Tradition Without Justification In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

The Lottery: Winner Loses All Envision a summer day in a quaint, peaceful town full of flowers and green grass. Everyone participates in a town meeting in this picturesque village, where flowers bloom, and families enjoy each other's company. However, there is a catch: one random person will be stoned to death on the town square. "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, explains this dark and sinister story, first painting a picture of a charming, tight-knit community. Jackson continues, explaining that every year, the townspeople participate in an event known as "The Lottery." This event has occurred for as long as anyone can recall and is a part of the tradition. Mr. Joe Summers, the man who runs the lottery, pulls out the old black box and puts

This box is used to draw names out of and has been used even before "Old Man Warner," the oldest man in town, was born. When Jackson introduces the box, she explains that it has much wear and tear and has faded to the point where it is not necessarily black anymore, and the actual wood color comes through (264). Jackson explains that the person who runs the lottery, Mr. Summers, persistently asks about making a new box, expressing, "Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box" (264). This black box symbolizes the unfounded devotion to the lottery tradition and demonstrates that people will think a certain way simply because it is how life has always been. However, some may have an alternative view of the symbolic meaning of the black box, interpreting this quote to demonstrate the idea of faith in a cause and that having faith means people do not necessarily need a reason to believe. This differing idea points towards the idea that the townspeople have "faith" in the beliefs of the people before them and illustrates the importance of the principle of "believing without