Individuality In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

The short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a timeless and powerful work of literature that exposes the dangers of conformity, challenges the power of tradition and advocates for the importance of individuality in the face of oppressive social norms. Through a masterful use of suspenseful storytelling, vivid imagery, and a shocking twist ending, Jackson immerses the reader in a seemingly idyllic small town and gradually reveals the dark truth behind the annual lottery. By examining the character’ attitudes and behaviors, the story highlights the human tendency to blindly follow tradition and the catastrophic consequences of such behavior. However, the story also offers hope for resistance and change through the character of Tessie

The disabled child, named Doodle, eventually dies as a result of his brother’s obsession. The theme of the story is the destructive power of pride and the damage that it can cause to both brothers as he is; and instead, he tries to mold him into something he’s not. The line, “I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death,” highlights the destructive power of pride and how it can have both positive and negative consequences. The tragedy of the story is that the narrator only realizes this after it’s too late. The theme is powerful but it lacks the universality and urgency of “The Lottery,” as it deals with a more personal specific

Through its haunting portrayal of the devastating consequences of unquestioning conformity, “The Lottery” exposes the dangers of blindly following tradition and warns against the chilling effects of groupthink, making it a timeless and thought-provoking work of literature.As previously mentioned, the story explores the theme of blindly following tradition and dangers of complicity in one’s own oppression. The quote, “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones,” highlights the deeply ingrained tradition and the power of conformity that exists in the society depicted in “The Lottery”.The story is set in a small town, where every year, the townspeople hold a lottery to determine who will be sacrificed for the sake of the community. The shocking revelation of the story is that the person chosen is stoned to death by the rest of the townspeople. The story creates a sense of unease from the beginning, building suspense and foreshadowing the dark ritual to come. The story’s themes are universal and relevant, as they speak to the dangers of groupthink, conformity, and blindly following