Human Nature In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

324 Words2 Pages
Immanuel Kant famously said, "out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made." This sentiment is echoed in Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," which exposes the dark side of human nature. Jackson's work reveals how even the most seemingly civilized people can commit acts of extreme cruelty and violence when motivated by tradition and fear, highlighting the inherent evil in human beings. The lottery in the story is a disturbing ritual that exposes the grotesque disfigurement of humanity's porcelain mask. The townspeople have normalized this twisted act to the point of treating it like a farmers market or other social event. Mr. Summers even describes it as just another one of their regular activities: