The Importance Of Rituals In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

A ritual is a ceremony or action performed in a customary way,like a tradition for a group of people. Human nature is the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” the ritual is pulling the papers out of the black box which has been the same for years and their human nature is the way that they react to the outcome of this ritual. The story implies that traditions and ceremonies are extremely important to the survival of the town as a whole. In the morning walking into town everyone is calm and having conversations with each other. This town is superstitious about doing away with the lottery, afraid that if they abandon it that something bad will happen to the town. The older members of the town, such as Old Man Warner, who has witnessed 77 lotteries, is adamant about continuing to hold the lottery. He is an example of how a meaningless tradition is clung

They don’t show emotion during the ritual, everyone is calm until it’s time to find out the results of this lottery. Tessie Hutchinson finally protests when she is singled out, saying “it isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” but this objection is raised too late, because she is the “winner” of the lottery. The other villagers are clearly relieved not have been selected, and they speak from a position of security, reminding Tessie that “all of us took the same chance.” Though the villagers have lost aspects of the ritual of the lottery over time, “they still remembered to use stones” meaning that they will still end up killing Tessie despite what they feel or think about the situation.” Even Davy Hutchinson, a child, is given stones to throw at his mother, and other young children gather the stones for the ritual. The Lottery clearly demonstrates how human beings can look the other way when someone is at risk of harm until it comes time for them to be the