Conformity and Individualism in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”

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“The Lottery” is a short story by Shirley Jackson, describing the events in an unnamed town where villagers gather for a mysterious annual lottery that ends unexpectedly, tragically, and meaninglessly. “Sonny’s Blues” is a short story by James Baldwin that presents Sonny, a blues musician and heroin addict, and his brother, who acts as a storyteller. This paper’s thesis is that both stories reveal the theme of conformity vs. individualism and the universal nature of human suffering.

In “The Lottery,” the author presents an initially idyllic scene of a villagers’ gathering who wait for the results of a mysterious lottery. The lottery has been running for 77 years, and every participant’s movement has been rehearsed for years. The story ends with Tessie Hutchinson being chosen by the lottery as she receives a black-marked sheet. As she is the chosen one, the villagers start throwing stones at her to kill her: “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her” (Jackson 302). This story demonstrates the flaws of conformist thinking when residents are not ready to challenge the established norms that do not make any sense. The short stories “The Lottery” and “Sonny’s Blues” share a common theme of the universality of human suffering. In “Sonny’s Blues,” there are many absurd suffering scenes that have specific causes (Baldwin 31). The narrator’s brother, Sonny, is imprisoned for selling heroin, but after being released from prison, he reunites with the narrator and helps him cope with the loss of his daughter, who died of polio at the age of two. The narrator works as an algebra teacher, trying to lead a respectable life and integrate into white society, but he loses touch with his roots and with his family. Sonny’s individualism, which, despite all the hardships of life, overcomes pain and longing through playing the piano, is opposed to American society’s conformism. Individualism always looks more attractive in literary works than conformism, although life sometimes requires sacrifices to conformism. If I had to choose, I would probably fight conformism like Sonny, although that would not guarantee me victory. Thus, it was discussed how the authors reveal the themes of conformism vs. individualism. Jackson presents a utopian and purely conformist scenery, where an individual has no chance of winning. Baldwin displays a more optimistic narrative, where, despite the hardships of life, the heroes find the strength to endure and overcome their pain and suffering. Sonny is an example of an individualistic hero, rejected by society, who becomes an example and embodiment of hope for many people, having learned to express himself through music. Works Cited Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. Ernst Klett Sprachen, 2009. Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery (1948).” The Lottery and Other Stories (1949): 291-302.

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