Reflection On The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Kristine Chin

Navarro

English II Pre-AP, Period 7

29 April 2016

Winning the Lottery Traditions commonly exist in societies to bind citizens together as one community. Following these customs unquestioningly, however, can be potentially dangerous. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” Tessie Hutchinson is the victim of a long-held ritual in her village. After Tessie is randomly selected from the black box, all citizens, including her husband and children, must stone her to death. In the past, this tradition was held to cope with the harsh conditions of the village; however, the reason for the unnecessary continuation of the lottery remains unknown. Through “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays the conflicting inequality between men and

For instance, a sympathetic tone towards Mr. Summers is conveyed as “...people were sorry for him because he had no children and his wife was a scold” (Jackson 1). This sympathy causes the villagers to give Mr. Summers the high position of being the conductor of the lottery. In contrast, this is juxtaposed with the condescending diction utilized to describe his wife, who is seen as a lowly “scold” for being barren. The inequality shines through as Mrs. Summers receives no sympathy and is instead blamed for the pitiful predicament of Mr. Summers. In another case, betrayal of husband against wife is revealed when “Bill went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand” (Jackson 5). Although she clearly drew the marked paper, indicating she will be the village’s sacrifice, Bill displays no compassion for her, regarding the tradition of the lottery as more important than his wife’s life. He dictates his authority over her, giving her no chance to say a few last words, commanding her to “‘Shut up’” when she complains of the obvious unfairness of the drawing (Jackson 4). In his criticism, Fritz Oehlschlaeger notes that “At the beginning of the story, the girls...[watch] the boys gather the stones, but as those girls become women, the involvement in marriage and childbearing...pits them against one another, binding

For example, when told that some areas are getting rid of the lottery tradition, Old Man Warner denounces them as a “Pack of crazy fools...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” (Jackson 3). Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, symbolizes the old ways and traditions. His condescending diction of calling them “fools” attests to his belief that the young generation will only bring about change and change will only bring about trouble exemplifying the whole village’s fear of change. But as Jennifer Hicks deduces in her criticism, “...barbaric rituals once used to sustain the community in a harsh environment were often continued to enact a sense of unity and history within the community, even if they were no longer necessary” (146). The people are bound together by fear, and as a result, continue the unnecessary murdering of victims, which ironically makes them feel safer. In reality, however, the lottery is more harmful than beneficial. Another symbolic example is the citizens’ refusal to give up the black box, even though it “...grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained” (Jackson 1). The imagery of the “faded” and “stained” box highlights its deteriorating