Humanity In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s story “The Lottery” appears in the beginning to be a story of celebration and joy then one is slapped into reality the apparent true nature of being human. Some of the people are sheep, always following and not questioning, and some are people who lead and question the norms of the society they live in. When I read “The Lottery” carefully, I discover some subtle hints about some kind of gloom about to happen instead of a joyful gathering of people taking a chance on winning a great prize. Therefore, the theme is about the darkest side of human nature and what people are able to portray outwardly is often contradictory to their true selves.

The main theme of “The Lottery” is the showing of the evil and good in human nature. All through society, people are attracted to bloodlust and therefore will make horrendous acts as part of a normal society. In the story, the villagers believe sacrificing a human being every year will ensure food and survival of the community. Even though the reader may be shocked by the ending of the story, the theme is the same even for today’s society. Soldiers die every day fighting for a concept of power or freedom. If Tess Hutchison truly believed in the sanctity of the yearly ritual, then she would have proudly stood in honor in being chosen for the good of the community. Instead, she protests loudly the lottery was unfair. Jackson shows in Tess’s character

that she is willing to sacrifice her husband or children when she demands another drawing. What kind of mother would rather see one of her children die than give up her own life! She is also late getting to the event which says deep down she is against the lottery. The irony is her being the “winner.” The story clearly shows the nervous emotion of everyone being afraid of winning the lottery and the relief they feel when their name is not chosen. Throughout the story, Jackson is using different symbols to show human nature.
One of the first symbols she uses is the gathering of the children who arrive first in the town square. She talks of them of being uneasy at first and then breaking out into “boisterous play.” She deliberately tells the names of certain boys whose last names have a certain meaning. Bobby Martin is mentioned first and has already gathered stones. The name, Martin, according to meaning could refer back to Saint Martin of Tours or the Roman God of Mars, both religious figures in history. Another name with significant meaning is the boy named Dickie Delacroix. The villagers do not pronounce the name correctly, but the name means of the cross. The author begins with the children’s names first because she is showing the true nature of children in their innocence who have not yet learned to put on a certain mask in front of society. Then, when the adult names come into play we see that Shirley Jackson has chosen her characters’ names carefully to portray the underlying tale of hypocrisy and irony in the story.
Mr. Summers is in charge of all the town activities and like his name, he is described as “round-faced, jovial man” (137) with no children and an unpleasant wife. He is also the person who is in charge of the black box. The face Mr. Summers puts forward is a face of goodness and righteousness, but on the other hand, he is the one who is in charge of something dark and evil—the black box which holds a person’s life within. The story reveals that the box has never been replaced. Mr. Graves is the postmaster and is the one who brings the three legged stool to place the black box on. The postmaster is always the good guy who makes sure people are able to stay connected with each other, so his name being Graves is perhaps a reminder every one eventually ends up in a grave. With the mention of the black box, Jackson is giving a hint that the story has a dark side. Along with the black box, Jackson deliberately mentions the stool having three legs instead of a normal four legged stool. One possible symbol the three legged stool could represent is the trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The stool could also represent the devil since his mark is the numbers 666. In this story, each character and device is important in conveying basic human nature.
Bobby Martin is first on the scene busy gathering stones. Since his last name is related to a great religious figure and warrior, he is the first hint of violence. Dickie Delacroix, by his last name, is another hint of religious significance since the name means of the cross. Mr. Summers is rightly named because he is one of the villagers who has managed to make some changes to the tradition. He has convinced the community to have paper slips instead of wood chips that was originally used. Summers, like his name, is a time for growth and change. Mr. Graves is an obvious hint of death. In the scene of the gathering of the people, Jackson is telling part of the normal society in this village. The children gather first and are playing and laughing carefree as most kids do. Next, the men gather and gossip about everyday business. Later, the women join the men. This gives a hint of women being less important. As the story progresses, Tess Hutchinson is introduced to the story. She is late coming and says to Mrs. Delacroix, “Clean forgot what day it was” (138). She then joins her husband who is standing “near the front” (138). While the names are being drawn by the men of the families, Mr. Adams says to Old Man Warner, who is the oldest man in the village, “that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” (139). Old Man Warner has managed to live through seventy-seven lotteries and is clear in not wanting anything to change. He says, “There’s always been a lottery” (139). He has lived all his life with the saying, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (139).
“The Lottery” clearly shows the true nature of humans and the false face people show to the community around them.

In the story, Mrs. Delacroix is smiling and friendly with Tess right before the drawing. Then, when Tess wins, she immediately picks up the biggest rock she can carry and turns to Mrs. Dunbar saying, “Come on, hurry up” (141). This shows her great lust for blood. The story does not tell us who throws the first stone, but at the end, Steve Adams and Mrs. Graves is in front of the crowd and Old Man Warner is encouraging everyone to get into the

stoning.
Over the years culture and tradition is an enormous aspect to every nation, but the truth remains that most of that tradition has to be changed especially where it demands a human life. It would be compassionate for people to be proud of their tradition only if that tradition brought any development and allowed the villagers to benefit from their tradition. In the story “The Lottery,” Jackson is not clear on how the lottery benefits the villagers on their evil act.