Tradition In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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. They go about it without question as this is the village’s tradition. Tradition changes the way people view situations, as bad becomes good. The black box used in “The Lottery,” is a sacred object, and no one dares mess with it. “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box but no one liked to upset as much tradition as was represented by the black box”(1). The black box

In the village, everyone participates in each step of the lottery. “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The piles of stones the boys made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground...” (5) The reason for the tradition may be forgotten, but everyone participates in stoning the winner to death. No one questions the act of executing the winner, and they all go along with it. The reason behind this is that they believe that what they are doing is right. The villagers have never been told that the lottery is wrong and they all grew up participating in the lottery. The practice of the lottery has happened for a long time. Old Man Warner has participated in the lottery seventy-seven years, and it had been used even before he was born. He believes that the lottery should not be changed. A villager hands little David, one of Tessie’s child, pebbles, and he too participates in the stoning of his mother. He believes that this is acceptable, and no one has ever told him otherwise. Giving kids the opportunity to help kill someone is seen immoral in today’s world. Stoning involves the whole community. Old young and even little Davy participate in the