The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Conformity Essay

1611 Words4 Pages

It has always been a human nature for individuals in society to conform to their beliefs, morals, and authorities. Conformity allows one to feel recognizable within their social norms. Conformity is simply connected to cultural heritage. To briefly define cultural heritage; “it is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values.” (http://www.cultureindevelopment.nl/cultural_heritage/what_is_cultural_heritage). Individuals in society are more likely to conform to their such traditions based on cultural heritage. In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, writes how traditions plays a big role in a highly cultural inherent …show more content…

Shirley Jackson interprets how people obey to their traditions blindly leading others to conform in The Lottery, which create torture to Tessie Hutchinson, who was being eliminated. The symbolism of the black drawing box, the process of the overall lottery, and the transitions of close relationship to a total murderer represent conforming to traditions can cause harm to society. The use of the black drawing box represents the traditions which the villages obey to for many years, the box suggests how individuals in society obey to their traditions blindly without considering the consequences it may cause. The black box is the main point of the whole process of the lottery because it is used to determine the death of an individual. All villagers are required to participate in this lottery. While the villagers are getting started for the lottery process, the narrator mentions, “The black box 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 and stained.” (284). By describing the appearance of the black box, it symbolizes how the traditions has never been failed to process every year …show more content…

We as educated individuals should consider whether the traditions are correct or not. We must consider the consequences it may cause to us, society, as well as others. Traditions can sometimes be a great way to have a bond within the family, however, it can also be extremely harmful to the bond within the family. Traditions can be irrationally and harmful, this way, we as individuals must reconsider if we should take an act on it or not. Similar to “The Lottery”, the villagers conform blindly to their traditions which it causes an individual’s death and torture. This should not be the way we function the society, all individuals have different backgrounds and beliefs, and we must obey to our morals as well. Even if the tradition is required, we still have to judge whether it’s against our morals and beliefs or

Show More
Related

  • Conformity in Society Exposed in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.)

    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 Illusion of Tradition in Jackson's The Lottery

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    Each and every day we face life with the chance that we may not make it through the day. The black box in “The Lottery” symbolizes the fact that we are mortal beings and just as easy as not we may die any given day. “Mr. Graves had selected the five slips and put them in the box, and he dropped all the papers but those onto the ground, where the breeze caught them and lifted them off.” (259) Automobile accidents, cancer, heart attacks, any number of things could happen to anyone any time as easy as the slips of paper fell into the box. The slips falling into the box and the wind blowing the others away symbolizes how random life really is with respect to death. Live your life full and pray the wind blows for you.

    Read More

  • The Unalterable Human Condition Exposed in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    People enter society with certain traditions that have long since been established. People are terrified of changing those traditions because of the fact that those traditions have been in existence for decades, even centuries. If they have survived that long, consciously or unconsciously, they must be correct. However, that is not necessarily the case. In The Lottery, the tradition must have been at least a century old, as the black box used to choose the lucky winner "had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born" (Jackson 181)....

    Read More

  • Social Hysteria in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    The black box represents virtually the only part of the original ritual that has been preserved since the lottery began. It is there not only to hold the papers that will be drawn, but also to represent to the townsfolk the tradition. The black box is constructed of pieces of the original box, a link to the time when the purpose of the lottery was clear. Most of the old custom has been forgotten: wood chips have been replaced with paper slips, and on one can remember the recital and ritual salute that had previously been part of the lottery; but the o...

    Read More

  • Outline For The Lottery Shirley Jackson Essay

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis: Shirley Jackson’s usage of irony, characters, and plot portray the stories theme of the dangers of unconsciously following tradition.

    Read More

  • The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Sacrifice Essay

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human sacrifice is a practice that has been going on since the beginning of time. Different cultures have done it for various reasons, such as worship or the desire for fortune, and whether morality was considered in these practices is something we may never know. In the story The Lottery, written in 1948 by Shirley Jackson, people in a village sacrifice one person at random each year because they believe that it helps them with their crops. One does not know that the lottery is held for such sinister purposes until the very end because Jackson makes the lottery appear normal and happy. Shirley Jackson uses tone and foreshadowing to argue that all people, regardless of how civilized they seem, are capable of great evil.

    Read More

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

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tradition is huge in small towns and families and allows for unity through shared values, stories, and goals from one generation to the next. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” carries that theme of tradition. The story follows a small town that performs the tradition of holding an annual lottery in which the winner gets stoned to death. It (tradition) is valued amongst human societies around the world, but the refusal of the villagers in “The Lottery” to let go of a terrifying long-lasting tradition suggests the negative consequences of blindly following these traditions such as violence and hypocrisy.

    Read More

  • The Lottery Shirley Jackson Human Nature Essay

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jackson chooses the worn down black box to serve as a symbol for the villager’s irrational attachment to the outdated tradition. The author writes, “ Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (251). It is ironic that although the villagers seem to place such high value on the box itself as to not upset tradition, they haven’t even created a permanent spot to house the symbol of the very tradition that seems to take precedence over family bonds. “The rest of the year, the box was put way, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent one year in Mr. Graves's barn and another year underfoot in the post office. And sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there (Jackson 252).” This behavior seems to suggest that tradition is an excuse the townspeople make in order to justify to themselves that their participation in ritual killings are not just acts of senseless brutality, but are instead part of an established and accepted state of normalcy. It is their inherently evil nature that pushes the villagers not only to participate, but also to brainwash future generations into observing a ritual that does not actually hold any real meaning for

    Read More

  • Conformity And Conformity In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    Yearly rituals are accepted by most people and the reasons behind the celebrations are unknown to most people. Americans practice different annual traditions such as Fourth of July, Easter egg hunt, Halloween, Veterans Day and more. Likewise for Shirley Jackson, a wife, mother, and author of six novels, two memoirs, and a collection of short stories including “The Lottery.” Jackson’s short twisted story, “The Lottery,” portrays a ritual almost as old as the town itself, especially for the fact that there’s no remembrance from the villagers or the oldest man, Old Man Warner, the real reason for the ceremony. Jackson’s story describes a brutal custom in a small village that punishes the winner of the lottery; however, Jackson uses irony, characters and symbolism to support her story. Jackson’s purpose in The Lottery is to demonstrate that conformity can be helpful in some situations but damages those who choose not to conform.

    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

  • The Importance Of Traditions In The Lottery

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The villagers kept the lottery generation thru generation, but most of the rituals their ancestors used got lost in the tradition. “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago . . . (page 1). Throughout the story, the villagers gave signs of not wanting to change much of the black box, and they want to keep as much of the tradition that they could.

    Read More

  • Essay on Shirley Jackson's The Lottery - Evils of Society Exposed

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Literary Elements In The Lottery

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Although everyone appears to agree that the annual lottery is important no one seems to know when it began or what its original purpose was” (Introduction) This is made clear when in the story it says that the reason the tradition had started was lost years ago. It is also made clear when the box is being describe as an old rugged looking thing and “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (Jackson). In the story it also says that so much of the original tradition has been lost or discarded that Mr. Summers who symbolizes a leader who has frighten amounts of power, was able to slip in chips of wood instead of paper into the box (Jackson). Mr. Summers is in charge of the lottery it is even up to him to but the black dot on the paper that decides who will be stoned. The power that Mr. Summer has serves as a symbol of humans blindly following tradition because no one ever challenged Mr. Summers whether it be to figure out or stop the lottery or even to challenge why he is the one in power. Instead the town’s people feel sorry for him because he has a nagging wife and no children. Jackson never explains why Mr. Summers has all this power. Mr. Summers is a bit ironic to because of his last name summers. When someone thinks of summer they think

    Read More

  • Sociological Theory in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    412 Words  | 1 Pages

    "The Lottery" is a short story by Shirley Jackson that was published in 1948 and gave a good example of the definition of the term sociological theory. This theory is a set of ideas on how people behave and how institutions operate. The analysis of this short story and the of the work of Emile Durkheim shows the relationship of the two in the field of Sociology. There are many well defined intertwining theories that Durkheim gave to society that are also included in "The Lottery". Solidarity is the theory that will be analyzed.

    Read More

More about The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Conformity Essay

Open Document