Conformity can be defined as compliance with standards, rules, or laws. Conformity is a concept heavily focused on in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery.” Jackson explores some interesting ideas about conformity in her writing and effectively develops a theme of independence vs conformity through characterization and character interactions in specific scenes.
The plot of “The Lottery” is a strange one. Every year a small town holds a lottery of sorts in which the head of every household draws a card, and the family that draws the card with a black dot on it, draws again, with every member of the family participating the second time around. The family member that draws the card with the black dot on it is promptly stoned to death
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by the townspeople. It’s strange, but even stranger than the story itself are the characters within it, specifically Old Man Warner And Mr. Adams. Old Man Warner is the epitome of conformity. He fully supports the lottery and thinks anyone who does not is insane. Mr. Adams, on the other hand, is younger and seems to be questioning the tradition in a conversation he has with Old Man Warner in which the topic of doing away with the lottery is discussed.
Adams just casually mentions that other towns have done away with the lottery, and Warner firmly expresses his support for the practice, as well as his disdain for those that disagree with him. There are several interesting things about this scene. First of all, it shows that Adam isn’t quite a conformist. He does still participate in the stoning at the end of the story, but he is the only one that even shows a sign of non-conformity. It is strange that even though he mentions the other towns and and their ban on the lottery, he never actually gives his opinion, even when Warner offers his. That does not make sense. Humans love finding someone who agrees with them and bashing those that do not agree …show more content…
with them together.
It makes sense that if Adams actually agreed with Warner’s pro lottery sentiment, he would have expressed his opinion as being the same as Warner’s and joined in his bashing of the other towns. He does not though. This signals a little bit of tension and disagreement. Mr. Adams seems to be on the fence, questioning the legitimacy of this heinous practice. He is not quite a conformist if that’s the case. Old Man Warner does not seem to question it at all, and when met with opposition, he never offers a sound reason for the lottery at all or explain why the towns that have done away with them are wrong. He just calls them stupid. This introduces the idea that conformity, which Warner represents, often is without logic and is more fear or tradition based. Warner seems to lash out almost immediately when an opposing idea is raised. He immediately goes on the defensive, which is indicative of fear. It is the fight or flight mechanism introduced when humans feel threatened. His views, his childhood, his life, his traditions, his identity as the person who has survived 77 years without falling victim to the lottery is threatened. He has to defend it at all costs even though it makes no sense. He fears change. Through this
scene and character interaction Jackson really characterizes these two as opposites, representing emerging independence through Adams and complete, blind conformity through Old Man Warner. The fact that the author also places these two together to have that specific interaction, like their pitted against one another, definitely shows a theme of independence vs conformity. In conclusion, Shirley Jackson uses characterization and character interactions to develop a theme of independence vs conformity, as well as introduce some intriguing ideas about conformity that should be considered in today’s world. Ultimately, another person dies at the end of this story, but Jackson almost uses it as a warning. The death could have been prevented if someone had just spoken out and not complied with this tradition of death. That’s applicable today. John Kennedy once said that “conformity is the jailer of freedom.” As a country that prides itself on being free, it is important for the American people to examine themselves and their own conformity. It is important for us to speak out against wrong whether it is the popular or traditional thing to do because conformity kills. Only when conformity is done away with and all people are able to think for themselves, can we all truly be free.
In The Lottery, year after year, even since Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was a child, the same ritual has gone on. It is as if the community never learns from its previous mistakes. As long as no one in the town speaks up about such a twisted yearly event, nothing is ever going to change. If Martin Luther King or Malcolm X wouldn’t have raised their voices against the prejudice that they had experienced their entire lives, we might still be living in a segregated world, which was once thought to be “okay.” This is similar to The Lottery, in which the townspeople are brainwashed into believing that this ritual is normal. For example, Old Man Warner is outraged when he hears that the north village might give up the lottery, calling...
This is important because it demonstrates that Old Man Warner supports the lottery and what it entails. He feels that the lottery has been around a long time and therefore, there is no need to banish it. This shows that Old Man Warner is reluctant to change. He knows that people in society will listen to him due to his status as the 'wise...
As old man Warner said, "There 's always been a lottery” (Jackson 4). This shows that the villagers have a lack of ability to change over time. No person in the town would stand up and say that this violent ritual was absurd, making them all out to be hypocrites just as Tessie was. Instead of doing so, one villager, Mr. Adams, comments that other towns around them were giving up the lottery, as if to suggest their town should do so as well. In reply old man Warner said, "Pack of crazy fools” (Jackson 4), and then, "Listening to the young folks, nothings good enough for them” (Jackson 4). Old man Warner can in a sense be seen as a symbol of the town and their lack of change. He disapproves of anything that isn’t what he views as a traditional social practice. Old man Warner’s quick defense of the lottery implies that he sees change as an attack on himself and his beliefs. Blindly following tradition can cause the rejection of non-conformity in a society, even those traditions that are full of
“The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson,was published in 1948. The story centers around a social gathering holding every resident in attendance. It is an annual tradition to have this gathering and all of the town’s people have to participate in a lottery in the belief that it will help bring a prosperous harvest. A slip of paper is made for everyone who lives in the town and one special slip is marked with a black spot. The one who draws the marked paper is proclaimed the winner of the lottery and receives the honor of getting stoned to death by the rest of the participants. The slips of papers are drawn from the same rustic black blox used year after year. The town is symbolic of the box in the way of how the box is handled, the color of the box is painted and of how the box was made.
The Lottery is an excellent example of a senseless society; this is what makes the storyline crazy. In this writing the village members blindly follow the tradition of the Lottery, which entails the chosen person to be stoned to death by community members, friends, and even family. The peoples misguided knowledge makes them believe that it would be crazy not to do the lottery, this is shown when Mr. Adams says “that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” and Old Man Warner responds by calling them a “pack of crazy fools” and saying “there is nothing but trouble in that. Warner degrades others decision to go against the tradition of the society (page. 4) General knowledge tells you that stoning a person to death simply because of tradition is wrong, most can agree that in itself is crazy. ...
Shirley Jackson’s “Lottery” satirically creates a society that puts the importance of tradition above even the life of the members of the community, as indicated by Old Man Warner’s response to Mr. Adams stating, “‘[O]ver in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery.’ Old Man Warner snorted. ‘Pack of crazy fools … Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them … There’s always been a lottery,’ he added petulantly” (413). Here Old Man Warner defends the tradition of their society, though notably without justifying the tradition. Rather, he focuses on the people of other villages and the tradition as self-evident, both logical fallacies. The first argument he makes in favor of continuing to have a lottery is an ad
There are two exceptional evidences to reinforce this: the children are given the task to collect all the rocks and place them all in the center for the stoning ceremony, and the fact that Old Man Wagner has been attending this annual event for at least seventy-seven years; thus, revealing the certainty that this tradition has been indeed passed on from the old generation to the next one. To demonstrate, Old Man Warner clearly noted in the background that things are “not the way it used to be” and that “people ain’t the way they used to be” (Jackson 6). Given this point, it is obvious that the lottery ritual has not been always around, but rather introduced when Old Man Warner was a child. With this in mind, there is one possible way in order to abolish this barbaric tradition: the lottery must be terminated in the next generation. The action of one person can end this all by burning the black box and leaving behind an inspirational legacy which could mark the end of the lottery. In final words, “The Lottery” exemplifies that certain customs can be crucially harmful to mankind; therefore, they ought to be eradicated as a beneficial contribution to society and
There are regions in parts of the globe that take part in normal activities that, here in the United States, would be considered completely abnormal, even inhumane. Yet, traditional ties sewn into a cultural realm deems certain events, such as “the lottery”, to be well within the bounds of socially acceptable. Old Man Warner epitomizes the relevance of the power of tradition in this short story, and the symbol that takes shape from it. A veteran of seventy-seven years in the lottery, he snorts at the idea of giving it up. “Nothing but trouble in that… Pack of young fools,” he says when it is mentioned that some towns have given it up. “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore…” he spouts off, illogically. The lottery was so steeped in the town’s traditional makeup that even the barbaric physical act of killing someone with stones was not the least bit
Yearly rituals are accepted by most people and the reasons behind the celebrations are unknown to most people. Americans practice different annual traditions such as Fourth of July, Easter egg hunt, Halloween, Veterans Day and more. Likewise for Shirley Jackson, a wife, mother, and author of six novels, two memoirs, and a collection of short stories including “The Lottery.” Jackson’s short twisted story, “The Lottery,” portrays a ritual almost as old as the town itself, especially for the fact that there’s no remembrance from the villagers or the oldest man, Old Man Warner, the real reason for the ceremony. Jackson’s story describes a brutal custom in a small village that punishes the winner of the lottery; however, Jackson uses irony, characters and symbolism to support her story. Jackson’s purpose in The Lottery is to demonstrate that conformity can be helpful in some situations but damages those who choose not to conform.
The lottery in the story was the game in which the prize was death. In reality this lottery symbolized the game of life, and how our behavior as human beings influences our choices in life and therefore our destiny. In this case the lottery signified winning eternal peace. This symbol helped the author develop the meaning of the story, because it is all based on the game of winning or losing. The way people from the village conducted the lottery was kind of scary, because they organized it as if it was another important event, such as the “square dances, the teenage club, the Halloween program” (Jackson 212). This shows how this tradition was taken as seriously as other occurrences that took place in the village. A person with some logic would not find this to be exactly a “game”, but the population followed the tradition and did not even think about the possibility to drop it, because then they would not know what to do, or what other event would they organize for June 27th. During the lottery Mr. Adams said “some places have already quit the lotteries” as of insinuating that if the neighbor towns forgot about the tradition, they should not have to keep following it (215). The bad thing is that no one paid attention to hi...
In "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, there are a series of traditions the story revolves around. The characters in the story don't seem to follow their traditions anymore. The story begins by explaining how the lottery works. The lottery takes place in many other towns. In this town it takes place on June 27 of every year. Everyone within town would gather at the town square, no matter what age. The black box is brought out and each head of the household pulls a small paper out of it. Only one of the papers will not be blank, it will have a black-penciled spot that is put on by the owner of the coal company. The black spot will send someone, from the family who chose it, to death. This is decided by a draw. The family member who pulls out the spotted paper will be stoned to death. After a long period of time, people forget the traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass.
Next thing you know, they 'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore, live hat way for a while. Used to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. ' First thing you know, we 'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There 's always been a lottery(Jackson, 4)." In this quote, Old Man Warner refers people who are giving up the lottery as fools and barbarians. Ironically, the lottery which he is doing right now is the real barbarian action. This is another ironic part Shirley Jackson gives out in this story. People who criticize others doing barbarian actions are the one who are actually executing the real barbarian action. “The Lottery” takes the classic theme of man’s inhumanity to man and gives it an additional twist: the randomness inherent in brutality. It anticipates the way we would come to understand the twentieth century’s unique lessons about the capacity of ordinary citizens to do evil—from the Nazi camp bureaucracy(Franklin, 2). 1948, three years after World War II, Shirley Jackson wrote this story which is full of irony and sarcasm. In addition, this village is surprisingly similar with NAZI Germany. They are all brained wash by the custom that was determined by someone and follow it blindly as same as what the villagers do in the lottery. "Warner" is suppose to be a character that
...ntal handicaps, such as George’s. Every thirty seconds his thought are interrupted by random sounds coming from the earpiece he is required to wear. I believe that although the government should play a major role in people’s lives, there are certain boundaries that should not be crossed. Invading personal and private information is a crime for everyone else, so why should the government be allowed to violate its own citizens? Completely different from Harrison Bergeron, The Lottery displays a completely different set of morals. In the short story one person is killed each year if their name is drawn from the random lottery. These morals display the act of taking aggression out on someone just to release anger and keep a tradition going. This is a system built upon moral corruption and wrongdoings. Eventually people will realize this is wrong and stop this tradition.
The story recounts a tradition that began by the original settlers of this small town. Jackson demonstrates that the passage of time results in a great deal of change to this tradition. The reader knows Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, is attending the lottery for the seventy-seventh year. Most of the current residents have a difficult time recalling the original specifics of the rituals surrounding the lottery. “Because so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded,...
The way the characters present themselves in the beginning of the story puts an optimistic view on the lottery. After all, lotteries are generally associated with an increase of wealth and prosperity. The outcome of the scenario seems promising. The town’s people gather with zeal. One character, Mrs. Hutchinson, rushes to make it to the lottery on time. This reassures the reader that the lottery is a must-see event. Another character, Old Man Warner, states that the other towns were crazy for giving up the lottery. With this being said, obviously something good was to come out of the contest. The reader does not suspect the tragedy that lies in the end of the story.