Essay On The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Many traditions are taught to individuals which influence them throughout their entire lives. Unfortunately, some traditions are useless and use unnecessary violence and evilness. For example, New Year's Eve is celebrated every year as an American tradition. Although families get together and celebrate with get togethers, parties are the major dilemma. Parties include drunk driving and violence which is unnecessary when it comes to individuals losing their life to a drunk driver or even purposeful murder. In the “Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, explains the useless tradition that caused the death of Tessie, and innocent woman (Jackson 874). So why would individuals take part in such a violent tradition? Shirley Jackson wants to reveal that the

pressure of the community, morals of family, and bloodlust are the reasons why such traditions continue.
Shirley Jackson, the author of “The Lottery,” created a text that resembles the ways of people centuries ago to way centuries from now.

Traditions are passed through generations without question by most of the participants. Shirley Jackson includes multiple details that show the villager’s feeling about the tradition they had been participating in. When the villagers started making their way toward the area, in which the lottery would take place, “the villagers kept their distance” from the stool, holding the black box of papers. At this point Mr. Summers, the man directing the lottery, asked for some help. A couple of men volunteered, but “hesitated” before they went to Mr. Summers (Jackson 868). By including these details and describing the villagers’ actions, Shirley Jackson uncovers the nerves of the people. Jackson shows that the villagers, mostly, fear what is about to happen. So why do they continue on with the

ritual?
Furthermore, the story progresses, and the people follow through with the stoning. Later in the text, a few conversations are noted, specifically one between Mr. Warner and Mrs. Adams. Mr. Warner, an old man who has been through countless lotteries, believes that the lottery should not be removed because “there’s always been a lottery (Jackson 871).” For an aged and wise man to believe so strongly in something, many of the younger villagers will probably follow in his footsteps. Jackson used Mr. Warner to represent an older, trustworthy, and respectable figure that many people would listen to. Traditions come from elders and ancestors, which is who Mr. Warner would be to many people in their village. Therefore, Mr. Warner, and most likely many other elders, influenced the village to keep participating in the lotteries. These older people are trustworthy and respectable because they have been alive longer and through a lot more. Shirley Jackson uses Mr. Warner to prove that a higher authority, or older person, can be very influential.
Nonetheless, in the beginning of “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson references times where some of the characters were careless; they did not take the lottery seriously. When are the villagers start gathering where the lottery will take place, they notice someone who is missing. Tessie, the character who is chosen to be stoned in the end, shows up late (Jackson 873). Jackson purposely chooses to make Tessie, the victim, the most absent minded to prove that situations like the lottery can happen to anyone. Tessie did not think that she would be the one to die. Many do not believe these things will happen to them, but the lottery could have chosen anyone in that village to die. Shirley Jackson chose to include the Tessie’s carelessness to show that bad things can happen to anyone no matter how much one believes it cannot happen to him.
Moreover, the lottery is used to make connections to power and control of life and events in life.

In the book “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, there is this man who considers himself to be an outcast or literally “The Misfit”. This man went through a family who was considered to have hearts of “pure gold”(O'Connor 1292). The heritage in this man’s family was so richly blessed yet there is this idea of being an outcast, the idea of not being accepted by society. The man made excuses to cover up the evil that was behind all the madness in his head. The traditions of O'Connor's parents led to the belief of not being good enough just because of the high standards set by his parents. Parents are often the buildings blocks of a person’s life, whether it comes to manners, to behavior, and to personal life choices. “The Misfit” compared himself to his parents and felt a sense of failure that was too much to handle. People are compared to others and can often lead to jealousy and or hate. This example is shown in the lottery because the young people expected much more out of the “Lottery” than the lady intended to be. These young people got so wound up about the situation that Old Man Warner referred to them as a “Pack of young fools”(Jackson 871). When people’s standards are not met, there is this sense of rebellion that usually can lead to violence. This same sort of analogy did happen in “A good man is Hard to Find” where “The Misfit’ came up to this ,just then, hurt family and came

with a gun in his hand. The gun might have been symbolic for the evil that hides inside some of the even nicest people and the reason for that is because no man was created for evil but rather for a purpose to do something on this planet. The people in the lottery had a purpose and fought for that purpose despite what tradition said. Some purposes in life are not necessarily the best ones, but these values and goals set are what lead people to certain actions whether good or bad. The purpose of the people in the lottery was given by the idea of change and the lottery was not wanted to change for tradition sake. The Misfit was also looking for change in life and violence was the answer for both cases.
In addition to “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” In “Tradition, Justice, and Bloodlust in American Society,” by Jon Schneiderman, also emphasizes how violence is involved in “The Lottery’s” village society. This shows just how dangerous traditions can be, no matter how pointless they are. The lottery was a ritual but over the years had formed into an annual tradition. And according to old man Warner, who has grown up with the lottery, states how he has been there seventy seven years and that there has always been a lottery. This leads to individuals celebrating “tradition for tradition’s sake (881).”
Moreover, stoning individuals to death serves no purpose except for purposely taking an individual's life. Grown ups in “The Lottery,” teach their children this violence. “The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles,” by doing so influences the youth of the village to commit such hideous acts of violence simply because it has always been a tradition. The adults are the role models for the youth of society and if the adults take part in such cruelty, therefore, the children will as well. Having such an unnecessary tradition leads many to be blinded by what they are actually doing due to the simple fact they have always taken part in this tradition year to year. Considering the facts, Shirley Jackson reveals that the community, family, and simple bloodlust for violence can condone one to participate in such practices.
Overall, “The Lottery,” involves violence and following useless traditions due to following tradition for violence to inflict pain on others for no particular reason. Following tradition since it has always been apart of one’s family throughout the generations. Unfortunately, following traditions simply for tradition’s sake since it has been a known ritual for many years. Shirley Jackson, in all, is trying to reveal the seriousness in thinking over any choice one makes. Jackson’s story reveals that pressures from others, will to go along with the crowd, and the teaching of elders sway people to follow others ways.