Matt Villano

4/14/2016
A Critical Analysis of the Dangers of Mob Mentality and the Mistreatment of the American
Indian

We have had the chance to look at some great pieces of work throughout the semester,

but certain works stand for something more. In Shirley Jacksons The Lottery and Michael

Apteds Thunderheart we see both authors use characters, irony, and the use of symbolism to

express the displacement of American Indians and the overall lack of empathy in modern

society. With the way culture is going it is very refreshing to look back on these critically

acclaimed pieces of work and reflect on the issues that are brought up which make the pieces

so great.

Character development in a story is essential because it is the authors tool to make the

reader feel a certain way about the character. The closer the reader becomes to the characters

the closer one gets to the story itself which is why it is such a useful tool. While character

development is important for a story, it is also critically important in a movie because of the fact

that the viewer is visually introduced to the character so everything from their words to their

body language influences the way one sees and thinks about them. In order for a character to

appeal to an audience it takes a bit of work. Having said that in the movie Thunderheart by

Michael Apted, the viewer is given several amazing characters that help him tell the story of the

struggle for American Indians in the white mans world that they have come to know today. The

movie stars Val Kilmer who is an FBI agent that is sent to a Native American reservation in the

Badlands of South Dakota to investigate a political murder of a tribe elder and to try and resolve
tensions between the two groups operating on reservation. Although this will be no easy task

things are made more complicated for Ray Lavoi, Val Kilmer, when he has to confront the fact

that he himself is Native American and he has a compelling desire to help the traditional

natives. Rays character is so relatable because we have a classic case of a man who is confused

about himself and ends up finding himself when exposed to the harsh reality that his people are

dying and they need him. The viewer can relate to Ray because everyone has at some point

faced decisions that go against what they feel inside, everyone has had opportunities to do

what they believe is the right thing, but did they act on this? Did they rise up and do what was

right? Well Ray, after facing many of these decisions and almost being killed himself, realized

that there was a bigger picture. Ray decided that there was more to him than just following

orders and he saves the day. This character was executed well because it really shows us the

journey Ray goes on in becoming a man. His character also teaches the viewer not to be

ashamed of ones past because the past is what makes them who they are. Before Ray went to

the reservation he was ashamed of the fact that he was part Sioux and he hid it from everyone

he could. Once his character goes through his transformation he denounces his old school of

thought and finally embraces who he truly is. That is what his character is all about: being ones

true self. You can lie all you want, but they will never be truly happy until they let go of the

pleasures of living to a certain set of standards and be who they truly are.

Rays partner Cooch is also another great character in this movie because of the fact

that he represents everything Ray isnt. He represents the thinking of an entire generation

because he doesnt care what happens to the Native Americans he is just doing his job, but

then the reader sees what can often be seen in characters who just do their job he begins to
like it. In fact we are made to believe that he himself doesnt really even like the Natives which

leads one to ask: are you really just doing your job? In history looking back on the story of the

American Indian we see generations of white men and women that set aside any reason or

compassion and simply let our government do as they pleased with an entire nation of people.

Cooch perfectly represents this ignorant behavior displayed by the American public during the

displacement of the American Indian. No matter how much disrespect Cooch gives the natives

they are always nothing but nice to him. When looking at an analysis of the movie by Sam Pack

he argues saying, The film presents many positive depictions of Native Americans that are a

radical departure from traditional film portrayals. First, the movie is set in contemporary times

rather than in a timeless Indian past (Pack, 97). Pack makes a great point when he refers to

how positive and friendly the natives are to Cooch and all of the other characters for that

matter. The fact that AIM members even give Cooch respect is interesting in itself. The viewer is

presented this idea in hopes that it makes a connection to the American Indians past. The

director is trying to make the point that the U.S. government has been terrible to the Native

Americans no matter what they have done.

Characters in literature take a whole different life compared to a movie because of the

fact that the author has to reveal all their traits to the reader through text and this causes the

reader to use their imagination, in many instances, to fill in parts that the author has left for the

reader to fill in. Shirly Jackson uses great characters in The Lottery which is a short story used

to criticize the way modern society operates. Jackson uses her characters to say a lot about the

modern world and uses her observations in her personal life to fuel the traits of her characters.

The interesting part about her piece of work is that the characters individually surely have
meaningful characteristics, but the really important thing is to evaluate them as a larger group

as to understand their pack mentality. At the beginning of the play Jackson introduces the

children of the community and gives the reader little clues that relate to this mob or pack

mentality. A criticism Jackson is trying to make through the use of her characters is that people

will follow a group blindly just based on tradition for lack of a better word. The children

assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty

sat uneasily on most of them (Jackson, The lottery). This quote, while foreshadowing later

events by mentioning that the children were even uneasy, gives the reader the idea that

something isnt right with the way these children act. This town is loosely run by a man named

Mr. Summers, who has no children of his own. He is in charge of most civic events in the town

and is respected among the villagers. Jackson hints at the resistance to change early on in the

actual lottery process when Mr. Warner is told that the village down the road is thinking of

giving up the lottery he says Pack of crazy fools, he said. Listening to the young folks,

nothings good enough for them. Next thing you know, theyll be wanting to go back to living in

caves, nobody work anymore. (Jackson, The Lottery). This quote is a perfect representation of

this mob mentality in society and the resistance to change. When first reading this quote from

Mr. Turner, who is the oldest man in the town, Jackson gives the idea that even though Mr.

Turner believes in the lottery blindly not all people do. In fact there is a younger group of people

that think it should be eliminated altogether. Mr. Turner takes on the role of the old man that

has never known anything but the lottery. He is resistant to change and because he is so

resistant he influences other people with his outspokenness. This type of behavior is often

displayed in our social lives. When an outspoken member of the community makes a statement
there is a good majority of people that will take their statement as fact because of their

seniority and overall respect. Jackson is aware of this social behavior and she uses this instance

to demonstrate that behavior.

Symbolism is a powerful underlying piece to include in a story that gives a deeper

meaning to the reader. Thunderheart has an abundance of symbolism used to help give the

viewer a deeper understanding of the tragedy of the American Indian. In the movie Rays

personal belongings take on a powerful form of symbolism by representing the struggle Native

Americans went through when they were being stripped of their land and their lives.

Throughout the film Ray finds himself in a somewhat rigged trading system developed by the

Native Americans on the Rez. Whether or not this is a real barter system is unclear because the

viewer gets the feeling Ray is just being messed with. Nonetheless, Ray is parted with some

valuable items such as his sunglasses and he has a hard time letting go of them which under

sells the struggle Native Americans went through. Along with loosing items like his sunglasses,

Ray also slowly stopped dressing like the stiff FBI agent he was at the beginning of the film. Little

by little he starts to loose his jacket and then he ends up with jeans and so on until he ends up

in a pair of dusty jeans and a black t-shirt. This represents his acceptance of his Native heritage

and his discovery of self. This case Ray was assigned too changed him forever because it made

him accept who he really was and it was a clever use of symbolism to express this through his

clothing. Another important piece of symbolism is the peace pipe that is offered to Ray on

multiple occasions. The pipe is offered to Ray and he is told that it represents honesty between

each other and no lies can be told when you smoke it. Ray refuses because he doesnt agree

with all of these new Native traditions, but subconsciously he doesnt smoke it because he is
lying to himself. Ray is lying about his past and he knows a part of him is drawn to these new

ideals and that is why he acts out against them in fear. When Ray smokes the pipe for the first

time he finally gives into the temptation and opens himself to the culture. He immediately has a

flashback and overall a very moving experience that brings him closer to his true self.

Shirley Jackson wrote The Lottery in about a month which is nearly unheard of for a

writer. She is also a master of symbolism due to her use of the element in her short story. She

uses symbolism to point out flaws in modern society that pertain to the willingness to blindly

follow tradition and resistance to change. The end of the farming season is a big time for

ancient tribes and civilizations and this is so in the Lottery as well. In Jacksons village she uses

the lottery to emphasis the balance of a new season. When looking at Andrew Radfords

analysis of the short story he goes to say, Ancient peoples began sacrificial rituals to emulate

this resurrecting cycle. What began as a vegetation ritual developed into a cathartic cleansing of

an entire tribe or village. By transferring ones sins to persons or animals and then sacrificing

them, people believed that their sins would be eliminated.(Radford, 44). After reading the

story the reader can identify with this statement because it seems that after their crop season

they use the Lottery to symbolize this changing of events and the end and beginning of new

things. The first object Jackson uses as symbolism is the black box used to hold the names for

the lottery drawing. The box is nothing more than a box, but to the villagers it is an omen that

represents the tradition of the lottery. The box is supposed to be special because it was crafted

from the original lottery box so it holds some sort of sentimental value to the villagers. Over the

years the box has been beaten up pretty badly and it has been damaged in some areas. The

villagers refuse to make any changes to the box based on the notion that that would be messing
with tradition. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no

one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. There was a

story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it

Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to

fade off without anythings being done (Jackson, The Lottery). The emphasis on tradition is

very prominent in this story because Jackson believes that there is something to be said by

blindly following tradition. One could compare this story to the Salem Witch Trials because of

how the villagers acted terribly just based on what the elders of the town had said and because

of fear of being persecuted themselves. There is a great deal of fear involved with these two

stories because looking at the previous quotes the reader can tell that there are certain

objections to the current traditions, but they never become anything more than objections

because of the fear of being exiled for being different then the larger community. Jackson used

this symbolism to demonstrate that there is a global problem with following the leader and

nothing bad can be changed unless someone makes a stand. She demonstrates how easy it is to

fall in line and for one to do as they are told instead of acting out and trying to implement

change based on what they know is right. Jackson uses symbolism to criticize the way society

operates. The bigger more boisterous people are in charge and set the standards of living while

everyone else is expected to fall in line when they know this might not be the right thing to do.

Hitlers Germany is another example of this, he convinced an entire country to get behind him

in his pursuit of the perfect Aryan race and the genocide of the Jewish people and he had

complete support from his country. He was able to do this based on his incredible public

speaking and ambitious goals for his country, but regardless the German people fell subject to
this condition that Jackson criticizes in the Lottery. Jackson uses the overall story and the act

of the lottery to suggest certain things about human nature. When reading an analysis of her

work Nebeker says Ultimately one finds that the ritual of the lottery, beyond providing a

channel to release repressed cruelties, actually serves to generate a cruelty not rooted in mans

inherent emotion needs at all. Man is not at the mercy of a murky, savage id; he is the victim of

unexamined and unchanging traditions which he could easily change if he only realized their

implications.(Nebeker, 102). This quote speaks to the idea that man is not a naturally savage

creature. In fact man would never partake in such an action had it not been taught to him by

tradition and influenced him from a young and high perspective.

The use of Irony is a very powerful technique used by writers and filmmakers because it

gives the audience a connection to the character that they wouldnt have otherwise had. In

Thunderheart the audience gets a deeper connection with Ray because of his efforts to

separate himself from the natives. He is blind to the fact that they are good people and is

immediately intimidated by them. Apted uses dramatic irony when looking at the relationship

between Ray and Crow Horse by bringing them closer together through time. When Ray initially

gets there he hates Crow Horse calling him names like Geronimo which is a common term

used to insult Native Americans. After days of being nothing but rude to Crow Foot and the

other natives, Ray finds himself hating himself more because of the fact that he cant help, but

get closer to these people. Crow Horse is persistent in his efforts to get close to Ray and breaks

through. Apted uses this struggle between the two characters to show that there is no real

difference between us. This use of dramatic irony is a smaller scale version of the struggle

between the American Indian and the U.S. government. There was never any true problem
between the two, but the government persecuted them anyways because they were sitting on

what they thought to believe was there land. Instead of striking up diplomatic relations they

used poor judgment in order to displace an entire people. The struggle Ray and Crow Horse go

through is used to show the benefits of seeing things from another perspective.

Irony is used strongly in the work of Shirley Jackson. Jackson uses the name of the tragic

tradition itself to point out some dramatic irony. Normally in modern culture the lotter is

something to be won and something to be happy for winning. In the case of this story the poor

soul that wins the lottery is sentenced to death by public stoning. The fact that the day of the

lottery takes place on June 27th is ironic in itself because this is the day of the summer solstice

which is normally important for ritualistic events. There is also an underlying use of irony in the

tone of the people participating in the lottery. Old man Warner brags Seventy-seventh year I

been in the lottery, Seventy-seventh time.(Jackson, 4). This quote from Old Man Warner shows

that there is a certain pride to be had in participating in the lottery and he is proud of how long

he has been in attendance. The fact that he has been in the lottery 77 times and still has to

participate is ironic in itself because he has been around for so long at this point he is just

waiting for his name to be called so he can die. This idea of being proud of tradition is what

Jackson tries to point out. She wants the reader to know that not only are these people

influenced by a crazy tradition, but they are completely invested in the idea of it and take pride

in the fact that they are doing their part. This example can be used and applied to modern

society because of how blindly people follow tradition. In the case of the Salem Witch Trials the

people in those towns took pride in eradicating their towns of what they thought were witches.
This is a similar example and an important subject that Jackson uses as an underlying tone to

demonstrate both the real life applications and the damage caused by these traditions.

When looking at the evidence provided it is clear to see how the use of

characters, symbolism and irony were used in these pieces of work to demonstrate the

mistreatment of the American Indian and the dangers of blindly following tradition and giving

into mob mentality. Thunderheart is a great demonstration as to how Native Americans have

historically been mistreated and have never received the proper treatment they deserve. The

fact is that mob mentality effected the fway people saw the Native American and based on the

evidence provided one can see that Apted used a strong character of Ray Levoi as a

representation of the American throughout this relationship. Jackson uses plenty of symbolism

in The Lottery to demonstrate how the effects of tradition can be harmful and can have a

serious impact on society. Jackson uses ideas and beliefs from her own life to show the dangers

of mob mentality. Overall both pieces act as catalysts to provide examples to help educate the

viewer on the wrongdoings of the past in order to learn from mistakes to make for a better

future.
 Works Cited

Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." (1997): n. pag. Web.

Nebeker, Helen E. ""The Lottery": Symbolic Tour De Force." American Literature 46.1 (1974): 100-

08. JSTOR. Web. 09 May 2016.

Pack, Sam. "The Best of Both Worlds: Otherness, Appropriation, and Identity in

Thunderheart." Wicazo Sa Review 16.2 (2001): 97-114. Web.

Radford, Andrew. "Jackson's THE LOTTERY." Taylor & Francis Online. N.p., 1999. Web. 09 May

2016.