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Shirley Jackson The Lottery Tradition

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When the word lottery comes to mind, people would expect a colossal amount of excitement buzzing around the area. In Shirley Jackson’s story “The Lottery,” it contradicts the traditional views of a lottery. This particular raffle is an annual event that is set in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Instead of this tradition being amusing and enjoyable to the citizens, they feel that it is just another day. This is from the same routine every year and it begins to feel monotonous. The entire town has to draw from a black box and the person who is considered the winner shows no emotion as the prize of this drawing is not a new beginning but a final destination. This old tradition could use some modifications to have more appropriate outcomes. …show more content…

The beginning of this story has implications of that day being normal and consistent with the tradition. When the lottery starts, it proves why this custom should be altered. The ironic word choice conveys to the story’s theme by contradicting the common views of a lottery. Jackson introduces the story with the idea of the village coming together for a pleasant ritual for everyone to enjoy. Mrs. Hutchinson, one of the town’s spectators, is in support of the tradition being kept the same. This is until her family is the center of attention for the winning slip of death. In the beginning, Mrs. Hutchinson is running late and says “Clean forgot what day it was” (291). When the drawing starts, she has a change of heart. “It wasn’t fair!” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed as she realized that her husband had the winning ticket that would decide his fate. With Mrs. Hutchinson causing a scene over the winning piece of paper, the town decides to let only her family redraw. After the redraw, Mrs. Hutchinson is the one left with the black dot of death. The irony created from the word choice is the person who does not really mind the original tradition all of a sudden deems this culture as unfair. The irony of this story proves that blindly following a tradition serves no true …show more content…

Jackson describes the children of the story breaking into “boisterous play” (290). This idea of children playing and joking around implies that peaceful times are amongst the people of the community. With the kids jubilant and full of life, there is no reason why this tradition should be changed in any way. By the end of the story, there is a drastic change in mood of the people in the town. Mrs. Hutchinson, the winner of the lottery, was set to be stoned to death. Jackson says, “Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, then they were upon her” (295). This suggest that a day that started bright and vibrant, ended dark and basically lifeless. The change of tone in this story exemplifies that aimlessly following a ritual hinders a society from reaching their full potential. Shirley Jackson wrote “The Lottery” to emphasize that following a tradition with no prior knowledge or reason can lead to people not making a positive change in the world. The ironic events and tone convey to the story’s theme because they apply different views of what a traditional lottery should be. The winner of this lottery is destined to be killed by all of the other citizens in the village. This tradition should be changed with time, evolving into something more civil because there is no longer a purpose to

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Shirley Jackson's acclaimed short story, "The Lottery," artfully uses different types of irony to skillfully explore its underlying theme. By utilizing verbal irony, situational irony, and irony of setting, Jackson weaves a chilling narrative that critically examines blind conformity to tradition and delves into the dark aspects of human nature. The story's theme, which is revealed through these ironies, serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of group mentality, the perpetuation of harmful customs, and the sinister realities lurking beneath seemingly ideal environments. Through her skillful use of verbal irony, situational irony, and irony of setting, Shirley Jackson effectively develops the theme of "The Lottery" by shedding light on the dangerous consequences of unquestioningly following tradition, highlighting the inherent cruelty within humanity, and questioning the facade of peace and harmony in society. Verbal irony plays a pivotal role in exposing the hypocrisy and shallowness of the characters in "The Lottery.

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Upon the revelation that the Hutchinson household has been selected for the lottery, Hutchinson’s attitude automatically shifts. The confidence she once had to be late to the lottery, show up not dressed to society’s standards and dominate her husband leaves the second she realizes she is at risk. She immediately ridicules Mr. Summers for not giving her husband enough time to select his paper despite his years of experience conducting the ritual. In her manic state she attempts to save herself at her own daughters risk when she yells “There’s Don and Eva… Make them take their chance!” (Jackson 4).

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Jackson uses the villagers' blind adherence to the lottery as a commentary on human nature and our tendency to accept the status quo without question. The villagers never question the morality of the lottery or why they participate in it. They blindly follow the tradition because it is what they have always done, and they fear the consequences of not participating. The idea of following others' examples or as Jacksons calls traditions can be seen countless times in today's society. Numerous people continuously will follow others due to their rank in social status, which can lead to harm and danger like Jackson portrays in this short story.

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Her initial excitement at being chosen as the lottery's winner is quickly replaced with shock and horror as the reality of the tradition sinks in. Her exclamation of "It isn't fair, it isn’t right" (Jackson, para. 79) underscores the dangers of blindly following tradition without questioning its morality. Her tragic fate, as she is stoned to death by her fellow villagers, serves as a stark reminder that adhering to tradition, even when morally reprehensible, can lead to devastating

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When the twelve year old Nancy “[goes] forward switching her skirt, [taking] a slip daintily from the box,” the audience is struck by her innocence, making the subsequent death of her mother via the lottery outcome even more terrible and tragic. A still more effective example of Jackson’s appeals to pathos occurs at the end of the story, where “someone [gives] little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” to join the crowd in stoning his mother. This moment is incredibly poignant and elevates the disgust and pity that the audience feels as the nature of the lottery is revealed. Little Davy is too young understand what is happening, and it is reasonable to assume that the rest of the characters have long since lost touch with the purpose of the lottery, as the only explanation the audience is given for its continuation is Warner’s statement that “there’s always been a lottery.” This remarkably insufficient excuse in support of such a heinous crime secures the sympathy of the audience towards not only Tessie’s plight but also Jackson’s argument.

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Full of plot twists, and turns, “The Lottery” relies on its characters to convey a sense of normalcy throughout a majority of the story. The villagers’ acceptance of rituals allows them to act normal while knowingly partaking in a deadly tradition. Jackson’s brilliant use of deceptiveness leaves readers blind sighted as one could never predict this story’s outcome. Jackson’s work is renowned because of its unpredictable shift in tone. June 27, may appear to be a pleasant summer day, but this prediction could not be further from the truth.

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