How Does The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Demonstrate A Failing Of Following Tradition

In the story, “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, the greatest human failing as far as Jackson is concerned is humanity following tradition thoughtlessly without questioning why it happens allowing for unnecessary violence to take place. This is demonstrated in “The Lottery” through many aspects and specific details. Firstly, the calmness of the atmosphere expresses how the people of the village view this day as a normal happening showing that they are following this ritual without thinking about the tragic outcome it causes. Secondly, the use of characters illustrates how the villagers are so blinded by this tradition that no one understands the harm that is occurring from this tradition and the actual reasons behind the lottery itself. And

The atmosphere plays an important role in allowing Jackson to demonstrate the greatest human failing. She uses many aspects within the story to show how the atmosphere expresses this. For example, she uses the appearance of the setting and the casualness of the mood. Firstly, the appearance of the setting is created to seem ideal and ordinary. Throughout the story the setting is formed to seem like a beautiful summers day. By doing this, the day is portrayed to be just a usual day in a normal neighborhood where nothing bad happens. But, as we soon find out that is not the case. Jackson wants us to feel that the villagers view this day just like every other day. When discussing the setting Jackson states: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (430). By Jackson stating these details it is expressing to the readers how this day is just like every other one. She makes the day sound beautiful, ordinary, and unsuspicious. But by creating this

Through the characters it is shown how they are so blinded by tradition that even though there is no logic behind the ritual they still continue the violent acts. This is demonstrated by only one person in the village knows the original meaning behind the happening of the lottery. The justifications of the characters about why the lottery takes place shows how there is no reason why it should still occur. One character this is demonstrated through is Old Man Warner. In the story Old Man Warner declares, “ ‘There’s always been a lottery’…”(Jackson, 434). Old Man Warner justifies the wrong doings of the lottery by saying since there has been a lottery every summer he has lived that there should always continue to be one, even if there is no reason that still applies to today. His justification has no reason or proof behind it yet the rest of the villagers are still participating in it. This is how Jackson demonstrates through the charactesr the greatest human failing by showing how people follow tradition blindly by not having serious answers to justify the lotteries happening. Another way Jackson shows though the characters the human failing is how none of the villagers know the true meaningful purpose behind the occurrence of the lottery. In the story Old Man Warner is the only person in the village who actually knows the original purpose of the lottery. When discussing the