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Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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Tradition is a sacred way to pass down the customs or beliefs of one generation to another. It is sometimes used to celebrate certain occasions, pay tribute, or remember the fallen. But in some cases, it can be used to sate the deep dark thoughts humans keep hidden inside them. For example, in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, it is common to hold a lottery annually in every town. At first, it sounds like a chance to get lucky and win some serious cash. Still, in reality, Jackson twists this interpretation to create a more disturbing tone out of a game of chance, which teaches the valuable lesson of not trusting everything that is taught or shown to a person. The Lottery takes place in a relatively small town on “The morning of June 27th” …show more content…

The men talk about “...planting and rain, tractors and taxes.” and “The women… exchanged bits of gossip …” (par. 3). Everyone seems innocent and joyful and at that time it may be true but when it comes to the annual lottery, they can become heartless monsters that find joy in killing. For example, Mrs. Hutchingson and Mrs. Delacroix were friends who chatted moments before the lottery started. They “ both laughed softly.” (par. 9) together about the fact that Mrs. Hutchingson was late, and they kept talking like the good friends they seemed to be. But when the winner of the lottery was revealed, Mrs. Delacroix “selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar”, another friend of theirs, to throw it at Mrs. Hutchingson (par. 77). This cruel act of violence brings out the true colors of the supposed ordinary people of the town. When old man Warner talks about other towns ending the lottery he seems very displeased and that could be seen as resentment because it's been his "Seventy-seventh year…in the lottery…” (par. 42). But in reality, he thinks that the event is not as it used to be and that the town has gotten soft. He even goes as far as to call the younger people who are getting rid of the lottery a “‘Pack of crazy fools,’" (par. 34). This irony goes to show how some don't even realize that their tradition is crazy and that is why the lottery will most likely continue to

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Usually there’s a winner in a lottery, but not in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. This story intrigued me by it's suspenseful nature and it's chaotic events. In small town America, they come together once a year to perform an annual tradition. Mrs. Jackson demonstrates literary devices such as foreshadowing, mood, and conflict in “The Lottery”. Foreshadowing is used quite a few times in “The Lottery”.

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The use of the word lottery makes the reader think that the towns people are drawing for a prize. The “prize” being that the person to win, actually loses their life. Old Man Warner hears that the towns people are entertaining the though of ending the lottery and he says, ”Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves “ (240). The irony of this is that the lottery itself is as primitive a l practice as that of people living in

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Tradition is a way in which anybody can express their beliefs and creativity in any way they want. In the short story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson shows how blindly following tradition can sometimes be atrocious to morality. Every year, there’s a lottery held to decide the next sacrifice to the gods. It was the sunny morning of June 27th; people of a small town were gathered in the square of the village. In this small village, only two hours are needed to conduct the lottery while other villages need days, for they had larger populations.

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In the beginning of the story, when they were getting the box of cards ready, it states that “the Original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago”(1). This is significant because the original box has been lost as well as many parts of the original ritual of the lottery have been forgotten. This shows that the people often hold on to outdated traditions,

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People seek to make their beliefs seem real when they are false. “The Lottery” is classic horror story with symbolism and foreshadowing. Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing and dark themes to reveal the evil nature of the lottery, which is revealed at the end of the story. The main conflict is between Tessie Hutchinson and the rest of the town between the character’s dark actions and the picture-perfect setting and the reader’s skepticism and acceptance of a violent tradition. Mrs. Delacroix’s choice of large stone, home symbolizes the cross, and Tessie’s willingness to participate until Bill draws the black dot that her all show examples of irony.

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Tradition plays a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and is often passed down from previous generations. However, there is a difference between following tradition for its cultural significance and blindly adhering to it. The effect of blindly following tradition is a central theme in Shirley Jackson's short story “The Lottery.” In the story, a small village follows an annual tradition of sacrificing one of their own through a lottery. Despite the morally wrong nature of the tradition, the community prioritizes preserving their cultural heritage over the well-being of its own individuals.

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Jackson utilizes satirical writing to criticize the tendency to stick to old traditions despite how they can be outdated, not true to their origins, and in the case of the lottery, quite senseless. He first paints a simple picture of town and a mysterious lottery that is heavily backed by tradition, which is made visible through the inclusion of Old Man Warner. Jackson also makes his point well known by mentioning on multiple occasions that the village has lost the procedure and meaning of the lottery to time. Jackson’s The Lottery seems innocent enough at first, but the included twist at the end achieves his goal of criticizing a blind adherence to tradition. In The Lottery Jackson harnesses both satirical and subtly critical language to

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“The Lottery’s” opening lines read: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. ”(Jackson 309). From this line, one can conclude that Jackson is trying to portray the village as a quaint and nice place where townsfolk gather, and no harm occurs. However, this strays far from the truth. As the story continues, the gathering abruptly changes and ultimately leads the townspeople to commit violence and murder.

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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

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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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Adam’s and Old Man Warner’s discussion about the idea of giving up the lottery. Old Man Warner states that “there’s always been a lottery” (Jackson 142). The inference of Old Man Warner’s words and tone suggests that there will always be a lottery, and that it should always remain, that it is wrong to question its existence. Given the violent nature of the lottery’s results and its enduring tradition throughout generations of participants, each succeeding generation obviously grows accustom to the violence and brutality it calls for. The children, for example, readily prepare for the occasion by amassing “a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and [guarding] it” (Jackson 139).

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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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The tradition of the lottery has been carried out for so long in this village that nobody even knows the reason for its occurring in the first place and nobody questions it. When Old Man Warner, the oldest man in the village, is told about other villages giving up the tradition of the lottery, he says that they are, “[A] pack of crazy fools [...]. There [has] always been a lottery [...]” (Jackson, 4). There is no reason why there has always been a lottery except that every year on June 27th, they held the lottery.

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Shirley Jackson’s “The lottery” is a story based on tradition. When hearing the word tradition, most people think of team rituals before games, or something families do together annually. However, Jackson is obviously not like most people. She builds up a fair amount of tension around this ritual that is taking place to make readers wonder what is going on. She uses many different techniques to show that sometimes, traditions are not always meant to go on forever.

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The villagers are reluctant to give up their beliefs because they think that they might lose their distinction that separates them from others. Old Man Warner strongly disapproves of people who want to quit the lottery. He says, “There’s always been a lottery”3 so for him, these people are “crazy.”4 However, for the readers, his reluctance means that he is afraid to change his place within the society. He has gained the title of Old Man not only because he is the oldest man in the village but he has also been in the lottery for 77 years.

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