Behind Traditions and rituals in The Lottery
Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a frightening story to read. The setting seems very familiar to the average reader: Hometown America on a clear Summer day. However, the traditions followed by this small town contrast greatly with the setting in which they are taking place. The Lottery in question in this story is not one to win money or another prize, but rather it is a system by which a human sacrifice is chosen in each village. The purpose of the sacrifice, unlike those performed in Ancient cultures, is not clear in the story, and in fact it is not clear to the characters either. The Lottery is a tradition left over from many years ago, and although the original purpose has been forgotten, the ritual remains an annual event. Jackson uses the setting, symbols, and group mindset to present The Lottery as an allegory for our own society. "The Lottery" begins with a description of the warm summer day, beautiful flowers, and an introduction to the square. The town is described in small town like speech, where everything is described in relationship to something else. The square is between the post office and the bank. The children are out of school for the summer, and they are playing. The men of the town are talkin
Another major theme of Jackson's story is scapegoating and fear of change in society. Each villager feels that he or she will not be chosen, but that this burden will fall on someone else who, in a sense, deserves it. "The villagers believe unconsciously that their commitment to a work ethic will grant them some magical immunity from selection." (Kosenko) All frustrations with the village as it is -- controlled by the coal producer, banker, and grocer -- are vented onto the sacrificial Lottery winner, and therefore life can continue. This can be seen as a parallel to our society where the lower classes are blamed and scorned for being poor, rather than society becoming frustrated with the social order that has made them poor. When the villagers are asking who got the ticket, they assume it is one of the least productive families in the village -- the one with an invalid, the other with a dead husband -- because they assume that this Lottery will weed out the undesirables. Some people mention the idea of giving up the lottery, but only in passing because they fear that a direct questioning of the tradition will lead them to being the next chosen scapegoat. One of the older villagers is appalled at the idea of giving up the lottery: "Pack of crazy fools . . . listening to 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.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorn
Some common words found in the essay are:
America Summer, Jackson Hutchinson, Jackson's Lottery, jackson's story, fear change, traditions followed, idea giving lottery, washing dishes, idea giving, summer day, village --, giving lottery,
Approximate Word count = 1066
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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