Active and Passive Complicity in “The Lottery” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” Veronika Mikec College

“Goodness restrained has never been a match for badness unrestrained,” writes Umair Haque, contributor to Medium, claiming that being inactively involved in unjustifiable acts is still siding with the tormentor. This claim may be observed in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (Ursula K. Le Guin) and “The Lottery” (Shirley Jackson), as the two stories show that neither passive nor active complicity is defensible in acts of injustice, as both give leverage to the oppressor.

The residents of Omelas all blatantly turn a blind eye to the injustices happening in their town; however, their act of complicity is continually overlooked on account of its passivity. In “The Lottery,” on the other hand, the inexcusable conduct is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum; the townspeople are all aware of the outcome of the lottery, but still choose to actively participate in it. It is only when Mr. Summers asks for help – "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?" (Jackson, 1) – that the people in the crowd hesitate. This reaction attests their unwillingness to physically partake in the lottery; the participants realize the actions they have been condoning are immoral – actually helping Mr. Summers would mean they are decidedly...