The Effects Of Blindly Following Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

There are many things that people do every day without questioning why they do them. These are our habits and traditions, and though for the most part they are unimportant they can be a crucial part of our culture and our interactions with each other. Sometimes there are traditions that can cause harm or are morally unacceptable. What should be done in this case? Edmund Burke, a nineteenth century politician and author, argues that it is best to stick with tradition rather than causing dramatic changes in people’s behavior. This is a key component in his argument against the French Revolution in his essay “Reflections on the Revolution in France.” In this essay he argues that the revolution will only lead the

     The Lottery, a short story by the nonconformist author Shirley Jackson, represents communities, America, the world, and conformist society as a whole by using setting and most importantly symbolism with her inventive, cryptic writing style. It was written in 1948, roughly three years after the liberation of a World War II concentration camp Auschwitz. Even today, some people deny that the Holocaust ever happened. Jackson shows through the setting of the story, a small, close knit town, that even though a population can ignore evil, it is still prevalent in society (for example: the Harlem Riots; the terrorist attacks on September 11; the beating of Rodney King.)

Would you stone your neighborhood to death for the sake of tradition? Shirley Jackson wrote The Lottery in 1948 to tell a story about how savage people can be for tradition. The story is about a small town who has a yearly lottery and the winner gets stoned to death by their neighbors. The thought is that if you have a lottery, then you will have good crops that season. This short story tells the tale of poor Tessie Hutchinson who is stoned by her own town, her son helps too. In the short story The Lottery, Shirley Jackson argues that all people, regardless of how civilized they may seem, are capable of great evil by contrasting seemingly pleasant and relatable details of the town with the shocking barbarity of their tradition.

The “Lottery” by Shirley Jackson presents themes that are very interesting to ponder. It was very surprising and shocking to find out that the chosen individual of the lottery was to be stoned to death by their own peers, neighbors and family. The fact that this ritual had been going on for so long and that everyone in the town was so eager to participate in the ritual was probably the most shocking aspect of the story. Through the story, I felt like Jackson satirically exploited the dangers of blindly following tradition, scapegoating and going about things with a close minded mindset. This story was published in 1948, shortly after the end of Holocaust, which implies that Jackson was reacting to some of the atrocities that occurred during

Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relation to tradition. The story begins on a beautiful summer afternoon. The town's citizens are eager, gathering in the town square in order to take part in the yearly lottery. With the story focused around one particular family, the Hutchinsons, who

Everyone has their own way of solving problems; however, ritual is a form that people doing one thing in the same way. It defines as “the prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony.” However if the meaning of ritual is mistaken, the consequence could be unpredictable." The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson gives us a lecture about a tortuous ritual. The story takes place in a small village with 300 citizens, they gather for a yearly lottery which everyone should participate. The story leads to a horrific ending by people forgetting the concept of ritual.

Shirley Jackson's story, The Lottery is about a group of towns people who meet every year on the 27th of June. On this day a stoning takes place, as it washes away the sins of everyone that lived in the village. However, should the tradition of the stoning be changed when it becomes your time?

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a thought-provoking and unsettling exploration of human nature and societal conformity. The story invites readers to grapple with the consequences of blindly adhering to tradition and prompts critical examination of the inherent dangers of unquestioning adherence to societal norms. Through a blend of suspenseful storytelling and symbolic imagery, Jackson masterfully incites reader discomfort, prompting introspection and self-reflection. The story begins in a seemingly ordinary small-town setting, creating a false sense of security that is shattered by the revelation of the lottery's gruesome outcome.

Shirley Jackson?s insights and observations about society are reflected in her shocking and disturbing short story The Lottery. Jackson reveals two general attitudes in this story: first is the shocking tendency for societies to select a scapegoat and second is the idea that communities are victims of social tradition and rituals.

Firstly, the theme of carelessly obeying traditions is explored near the beginning of the story with the seemingly innocuous village children gathering the stones needed for the event. Initially, readers can assume that the stone gathering had no relation to the "lottery" and was just a harmless little way to pass the time. It is only at the end that we realize the true purpose of gathering the stones, to throw them mercilessly at the "winner" of the lottery and ensure a brutal death. Amazingly, it has been made clear that the villagers have long forgotten the main purpose of this bizarre ritual with some noting that certain parts of it has been changed over the years, yet still intend to uphold it anyway simply because it has been ingrained

The Lottery Shirley Jackson is best known for her restrained tales of horror and the supernatural like the short story “The lottery” (419). The short story was published in 1948 ….. Shirley Jackson uses the fiction elements of plot, character, and point of view to illustrate the theme of conformity in “ The Lottery.” Jackson uses the fiction element of plot to illustrate the theme of conformity in the rising action and falling action.

“The Lottery” Analysis In the short story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson writes about a small town that has an annual tradition that results in the sacrifice of the person selected. The argument Shirley Jackson is trying to present is the dangers of conformity. In “The Lottery” the whole town is willing to fulfill a gruesome tradition that they have forgot the reason for. The author wants the reader to think about the problems with doing the same thing as everybody just because it’s the popular thing.

Tradition; it is the back bone of every culture and civilization. It is what keeps the beliefs, philosophies, and activities of societies alive, to be passed down from generation to generation. However not all traditions are practiced with pure intentions.  Some activities become so routine, people don’t know a life outside of them. Societies become so accustomed to “tradition” that they will participate in pastimes without  questioning the ethics or morals of the situation. Ultimately when tradition takes the place of a rationalizing mind the outcome can be incredibly dangerous. The role of tradition is an underlying theme in the short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, forcing readers to ask themselves “At what point do

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" satirizes barbaric traditions in a supposedly civilized village. As the story begins, the villagers appear to be fairly civilized and carry on fairly modern lifestyles. This is assumed by the men's discussion of planting, rain, tractors, and taxes. The lottery was outdated to such a degree that some may think that the tradition is primal competition of anthropoid beasts. On the other hand, some think that carrying on the tradition was necessary. The question that must be answered is: Was this a barbaric tradition or was this ritual an honest attempt to better other villager's lives?

The meaning of tradition is easily lost when blending into an entirely Patriarchal Society. The fairly brief dystopian novel written by Shirley Jackson, The Lottery, dramatizes a small village executing their yearly ritual post to WWII; feministically speaking, society’s cultural normalities downgrade woman. Implicitly, traditions desensitize humanity leading an entire society to oppression. Jackson resembles character’s behaviour and their actions morally blinded; subsequently, through the act of conforming to tradition, victimization against women, as well as symbolism. It is however, human nature to adapt to the surrounding culture given at birth.