Throughout both history and literature, people have divided themselves according to class and status, and the townspeople of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” are no exception to this standard. Chronicling a small town undergoing an annual ritual known as “the lottery,” Jackson delves into the various struggles inherent in class conflict, and her story transition from one of merriment to one astonishing violence. Rather than being a simple monetary contest, as the title deceivingly advocates, the lottery is a sacrificial ritual that is utilized as a means of social control, and is evocative of capitalist ideology. Throughout the text, Jackson exposes the dangers resulting from the blind acceptance of tradition, doing so in a way that invites …show more content…
the audience to implicitly reconsider and question the oppressive socioeconomic agents at work in society. Although somewhat masked behind the brilliant jovial charm of a small town setting, Marxist aspects are inexorably present in the text, and when thoroughly examined, they directly correlate with the facet of tradition. Almost immediately in the text, class conflict is alluded to; specifically, it is represented through the existence of the bourgeoisie, or the ruling class. The title of the bourgeoisie, defined as those who control the world’s natural, economic, and human resources, belongs to the characters of Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves, as they obtain the most power and control in the town, and nobody questions or challenges their leadership (Key Terms- Lit 202). Mr. Summer’s power is introduced when the text states, “The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities. He was a round-faced, jovial man and he ran the coal business . . .” (Jackson 25). Controlling several, if not all, of the town’s standard functions is an indisputable display of power; however, to a Marxist, perhaps an even more significant detail of this sentence is Mr. Summers’ position of employment. As the manager of a coal business, Mr. Summers possesses a considerable amount of influence over the town’s economic system, and in turn, an influence on many other ideologies and features of the town. Specifically, Mr. Summers has a substantial sway in keeping the tradition of the lottery alive. This idea is supported when the text states, “The night before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made up the slips of paper and put them in the box, and it was then taken to the safe of Mr. Summers' coal company and locked up” (Jackson 25-26). Here, both Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves, the postmaster, are depicted as having power, evidenced by how making the slips of paper enables them to play a crucial role in determining who lives and who dies. Another factor that is a clear signifier of control is the fact that the box is kept in a residence belonging to Mr. Summers. Utterly opposite to Mr.
Summers and Mr. Graves are those who classify as the proletariat, or the majority of the global population who live in substandard conditions and who perform the manual labor (Key Terms- Lit 202). In the story, the villagers represent the proletariat, as they blindly follow the instructions of Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves, and have no power or desire to rebel. Right before the first stages of the lottery take place, Mr. Summers states, "Well, now . . . guess we better get started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work” (Jackson ). Although structured to make the villagers feel a sense of unity, democracy, and power, the “we” in this sentence is insincere and misleading, as supported by how there is no “we” in the town’s working class system. Mr. Summers is at the top of the chain, and is only reinforcing his own power. Further, the phrase “get this over with” leaves the townspeople with no room to even think about defying the tradition. In the entire text, the only character who attempts to rebel is Tessie Hutchinson, and as a reward for her efforts, she ends up “winning” the lottery and being stoned to death. Her first act of rebellion is manifested when she shows up late to the lottery: “Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square . . . and slid into place in the back of the crowd. ‘Clean forgot what day it was,’ she said . . . Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck to see through the crowd and found her husband and children …show more content…
standing near the front (Jackson 26). By shamelessly “forgetting” about the lottery, Tessie shows a blatant disregard and disinterest towards the town’s tradition. Moreover, the fact that position- wise, she is near the back and separated from her husband and family perhaps indicates a sort of gender- related rebellion. Instead of immediately appearing at her family’s side and fulfilling her role as the dutiful housewife, Tessie is detached from them, reinforcing her subversive nature in a more indistinct way. Moreover, Tessie’s final act of protest is apparent when she screams, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” as she is being stoned to death (Jackson 28). Because she does not accept her fate and does not willingly obey the traditions enforced by Mr. Summers, she is disgraced, punished with death, and viewed as a pariah. Through Tessie’s character, Jackson exposes how people in power maintain power. Not only is Tessie’s death a form of her own punishment, but also a way to prevent the rest of society from rebelling; by putting out the spark of rebellion, the flames of revolution can be easily avoided. Essentially, Tessie’s character subtly reminds the townspeople that failure to adhere to society’s system results in death, reinforcing the dominance and absolute control of the ruling class. Opposite to Tessie, Old Man Warner represents a strict adherence to traditional values.
Responding to remarks concerning possibly changing the tradition of the lottery, Old Man Warner states, “Pack of crazy fools . . . 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 any more . . . There's always been a lottery" (28). Here, Warner, an embodiment of an older generation, expresses utter contempt toward younger generations, and refuses to even considering adapting to change. By referring to younger people as a “pack of crazy fools,” Warner is reducing them and establishing their unimportance. Further, the phrase “go back to living in caves” is evocative of primitive society, and reflects Warner’s disdain toward negative outcomes that could possibly result from the younger generation’s new ideas. Ironically, in following the ideas of Mr. Summers and trying to keep tradition alive, Warner is actively taking part in the barbaric activities he seems to look down on and be afraid of. The aspect of barbarity resulting from a ruling class is similarly reflected in the following statement by critical thinkers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: “The bourgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarian, nations into civilisation” (Manifesto of The Communist Party). In the story, the
“barbarian nation” brought “into civilization” is not a nation, but the nameless town in which the villagers live. Overall, Jackson emphasizes the rigid standards of generation conflict, and demonstrates that by clinging so fervently to tradition, society limits itself to stagnation and markedly regresses. Not only is the mindless acceptance of tradition reflected in Old Man Warner’s character, but also in the townspeople, as a group. Despite the barbarity of the ritual, it is absurdly very organized, and the villagers are surprisingly excited to follow through with it: “They still remembered to use stones. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready. Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. "Come on," she said. "Hurry up" (Jackson 28). Carefully preparing an entire pile of stones clearly indicates a sort of meticulous and purposeful formulating existing behind the ritual. In other words, the townspeople are not simply going along with the ritual; they are putting a considerable amount of care and consideration into it. Moreover, when Mrs. Delacroix picks up a considerably large stone and states, “Come on” and “Hurry up,” she is outrightly portraying her eagerness and enthusiasm. Here, the fact that villagers are willingly and avidly participating in the ritual instead of objecting to it is significant in exposing the ruling class’s influence. Ultimately, the townspeople’s cultural values all draw back to Mr. Summers; due to his distinguished ranking and administration of such a firm compliance to tradition, the townspeople are influenced to fully support the longevity of the lottery. Once again, Jackson demonstrates just how powerful the upper class can be. With her groundbreaking short story, “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson advises people to break away from tradition and promotes nonconformity. Marxist aspects of class conflict, specifically, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, are illustrated through various characters. With these characters, Jackson reveals the detrimental effects of social and financial forces in society. Overall, her story stands as a reminder to never instill blind trust in authoritative figures, and to be open to new ideas.
Tradition is a central theme in Shirley Jackon's short story The Lottery. Images such as the black box and characters such as Old Man Warner, Mrs. Adams, and Mrs. Hutchinson display to the reader not only the tenacity with which the townspeople cling to the tradition of the lottery, but also the wavering support of it by others. In just a few pages, Jackson manages to examine the sometimes long forgotten purpose of rituals, as well as the inevitable questioning of the necessity for such customs.
“The Lottery” is a satire that is meant to shock and provoke readers with the prospect that societal contentment and tradition can evoke the emersion of illogical and harmful actions. The author, Shirley Jackson, understands that the proper use of symbolism and character archetypes is followed by a more impactful story. “The Lottery” opens with children who are out of school for summer break “[on a clear and sunny… day.” (Jackson, 1948, p. 221). Such an innocuous, familiar scene, might elicit from the reader nostalgic, whimsical memories of childhood play. Appropriately, the children in this story represent the innocent, susceptible future generation of the town. They do not seem to fully fathom the severity of the lottery or the abhorrent nature of the violence associated with the town’s traditions. For this reason, the reader most likely develops an expectation that this story will be a pleasant and optimistic one that takes place on a beautiful sunny day and involves the laughter and tomfoolery of young happy kids.
Shirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story “The Lottery” (Hicks). “The Lottery” was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elements. There are some important elements of the story that develop the theme of the story: narrator and its point of view, symbolism, and main conflict. The story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, argues practicing a tradition without understanding the meaning of the practice is meaningless and dangerous.
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.
Attention Getter: Shirley Jacksons, The Lottery, without a doubt expresses her thoughts regarding traditional rituals throughout her story. It opens the eyes of us readers to suitably organize and question some of the today's traditions as malicious and it allows foretelling the conclusion of these odd traditions. The Lottery is a short story that records the annual sacrifice ceremony of an unreal small town. It is a comprehensive story of the selection of the person to be sacrificed, a procedure known to the villagers as the lottery. This selection is enormously rich in symbolism.
Shirley Jacksons short story “The Lottery” is bout traditions and sacrifice. The people of their village followed the tradition even though they had to sacrifice greatly for them. In the story the village people all gathered for a lottery but if you got it someone in your family would die for the tradition but it blessed the crops. Traditions can be good or bad.
Tradition is huge in small towns and families and allows for unity through shared values, stories, and goals from one generation to the next. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” carries that theme of tradition. The story follows a small town that performs the tradition of holding an annual lottery in which the winner gets stoned to death. It (tradition) is valued amongst human societies around the world, but the refusal of the villagers in “The Lottery” to let go of a terrifying long-lasting tradition suggests the negative consequences of blindly following these traditions such as violence and hypocrisy.
“The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, is a provoking piece of literature about a town that continues a tradition of stoning, despite not know why the ritual started in the first place. As Jackson sets the scene, the villagers seem ordinary; but seeing that winning the lottery is fatal, the villagers are then viewed as murders by the reader. Disagreeing with the results of the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson is exposed to an external conflict between herself and the town. Annually on June 27th, the villagers gather to participate in the lottery. Every head of household, archetypally male, draws for the fate of their family, but Tessie protests as she receives her prize of a stoning after winning the lottery. Jackson uses different symbols – symbolic characters, symbolic acts, and allegories – to develop a central theme: the
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.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a chilling tale of a harsh ritualistic gathering conducted by people of a small village. The word lottery would typically remind someone of a drawing to win a cash prize. A better comparison to the story would be the lottery used to select troops for the Vietnam War; a lottery of death. Another would be the human sacrifices the Aztecs willingly made long ago.
Why would a civilized and peaceful town would ever suggest the horrifying acts of violence can take place anywhere at anytime and the most ordinary people can commit them. Jackson's fiction is noted for exploring incongruities in everyday life, and “The Lottery”, perhaps her most exemplary work in this respect, examines humanity's capacity for evil within a contemporary, familiar, American setting. Noting that the story’s characters, physical environment, and even its climactic action lacks significant individuating detail, most critics view “The Lottery.” As a modern-day parable or fable, which obliquely addresses a variety of themes, including the dark side of human nature, the danger of ritualized behavior, and the potential for cruelty when the individual submits to the mass will. Shirley Jackson also addresses cruelty by the citizen’s refusal to stand up and oppose “The Lottery.” Violence and cruelty is a major theme in “The Lottery.”
In Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery," what appears to be an ordinary day in a small town takes an evil turn when a woman is stoned to death after "winning" the town lottery. The lottery in this story reflects an old tradition of sacrificing a scapegoat in order to encourage the growth of crops. But this story is not about the past, for through the actions of the town, Jackson shows us many of the social ills that exist in our own lives.
“The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it” (Twain). The Lottery begins during the summer. A small, seemingly normal, town is gathering to throw the annual “Lottery”. In the end, the townspeople—children included—gather around and stone the winner to death, simply because it was tradition. The story reveals how traditions can become outdated and ineffective. “I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives” (Jackson). As humans develop as a race, their practices should develop with them. Shirley Jackson develops the theme that blindly following traditions is dangerous in her short story “The Lottery” through the use of symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony.
What thoughts come to mind when you think of "The Lottery?" Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, "The Lottery." Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, instead they are gambling for their life. A shock that surprises the reader as she unveils this horrifying tradition in the village on this beautiful summer day. This gamble for their life is a result of tradition, a tradition that is cruel and inhumane, yet upheld in this town. Shirley Jackson provides the reader’s with a graphic description of violence, cruelty, and inhumane treatment which leads to the unexpected meaning of "The Lottery." Born in San Francisco, Jackson began writing early in her life. She won a poetry prize at age twelve and continued writing through high school. In 1937 she entered Syracuse University, where she published stories in the student literary magazine. After marriage to Stanley Edgar Hyman, a notable literary critic, she continued to write. Her first national publication “My Life with R.H. Macy” was published in The New Republic in 1941but her best-known work is “The Lottery.”(Lit Links or Reagan). Jackson uses characterization and symbolism to portray a story with rising action that surprises the reader with the unexpected odd ritual in the village. While one would expect “The Lottery” to be a positive event, the reader’s are surprised with a ritual that has been around for seventy-seven years , demonstrating how unwilling people are to make changes in their everyday life despite the unjust and cruel treatment that is associated with this tradi...
Human sacrifice is viewed today as unethical and malicious— unfortunately, it has been a part of history for thousands of years and continues to occur in some isolated regions. Lives were exchanged for the benefit of others through ritualistic ceremonies around the world. Whether or not the people were victims, or if they had surrendered themselves to supernatural powers is explored in the article “The Practices of Human Sacrifice” by Dr Mike Parker-Pearson. Similarly, in the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the gruesome details of human sacrifice are revealed through a tale about villagers that partake in an annual stoning of the individual that chooses a black-dotted paper to ensure plentiful crops. The sacrifices that are now reprehensible crimes were valued because of the prosperity they brought, to ensure the gods were appeased and to continue a tradition.