Human behavior is impacted by both nature and nurture, or an individual's environment. Similarly, in writing, environment-or setting-tends to play an observable role in a character's behavior. Two examples of this are Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," and Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." While both characters ultimately meet ill fate, each of them experiences contextually inappropriate feelings that are altered by changes within the settings of their stories.
In "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson depicts a typical town that hosts an annual lottery at the start of summer. As the town gathers for the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson arrives late which she says is a consequence of finishing the dishes (Jackson). Prior to Tessie Hutchinson's arrival, Jackson shifts the tone of the story from one of happy anticipation to one of angst. Tessie, however, misses the memo and arrives cracking jokes about her tardiness (Jackson). When it is her family's turn to draw a ticket from the black box, she eagerly pushes her husband forward saying, "Get up there, Bill" (Jackson). Her excitement quickly fades to terror when she realizes that her family has one the lottery because winning this lottery means a member of the family will be stoned to death. When Tessie learns that she will be the one put to death, she is sent into further alarm.
While Tessie Hutchinson ultimately experiences a more appropriate reaction to her environment, Louise Mallard in Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" does not. Louise's sister tells her of her husband's death in a train accident. At word of his ill fate, Louise locks herself in a room. But rather than being upset, she feels liberated and begins whispering "'Free body and free soul!'" (Chopin). When she regains her composure and makes her way out of the room, her husband-who had not actually been involved in the train accident-walks through the door. Louise shrieks and dies from ...