The Lottery

980 Words2 Pages

'Controversy and Conflict Hits the Lottery';

The short story 'The Lottery'; by Shirley Jackson is very well known because of the tradition of the village. Tradition is a big point issued to the people throughout their lives. The title 'The Lottery'; sounds as if something good is being given away. As you know after reading the story, that isn't the case at all. The tradition the village faces is very controversial. The tradition of the lottery is taken in many different ways, because it is unexamined. In particular, the conflict of the story can be seen in the contrast between Old Man Warner and Tessie Hutchinson.
The lottery is an annual event which takes place in the village. It takes place on the day of June 27. Everybody gathers on this date in the middle of the square for the drawing of the lottery. To the townspeople this event is like any other event happening in their town, such as a dance, club, or even a holiday program.
Mr. Summers, the head of the lottery, has to gather the information of all the households the night before to make the list for the following day. He has to mix the papers up with the one with the black dot on it in the box. The head of the household picks the paper from the box to seen if their family drew the dot or not. This event takes just a few hours to accomplish. The losing family then has to draw to decide who will lose in the household. The person who draws the dot will then get stoned to death. This is a ritual for the townspeople each year.
There are people who agree and disagree with this annual event. The older people in the town are accustomed to this event; therefore, it is easier for them to understand it. The others who disagree are the younger people in the town. The controversy of this annual event will always be their. There are people that will and will not get accustomed to someone dying each year in their town. I can see how people are upset with this tradition. It is not a tradition I would want my town to be known for. It is hard for people to grow into an event with such a dramatic ending. The people of the town who are accustomed to it are the older folks.

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