger Games and The Lottery demonstrate that "the odds are not always in your favor" (Collins). Works CitedCollins, Suzanne. "The Hunger Games." SparkNote. SparkNotes and Web. April 01, 2014.Jackson, Shirley. "The lottery." SparkNote. SparkNotes and Web. 01 April 2014.Andersen, Kia. "Kia Papaya Blog." : Thematic comparison between The Hunger Games and The Lottery. Blogspot.com, March-April. 2012. Network. 01 April. 2014.