Tradition in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

799 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: "the lottery" by Shirley Jackson an analysis

Tradition in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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.

Anyone with knowledge of current events must be aware of times when society has seized upon a scapegoat as means of resolution. Countless politicians, military leaders, corporate executives and school administrators frequently use this proven technique. The people of the small village were very similar to the leaders of our society. The village people believed that someone had to be sacrificed to insure a good crop. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon", said Old Man Warner. It is scary to realize the similarities in the reasoning of the villagers and the reasoning employed today. The villagers are aware that the sacrifice is inhumane but none want to stand and voice their opinion, for fear of going against society?s standards and being outcast or being stoned. "It?s not the way it used to be," Old Man Warner said clearly. "People ain?t the way they used to be." The population fears that if they go against society they might be chosen as the lottery winner OR disrupt their corn season. "Some places have already quit lotteries," Mrs. Adams said. "Nothing but trouble in that," Old Man Warner said stoutly. "Pack of young fools."

By stoning Tessie, the villagers treat her as a scapegoat onto which they can project and repress their own temptations to rebel. The only person who shows their rebellious attitude is Tessie. She does not appear to ...

... middle of paper ...

...d us or that we cause, is pointless and has no purpose. Yet this violence and evil grows from a seed within our hearts and minds waiting to free itself in times of panic and turmoil. We need to learn to find solutions to our problems instead of putting the blame on others as means of a remedy. When there are no other corrupt and sinful human beings to kill, society will turn on itself. Even caring and normal human beings can throw stones. Forgotten traditions can also be extremely dangerous as Shirley Jackson points out in her short story. People hear what they want to hear and choose what rituals to keep for traditions. As a society, we are just like the villagers, forgetting the original purpose of our rituals but continuing to go through the motions.

Works Cited:

Jackson, Shirley ?The Lottery and Other Stories.? New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982.

Show More
Related

  • Empire Strikes Back Analysis

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order for a politician to make his way up the ranks, he usually needs to build a strong intra-ethnic coalition followed by inter-ethnic support. This can be a difficult task because the the politician has to please everyone, which makes him seem “bland” to his original supporters.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson's Symbolism in The Lottery

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery', is a story that is filled with symbolism. The author uses symbolism to help her represent human nature as tainted, no matter how pure one thinks of himself or herself, or how pure their environment may seem to be. The story is very effective in raising many questions about the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. 'The Lottery' clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind?s evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. She shows how coldness and lack of compassion in people can exhibit in situations regarding tradition and values. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of 'The Lottery,' the objects, the peoples actions, and even in the time and the names of the lucky contestants.

    Read More

  • The Dangers Of Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    When asked if there was anyone else in the household, Tessie claims, “There’s Don and Eva... Make them take their chance” (Jackson 5). By volunteering her daughters, that are married and thus draw with their one families, Tessie shows that she would rather have a family member be stoned to death than herself. She is also set out as a hypocrite because she does not complain when any other family is picking slips (if another family had picked the slip she would have stoned someone else to death), she only questions the lottery when her family is the one that has to choose. She cried out multiple times, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson 8), questioning the fairness of the tradition after she is the one chosen to be stoned to death. Tessie finally sees outside of the bubble that everyone in the village is in. It is here that we see that violence is acceptable until it becomes

    Read More

  • Humanity Exposed In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, the Boston marathon bombing and the Columbine shooting are events that led to the senseless killings of many. Due to the social pressure the assassins felt, innocent people were killed at random. Much like “The Lottery,” life is a gamble and each day proposes a new threat. There are humans in the world who are ruthless just like the villagers in the story. The villagers grew up familiar to this style of tradition, which controls the value placed on another’s life. The lifestyle we are accustomed to influences our beliefs just like the villager’s tradition influenced

    Read More

  • Theme of Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role in how they go about their everyday lives. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relation to tradition. The story begins on a beautiful summer afternoon.

    Read More

  • The Use of Steroids in Major League Sports

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steroids can help but they do have very severe side effects. “Overall the usage of steroids is very damaging to the human body.” In men, the steroids can cause shrinkage to the testicles, decrease sperm count, sterility, impotence, prostate enlargement, and growth of breasts. Most of the side effects cannot be reversed. The most severe side effect of steroids is on the liver. It is called Peliosis Hepatis, which is a blood-filled cyst in the liver. If the cysts rupture, they can cause liver failure. That would most likely kill the person. In women, it can sue the growth of facial hair, shrinkage of the uterus, sterility, deepening of the voice, decrease in breast size, and irregularity in the menstrual cycle. In both men and women, jaundice, edema of feet and ankles (water retention), headaches, aching joints, reduction in HDL, high blood pressure, stroke, hair loss, liver ailments, acne, atherosierosis and cancer. When injected some of the risks are developing hematons and getting AIDS and HIV. Taking steroids shortens the life span up to twenty years and a chance of getting diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension. The side effects are reactions from using steroids are endless.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Anobolic Steroids

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    You’ve all seen them, the enormously large muscle-heads at the gym, the participates of the World’s Strongest Man Competition, the amazing offensive tackles, and the lightning fast runners. They were all unnaturally strong, and looked like gods. You tend to obsess over how beautiful their bodies are, how strong they are, or how fast they can run. All you can think about is reaching that level of athletic excellence, and nothing will hold you back. At times like these some people tend to take the quick fit to get closer to their idols, in the form of steroids. But what individuals tend not see is the horrible side effects that accompany the use of these anabolic steroids. These powerful drugs have both positive and negative results from their use. Along with increased strength and size, users of steroids suffer from a wide range of sicknesses such as cancer, shrinkage of testicles, bad acne, hair loss, damage organs, intense mood swings, and impotence.

    Read More

  • The Lottery vs State of Grace

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    When talking about communities that have given up the tradition of choosing one person to stone to death, "Old Man Warner snorted, 'Pack of crazy fools' he said. '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, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying about "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon."'" (Jackson, The Granta... Page 66) This tradition causes the people of the town to destroy each other instead of working together to destroy the tradition.

    Read More

  • The Horror of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... short story as a town filled with hardworking people who contribute to the community and their families. But once a year these kind and lovely towns people turn into complete monsters. It points out the dangers of following a tradition that is set out to kill their fellow citizens, even though they themselves have spend time getting to know one another and creating relationships. This ritual in this society favors no one and allows villagers to pick apart and kill without having any remorse. Unfortunately blindly following along can have you killed in the end, giving life to the all time quote, “Do what you feel in your heart to be right for you will be criticized [for it] anyway.

    Read More

  • Profession of Arms

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    A profession must have the trust of the people it serves. This is gained through the use of an Ethic that is generated and policed by the profession itself. The Center for Army Profes...

    Read More

  • ANABOLIC STEROIDS

    366 Words  | 1 Pages

    While the effects of steroids can seem desirable at first, there are serious side effects. Excessive use can cause a harmful imbalance in the body's normal hormonal balance and body chemistry. Heart attacks, water retention leading to high blood pressure and stroke, and liver and kidney tumors all are possible. Young people may develop and a halting of bone growth. Males may experience shrinking testicles, falling sperm counts, and enlarged prostates. Women frequently show signs of masculinity and may be at higher risk for certain types of and the possibility of birth defects in their children. The psychological effects of steroid use are also alarming: drastic mood swings, inability to sleep, and feelings of hostility. Steroids may also be psychologically addictive. Once started, users, particularly athletes, enjoy the physical "benefits" of increased size, strength, and endurance so much that they are reluctant to stop even when told about the risks. Major athletic competitions, including the Olympics, routinely screen athletes to prevent steroid use.

    Read More

  • Steroid Usage: Alarming Prevalence and Impact on Athletes

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    Men who use steroids for long periods of time experience the following: breast development, liver diseases, and even liver cancer (“Anabolic Steroids”). The effects on women are different than those of men. Women experience deepening voices.(“Anabolic Steroids”). Short term use of steroids is much different, though. Heart damage, problems with urination, reduced sperm count, and impotence are a few of the symptoms men experience with short term steroid use. Women who use steroids for a short period of time experience excessive hair growth all over their body and their breasts shrink in size (“Anabolic Steroids”). Both men and women experience the same types of emotions, though. Aggression, violence, irritability, and depression are a few of the emotions out of many one would experience (“Anabolic Steroid Abuse”). Their emotions can switch in the matter of seconds and they can sometimes be dangerous to be around, especially if they start to experience “roid

    Read More

  • faith based programs

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moral development is what is right or wrong according to society’s values. Justice is the core principle of moral development, yet, justice is not the only thing needed for moral development. Responsibility and care for each other are characteristics that build moral development (Swanson 2009).

    Read More

  • The Necklace

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “The Necklace”, the main character, Loisel, is a woman who dreams of greater things in her life. She is married to a poor clerk who tries his best to make her happy no matter what. In an attempt to try to bring happiness to his wife, he manages to get two invitations to a very classy ball, but even in light of this Loisel is still unhappy. Even when she gets a new dress she is still unhappy. This lasts until her husband suggests she borrows some jewelry from a friend, and upon doing so she is finally happy. Once the ball is over, and they reach home, Loisel has the horrible realization that she has lost the necklace, and after ten years of hard labor and suffering, they pay off debts incurred to get a replacement. The central idea of this story is how something small can have a life changing effect on our and others life’s. This idea is presented through internal and external conflicts, third person omniscient point of view, and the round-dynamic character of Loisel. The third person limited omniscient point-of-view is prevalent throughout this short story in the way that the author lets the reader only see into the main character’s thoughts. Loisel is revealed to the reader as being unhappy with her life and wishing for fancier things. “She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries.” (de Maupassant 887) When her husband tries to fancy things up, “she thought of dainty dinners, of shining silverware, of tapestry which peopled the walls…” (de Maupassant 887) As the story goes on her point of view changes, as she “now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part, moreover all of a sudden, with heroism.” (de Maupassant 891) Having the accountability to know that the “dreadful debt must be paid.” (de Maupassant 891 ) This point-of-view is used to help the reader gain more insight to how Loisel’s whole mindset is changed throughout her struggle to pay off their debts. Maupassant only reveals the thoughts and feelings of these this main character leaving all the others as flat characters. Loisel is a round-dynamic character in that Maupassant shows how she thought she was born in the wrong “station”. “She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was as unhappy as though she had really fallen from her proper station.

    Read More

More about Tradition in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Open Document