Tradition In The Lottery, By Shirly Jackson

It may be surprising to find out how many dangerous traditions are practiced throughout the world, where people are willing to risk their lives in order to continue these traditions. Such an example is the Running of the Bulls, a tradition where a herd of cattle is let loose onto the streets. The tradition has resulted in hundreds of injuries and over a dozen deaths since its start in the 14th century. Shirly Jackson’s “The Lottery” paints a picture of such a tradition in her short story, where a small village performs an annual tradition of a lottery. Initially appearing pleasant to the reader, it eventually takes a darker turn and reveals the fact that the winner is stoned to death. In “The Lottery,” the villagers are motivated to continue

In the story, a few villagers discuss the fact that other villages have recently begun dropping the tradition of the lottery. One villager known as Old Man Warner opposes the idea, insisting that they should keep it just because “there’s always been a lottery”(32). Old Man Warner is shown to support the lottery, with his reason being the sole fact that it has been in practice for so long. He believes that they should keep the lottery just because it has always existed, so much so to the point where he does not question the nature of it and defends it. Additionally, Old Man Warner does not state anything to further support his argument; he merely dismisses the idea of removing the lottery by stating how long it has been in effect for, revealing how he rarely thinks about or questions the tradition. Old Man Warner’s superficial response supports the idea that the villagers in “The Lottery” are blindly devoted to the tradition because of how many people have practiced it for how many years, an idea that is also reflected in the informational text “The Dangers of Tradition.” In “The Dangers of Tradition” by Bakari Bosa, the author introduces a tradition known as the Running of the Bulls and explains its origin to the reader: “The tradition dates back to the 14th century…people would hurry [the cattle] along by running with them and creating a frenzy. It then became a tradition”(8). The tradition of the Running of the Bulls has existed for hundreds of years and still continues to this day, despite the fact that people put their lives at risk when they participate in it. Additionally, it is revealed that people blindly follow this tradition because of how long it has been practiced for, subsequently ignoring any dangers that go along with it. This draws similarities between the Running of the Bulls tradition and the lottery in Shirley Jackson’s short