Hunger Games... backwards?

"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"
The Lottery, pg. 268

I'm sure you've heard it before, but this story reminded me incredibly of the book series The Hunger Games. Except, of course, for a few key differences. In The Hunger Games, the tradition of sending children into the wilderness to fight to the death is hated, despised by every person in the country except for those who ran it, and who lived in the central city and used it for entertainment. However, the people in The Lottery didn't seem to have a hate for the tradition. They seemed incredibly nonchalant about the practice- in fact, they supported it and criticized those who no longer performed it! One thing that bothered me about the lottery was that the purpose was never explained- why was the horrible practice continued? Was it simply superstition? In The Hunger Games, at leasts they explained the (incredibly unfair) reason that the games were performed. It was also shocking to me to see how relieved all of Mrs. Hutchinson's family members were when her name had the marking, not theirs. Didn't they care that their mother/wife was dying? In The Hunger Games, Katniss steps up to save her sister. What about in The Lottery? Where is the humanity of the villagers??

As sad as this story was, there is a bright side- the Hunger Games movie trailer is out!