The Ignorance Of The Human Mind In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

It is easy to get caught up in the norms of everyday society. We seem to have a certain way of doing everything. We have a church wedding, then buy a house, then have children. We have universal traditions like this one, and though society has changed, we still know why we had this order of operations in the first place — because it made sense. But what about the other things that do not make sense to us? Or simply do not seem as important or relevant anymore? When we keep the same process for everything without purposely making adjustments to accommodate the current times, we are ultimately turning everyone against each other. This is not a lottery at all; it is a draft.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was published in 1948 and depicts a

Though it is arguably our most intelligent attribute, it can be easily manipulated. I think that far too often we live by the phrase that “ignorance is bliss”, so we have learned to love the idea that not knowing something is the best option. However, it is quite the opposite; we should live by the quote of “knowledge is power” because with power we can make a difference. The barbaric actions that take place in “The Lottery” make no sense when the story is set in such a seemingly sophisticated time period. What is important to take note of is the fact that the townspeople see no wrong in what they are doing. The reason for their thinking is that this annual lottery has been in place for so long that they feel that they should stay silent. Something I found interesting is that the children have just finished school for the year and are beginning their summer vacation, yet “the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them” (Jackson 1). The kids knew what summer meant. What should have been a time for freelancing and relaxation was known as a time of

As strong as a desire someone may have to put a stop to this, the fear of lashing out is stronger. To put it in a more simple context, this lottery has the bandwagon effect on the town. Since everyone follows along and it is taboo to question something that has been done for so long, no one even bothers to try to make a change. Well known author and president emeritus of Alvernia University says that “mob psychology rules their actions. Though they appear to be sane, sensible individuals, when the time of the lottery comes, they abandon their rational nature and revert to the instincts of the herd” (Mazzeno). Because these people are blindly following tradition that their parents did, they will continue to pass this down to their own children. The cycle will never end so long as the mindset of the town never changes.