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In many literary works, history is a core theme. Such is the case in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Thomas King's "Totem". Both stories' themes stress the importance of being critical of history. Each story, however, takes a different approach on the treatment of this theme. "The Lottery" suggests one should question history and tradition, and perhaps it is time to move on or change. In "Totem," the importance of remembering one's heritage and past …

…stated works to further support this argument, for they share the same universal meaning. When analyzing both these stories one can interpret a second more concealed message, which is that using what you are told and what you learn, and drawing your own conclusions is the only way to break out of a possibly harmful cycle. Perhaps Hegel was right when he said, "We learn from history that man can never learn anything from history."