The Dangers Of Following Traditions In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

The Dangers of Following Traditions. In 1948 “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was first published in the New Yorker. The story is thought to be set in a place based on the small town that she was living in at the time. Half way through the story the tone takes a dramatic turn. This story illustrates the consequences that can come with blindly following the crowd. If one person in the story had stood up to tradition this story would have had a vastly different outcome. This story represents traditions that are passed down from generation to generation and are followed without question. The phrase “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.” (Jackson 312) shows that because this was something that had always happened the town saw this as something that they had to do. At the beginning of the story as the town gathers for the annual lottery there is a calm tone. Everyone is gathering and laughing and playing, but as soon as Mr. Summers begins the ceremony the shift in tone can be felt. One of the men that had attended 77 town lottery’s and survived them all. That’s where the feeling that the lottery isn’t a good thing sets in. Although there were whispers about the sopping the lottery every family participated without objection. That

Tessie’s own husband and children have to participate in the stoning because that is what the tradition says they have to do. People did what they had always done and every single one of them participated in a town wide murder. There was no reason to publicly assassinate this woman and make her family participate. What is even worse is that no one physically forced her family to go along with this, they just did it because they had always done it. She joined her husband and family in the town square to participate in required lottery and by the end of the day was annihilated by the hands of her friends, family, and