Beginning of Essay
The differences between "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a ....

Middle of Essay
.... celebratory occasions. However, I believe the major similarity lies in the fact that these many pleasant details create a facade within each story. The reader is then left ill-prepared when the shocking, brutally violent, ritualistic traditions are exposed. Children are an important focus in both stories. Jackson makes it easy for us to imagine their "boisterous play"(para 2), and Le Guin writes "their high calls rising like swallows' crossing flights over the music and the singing"(para1). I see these children being used to symbolize perceived states of happiness in both stories. I also believe they are vital necessities in each story because ....