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We are human; despite history's unequivocal demonstration of inhumanity. The individual capacity for evil has continuously proven to lack limitation. It is within this limitation that
egregious events have conspired throughout the history of mankind. In 1948, one of the most sought after short stories was written by American author Shirley Jackson. Numerous parallels are amalgamated between Jackson’s revered literary work “The Lottery” and the concept of human nature; ultimately, Jackson is making a significant statement about the individual's potential for inhumanity. Pivotal concepts from historical events are recognized throughout the literary work by making reference to Communism, The Selective Service Act, and The Holocaust.
War is often
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perceived as a time of destitution and privation, during these times society loses touch with compassion and reverts back to primal instincts. One of the greatest inequitable notions the American government imposed on their citizens was coercing young men to conscript in war efforts against their will. In order to fill vacancies in military forces, which were unable to be filled by voluntary means, The Selective Service Act of 1917 was passed. The U.S military draft was prevalent during four conflicts: US Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. The act enabled The United States of America to randomly enlist eligible men based on a lottery system. As a result, all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 to 45 were included. The draft procedures are quite similar to those in “The Lottery”. In the event of a draft slips of paper numbered 1 through 366 are placed is a shoebox to shuffle then placed in a cavernous glass jar. One at a time slips are drawn, the date selected indicates which men would receive induction notices based on their birth date. For example, “The first number drawn was 258 (September 14), so all registrants with that birthday were assigned lottery number 1” (Stephen 1969). Comparatively, the shoebox used to jumble the slips during 1917 mirrors “the black box” (Jackson 2) described in “The Lottery”. In addition, a provision was enacted to ensure no one was immune from the draw; the wealthy were impotent, as economic status did not guarantee preservation: “No person liable to military service shall hereafter be permitted or allowed to furnish a substitute for such service; nor shall any substitute be received, enlisted, or enrolled in the military service of the United States; and no such person shall be permitted to escape such service or to be discharged therefrom prior to the expiration of his term of service by the payment of money or any other valuable thing whatsoever as consideration for his release from military service or liability thereto.” Comparably, no one is exempted from the Jacksons fictional lottery. It is apparent that Jackson was convening brutality can happen to anyone with regards to “The Lottery” and The Selective Service Act and Throughout 1933-1945 Germany was mindlessly controlled by Adolf Hitler, it is during this time that the German society had a blatant disregard for humanity.
Over the span of twelve years, the Nazis murder six million Jewish people and five million minorities. Three years later Jackson wrote and published “The Lottery” there is irrefutable evidence that Jackson was influenced by the atrocity in Germany. Notably, Jackson instills a sense of haphazardness with regards to curtly, as a result, “The Lottery” appears more realistic; therefore, more frightening. Adolf Hitler instilled the belief that Germany was in need of purification by eliminating the inferior race; ultimately, creating a superior race. This ideology for a common good was perpetuated in “The Lottery” with respect to tradition. This correlation is justified when Old Man Warner proclaimed: “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.” (Jackson 4) In each instance society is thought to better as a whole, creating a utilitarian perspective. Human nature is defined as “The psychological and social qualities that characterize humankind, especially in contrast with other living things.” (Dictionary.com) when inflicted by mob mentality human nature is drastically altered. A quintessential example in “The Lottery” is when Mrs. Delacroix is depicted as selecting “a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands” (Jackson 7) with the purpose to stone her presumed friend Mrs. Hutchinson. This inducement coincides with Germans
turning on and surrendering their Jewish and minority neighbors to the Nazis. It is evident that the point when mankind loses their humanity in order to conform to the ideals of society is profoundly represented in “The Lottery” and the Holocaust.
The Lottery, a short story by the nonconformist author Shirley Jackson, represents communities, America, the world, and conformist society as a whole by using setting and most importantly symbolism with her inventive, cryptic writing style. It was written in 1948, roughly three years after the liberation of a World War II concentration camp Auschwitz. Even today, some people deny that the Holocaust ever happened. Jackson shows through the setting of the story, a small, close knit town, that even though a population can ignore evil, it is still prevalent in society (for example: the Harlem Riots; the terrorist attacks on September 11; the beating of Rodney King.)
In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the theme of the story is dramatically illustrated by Jackson’s unique tone. Once a year the villagers gather together in the central square for the lottery. The villagers await the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box. Within the black box are folded slips of paper, one piece having a black dot on it. All the villagers then draw a piece of paper out of the box. Whoever gets the paper with the black dot wins. Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery! Everyone then closes in on her and stones her to death. Tessie Hutchinson believes it is not fair because she was picked. The villagers do not know why the lottery continues to exist. All they know is that it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. In “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays three main themes including tradition, treason, and violence.
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.
The short story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, managed to capture various human tendencies stemming from the very heart of the unalterable human condition. The willingness to follow tradition blindly, the inherent cruelty of humans, and the unwillingness to change were the primary negative behaviors depicted in the story.
In conclusion, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” proves that anyone will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals no matter what the consequences are. Whether it is stoning, racism, or abortion, all inhumane acts are taken seriously yet differently in the views of society.
Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” is a short story about the annual gathering of the villagers to conduct an ancient ritual. The ritual ends in the stoning of one of the residents of this small village. This murder functions under the guise of a sacrament that, at one time, served the purpose of ensuring a bountiful harvest. This original meaning, however, is lost over the years and generations of villagers. The loss of meaning has changed the nature and overall purpose of the lottery. This ritual is no longer a humble sacrifice that serves the purpose of securing the harvest but instead is a ceremony of violence and murder only existing for the pleasure found in this violence.
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.”
An understanding, of Jackson’s life and times may serve to illuminate motive and meaning, thus yielding further appreciation of this work. Shirley Jackson was born 1919, in the time of the “Lost Generation”. While attending Syracuse University, she met Stanley Edgar Hyman, a classmate, Jewish intellectual numismatist and literary critic whom she married in 1940. With the War’s end in 1946, publication of “the Lottery” in 1948, and her marriage to a Jewish intellectual it seems likely that news of the Holocaust would have influenced her writing. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson describes a situation that aside from time and location mirrors Europe under Nazi authority.
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 Lottery” by Shirley Jackson has been criticized, but its longevity and durability prove it stands the test of time. In the article, “Jackson’s The Lottery,” the author A.R. Coulthard finds a deeper meaning in the story which other critics have not. Coulthard believes the story is a “parable of the evil inherent in human nature” rather than “an assault on mindless cultural conformity,” as other critics have suggested (Coulthard 226). Coulthard shows how something that most likely began as a primitive and ignorant way to ensure prosperity, evolved into a complete need for sanctioned violence and murder. Coulthard offers valid points to support her argument.
Ed. Giroux, Christopher and Brigham Narins. “’The Lottery’”: Shirley Jackson.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 87. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995. Pp. 221-236. Print.
The primary message that Jackson shows in “The Lottery” is that people can be involved with such a violent act and think nothing of it. In the story all the people are happy, “they stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed.”(244) All the people in the town gather together without question to perform this horrible act of murder. All the people think nothing of this terrible act. Mr. Summers the man that runs the whole lottery says, “guess we better get started, get this over with, so’s we can go back to work.”(245) This illustrates how they think of the lottery as an everyday occurrence. Old Man Warner says, “lottery in June, c...
In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery", human morals and values are thrown away all for the pride of winning something. What is it that they really win? When you win the lottery in this story, you actually win death by stoning. Isn't that ironic, people actually being competitive and getting excited about death in public. What morals or values do these people really have, and how are they different from what common society is thought today?
Thesis: Shirley Jackson’s usage of irony, characters, and plot portray the stories theme of the dangers of unconsciously following tradition.