Traditions In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

One of many characteristics of a good story is its unpredictability, which makes readers stick to the end to find out what happens next. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a short story that has left readers shocked or as some may say, “scarred for life” the reason being that it had a rather unexpected ending. Tradition is an important part of people’s identity, as it holds significant information about ancestral beliefs. But sometimes, doing these traditions can make you feel stuck in time. Jackson’s story greatly shows this because of how Tessie Hutchinson, the story’s main character, dreads the day of the lottery, although it has been going on for more than seven decades—according to old man Warner. The summer of June 27th, little boys pile up rocks, big and small, and everyone gathers around having Mr. Summers in the middle, a black and shabby box by his side. Throughout the lottery, Tessie is uncomfortable and says that it was unfair when her husband chose the piece of paper with a black spot. In the end, it was Tessie who “won the lottery”.

When Mr. Summers checked if attendance was complete, the people said that Dunbar was not around. He then remembered that Clyde Dunbar—the head of the household—had broken his leg and asked who would draw for the family; a woman said “Me. I guess,” to which Mr. Summers replied, “Wife draws for her husband. Don’t you have a grown boy to do it for you, Janey?” (Jackson, p.g. 3. Then, the sand is sanded. By just looking at what he said to Mrs. Dunbar, it can be seen that he thinks that a man should always be the representative of a family, which was the belief in older times when women were not seen as much value as