Traditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay

Now that all the papers are handed out the men begin to unfold the slips of paper to reveal blank pieces of paper. However one man is left with a paper with a black dot on it. The man unlucky enough to receive this slip of paper is Bill Hutchinson. Promptly Tessie Hutchinson, Bill’s wife, begins to panic saying he didn’t have enough time to pick his paper. Being a reasonable official Mr. Summers allows Hutchinson and each of his family members to reselect a paper. Bill, his two sons, one daughter, and wife Tessie each take a paper and Tessie Hutchinson is left with the paper with the black dot. The townspeople begin to clear a space around Tessie Hutchinson. One of the younger boys from earlier in the story hands her son a stone. While she screams “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” the townspeople begin stoning her, the lottery “winner”.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was written in 1948. The story takes place in a village square of a town on June 27th. The author does not use much emotion in the writing to show how the barbaric act that is going on is look at as normal. This story is about a town that has a lottery once a year to choose who should be sacrificed, so that the town will have a plentiful year for growing crops. Jackson has many messages about human nature in this short story. The most important message she conveys is how cruel and violent people can be to one another. Another very significant message she conveys is how custom and tradition can hold great power over people. Jackson also conveys the message of

As Tessie’s protests continue and the Hutchinson family prepares to draw again the sense of apprehension is one again mounting, this time fearing for whoever wins yet still not knowing what their “prize” will be. “The crowd was quiet. A girl whispered, ‘I hope it’s not Nancy’”, the silence and fear of the crowds manifests in the reader as the three children and their parents all draw slips of paper. Tessie “wins” the lottery and when the narrator explains “although the villagers had forgotten the ritual, and lost they original black box, they still remembered to use stones” (6) its suddenly shockingly clear to the readers what the winner is to receive. The drastic switch from a light and cheerful tone with talk of the beautiful day and children playing to the closing like of “and they were upon her” (7) is in part why this story is so effective. The unforeseen sinister end of the story makes the revelation of the tradition much more shocking and unsettling than had the reader known from the beginning what the outcome would be. Jackson very effectively builds a sense of apprehension and foreboding as she slowly cues the reader into the reality of the situation.

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

Nebeker, Helen E. “The Lottery’: Symbolic Touch De Force” Short Story Criticism, edited by Jenny Cromie, vol. 39, Gale Group, 2000, 75 vols, pp. 187-90. Originally published in American Literature, vol. 46, no. 1, March, 1974, pp. 100-07.

there is quiet conversation between friends. Mr. Summers, who runs the lottery, arrives with a black box. The original box was lost many years ago, even before Old Man Warner, the oldest person in the village, can remember. Each year Mr. Summers suggests that they make a new box, but no one is willing to go against tradition. The people were willing to use slips of paper instead of woodchips as markers, as the village had grown too large for the wood chips to fit in the box. A list of all the families and households in the village is made, and several matters of who will draw for each family are decided. Mr. Summers is sworn in as the official of the lottery in a specific ceremony. Some people remember that there used to be a song and salute as part of the ceremony, but these are no longer performed. Tessie Hutchinson arrives in the square late because she has forgotten what day it was. She joins her husband and children before the lottery can begin. Mr. Summers explains the lottery’s rules: each family will be called up to the box and draw a slip of paper. One of the villagers tells Old Man Warner that the people of a nearby village are thinking about ending the lottery. Old Man Warner laughs at the idea. He believes that giving up the lottery would cause nothing but trouble, and a loss of civilized behavior. A woman responds that some places have already given up the lottery. Everyone finishes drawing, and each

There is a black box which is the replacement of the old box that was used years ago. In the box is a bunch of paper that the people have to grab one and depends on the person

Mainly due to this would be the last day they will be with their families. The fact of how the people were killed was unfair to them, and killing someone could not be enjoyable for the villagers. Being killed by stones is also something that should not be used to kill someone. Stoning someone to death in that time of age was a tradition that lived on with the black box.

kill the person that gets the paper with the black dot slowly and painfully ,

In both stories, the innocent characters were fighting death at the hands of someone who found the idea of killing another human being to be a game. In “The Lottery” the game of death consumed an innocent life solely because a few individuals founded a tradition; and in “The Most Dangerous Game” the game of death consumed an innocent life solely because one person thought it was merely entertaining. Both authors portrayed the antagonist as friendly, warm and welcoming. In the Lottery, the antagonists were the families whom participated in the drawing of a name that lead to the stoning of another family member (which may or may not be their own family member). In “The Most Dangerous Game” the antagonist was a well-off general who opened his luxurious home to guests who have gone astray from their original destination. Death is the main theme of both short stories and both authors portrayed this dark and dreary idea as a game the characters are playing.

folded piece of paper simultaneously. The person with the black dot on their piece of paper, must

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.

Tradition is the back bone of every culture and civilization. It is how to keep a religion and society alive from one generation to next generation. However, not all traditions are practiced with pure intentions. Sometimes there are traditions that can cause harm or are morally unacceptable., and they will participate in pastime without questioning morality or morals. Ultimately, when tradition replaces a rationalizing mind the results to the society may be very dangerous. Old Man Warner, a man who believes that it is best to stay with the tradition for long go rather than making changes or repeal the tradition; A revolution will only create disorder as someone is against the tradition. However, another type of person like Tessie Hutchinson who argues that blindly following tradition is in the wrong. Apparently, the lottery is unfair and inhuman for Mrs Hutchinson. Tradition is the most important theme in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. He is trying to tell people that there is not necessarily right or wrong in following tradition, however, it is too strange to not to make any change, even if we know something is not right.

Mr. Summer, who runs the lottery, and his assistant Mr. Graves, make over 300 slips of paper. He puts the paper into the dreadful black box. On one of the slips of paper, there is a black dot. So then, one family members from every family comes up and draws for their family. They are forbidden from looking at their slip of paper till everyone in the town has drawn there slip of paper. Then all at once, they all look at their paper and the family who has the black is the family who loses. After that, everyone in the family will come up and draw, and the one person who gets the black dot, gets stoned to death by everyone in the town.

Ambiguous to its title, The Lottery tells the story of a small village immersed in tradition. The lottery dates back to Old Man Wagner’s day, seventy-seven years. Annually on June 27th, villagers stop whatever it is they’re doing and gather in the middle of town to partake in “the lottery”. Over time the details of the tradition have faded away but the concept remains intact. As the children are gathering stones and placing them into a pile off to the side, controversy arises amongst the adults regarding the essence of the tradition itself. As tradition has it, when villagers hear their name called men, women, and children will each take turn drawing a piece of paper from the infamous black box. As suspense captivates the crowd, one by one