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Symbolic meanings in the lottery
The effects tradition had on "the lottery
The effects tradition had on "the lottery
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“The Lottery”, a short story written by Shirley Jackson, presents the reader with the negative consequences of following tradition. The story is set in a small town where a ritual called the lottery is taken place in which the “winner” gets killed by the other participants. Since the lottery is part of the town’s traditions, nobody wishes to get rid of it or make any changes to it regardless of its cruelty. For example, the box used for the lottery is in a very bad state and would need to be replaced. However, nobody has taken any further action to find a new box because the old one has been used for a long time and is said to be made of the remains of the one previous to it.
Imagine winning the lottery! Except its not winning money, instead the prize is getting stoned by everyone in your village, including your own family. The Lottery is a short story about a small town’s tradition called the lottery. The lottery is where everyone in the village pulls a slip of paper, if someone gets the paper with a spot in it they are chosen to be the “winner.”
The Danger of Tradition Traditionally many ancient societies would kill their people to sacrifice to God in order to obtain rain or a good harvest. These mindlessly, followed traditions were never critically thought about and therefore citizens died year after year. A similar tragedy occurs in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. This story features a civilization much like our own but with one small difference, the town’s people hold a lottery every year and the town stones who ever loses to death.
The world is currently affected by the foulest illness of all: conformity. Many people are nervous to stray away from tradition in fear of being an outcast, even if that means following customs like racism and sexism, which causes chaos among the country. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” displays this morbid reality when a town of villagers gathers to obey their annual tradition. Although this event appears at first to be pleasant and festive, it soon becomes clear that the prize is not something of value. The “winner”, it turns out, will be stoned to death.
Through the characters it is shown how they are so blinded by tradition that even though there is no logic behind the ritual they still continue the violent acts. This is demonstrated by only one person in the village knows the original meaning behind the happening of the lottery. The justifications of the characters about why the lottery takes place shows how there is no reason why it should still occur. One character this is demonstrated through is Old Man Warner. In the story Old Man Warner declares, “ ‘There’s always been a lottery’…”(Jackson, 434).
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.
Contrary to the normal lottery, in this case one person is randomly selected to be killed by stoning, something the villagers believe to be good for the village. This tradition is accepted by everyone in the village, in fact, including women and children. The author of this story shows the theme of conflict and controversy that hits the lottery. The lottery’s tradition is taken in several different ways because it is unexamined.
Imagine a time in which no one wants to win the lottery. In “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, everyone in the village participates in the lottery. The villagers respect the black box which carries out the tradition. Whenever change is brought up, elders rant about how change is bad. The whole community is involved in the lottery winner’s execution.
The authors and directors produce works that involve shocking deaths that are to make people question an aspect of their life. In “The Lottery” by Jackson she wants to warn people about the dangers of not accepting change. The people in the story discuss how other villages are no longer doing the age-old tradition but they scoff and say that they will continue to do it. When describing the ceremony the townspeople do not even know how to proceed. The tradition is so old that they no longer know why they continue with it.
The battle of conforming to a society's rules and regulations for the sake of peace and unity is a topic that takes up a lot of space in one's head. Does a person change who they are for the well-being of others? I do not believe so. Conformity through tradition is not necessary for societies to function and thrive. Conformist values lead to a lack of human rights, dependency issues, and overall the death of diversity within a community.
Throughout centuries, traditions and rituals have had the ability to control one’s behavior. In Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery”, she tells the reader of a small village. On the surface, this community may seem relatively normal. However, despite the picturesque appeal, this falsely serene village has a distinct deceitful flaw. On June 27th, every year, a lottery takes place.
The Lottery itself represents a primal example of loss of innocence; portrayed through the young boys who gather at the town square to collect rocks for the horrors soon to follow. An illustration of how traditions can lose their true meanings and come to represent violence and warfare. Furthermore, “The Lottery” also represents the decaying characteristics of traditions, as symbolized by the town’s black box, in this case where every year, someone’s name is drawn out of the black box and they are stoned to death, by other members who may or may not end up to be family. Nonetheless, it ends up to be the villagers who
In her story "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson implies the negative consequences of blindly following tradition through the acceptance, by the villagers, of the tradition of the lottery. Jackson suggests that the people of the village are afraid to give up the little tradition they have, even if it is not good. Every year after the lottery, the conductor of the lottery, Mr. Summers suggests that they should build a new box but, “No one [likes] to upset even as much tradition as [is] represented by the box.” (Jackson, 1). The black box symbolizes ritual and tradition.
Though essential to them, the townsfolk are unaware and begin to question why they continue to participate in such the barbaric ritual of selecting a villager at random, and stoning them to death. Peer pressure and conformity are the reasons that the clear majority of these villagers are participating. One of the frightening elements of this tradition, is that it seems eternal. The townsfolk are unaware of the origin of “The Lottery”, and by the sounds of Old Man Warner practically forcing the townsfolk to allow the ritual to continue, there seems to be no end in sight. The lack of knowledge about the tradition, shows just how strong the tradition has become.
At a time when basic religious beliefs and traditions were being questioned by academia, author Shirley Jackson penned a poignant attack against those who blindly accepted values and traditions in her short story, “The Lottery.” The Lottery is presented as an event that has always occurred throughout the region's history without any opposition. Nonchalantly, the entire village commits homicide at the finale. Finally, aspects of the traditional lottery evolved without notice or were forgotten by the villagers. Within “The Lottery,” author Shirley Jackson embeds the theme of blindly accepting traditions as illustrated by the actions of the villagers.
