How Does Shirley Jackson Critique The Dangers Of Blind Obedience To Tradition

People all over the world fall victim to hurtful traditions that benefit some and harm others. Throughout history, it’s apparent that people participated in harmful practices without opposition until they were personally impacted. The United States has a troubling history of economic exploitation, which boosts the rich and punishes the poor by forcing inherent social inequality through the exploitation of slavery. When slavery was still an institution in the U.S., the moral implications of such an institution were not widely voiced until people in power had relationships with free blacks. As abolitionists in the U.S. grew, the public asked if slavery was truly a worthwhile economic pursuit. Sadly, no such conclusion is reached with the tradition found in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” This story takes

Tradition’s power is easily justifiable because of how powerful groupthink can be. Once a tradition begins, it’s difficult to change, especially when everyone participates. It’s easy for people to not see the harm in the tradition because groupthink weeds out opposing viewpoints. Old Man Warner’s character is a good example of the power of groupthink because he is the one who has seen the fruits of the tradition, emphasized when he speaks of an old saying, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (Jackson, 32). This clearly illustrates that Old Man Warner is meant to be the justifying voice for the tradition. His influential voice influences people to see no reason to question a tradition that has endured for so many years. For example, when the tradition of the lottery is challenged, Old Man Warner refutes it with his 77 years of lottery experience. Mrs. Adams in particular challenges the lottery tradition, saying “Some places have already quit lotteries” (Jackson, 33), but is silenced by Warner, dismissing those who have quit as a “pack of young fools” (Jackson,