The Dangers of Blindly Following in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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“In this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner” (Jackson). In life, many people are hesitant to change the way they do things, as a rule saying ‘We've always done it this way. Why change now?’ Defenders of the status quo have utilized this rationality down through the ages. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” the follow-the-crowd villagers are reluctant to reject antiquated customs that might be thought of by most people, disturbing and/or evil. Jackson's use of characters in the short story, allows for a better perception of how immoral the tradition is. She uses this concept to allow her audience to imagine a reality that they would not want to live in or be a part of. The term ‘community’ is ironic in this short story, as shown by the characterization, the setting and the central ritual. The villagers in "The Lottery” represent the dangers of blindly following acknowledged and a...

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