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Traditions in the lottery novel
What is the theme of tradition displayed in the story of the lottery
Traditions in the lottery novel
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The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story that speaks about following tradition even when it is bad, how people can follow along with something when in a large group even when it is bad and how people can turn on someone very quickly. First lets look at how it speaks about following tradition. There are many instances that Jackson uses to let the reader know that “the Lottery” is tradition. “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been long lost, and the black box…had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born”, (Jackson. par. 5) the writer clearly lets the reader know this has been going on for a very long time. The reader gets to the end of the story and finds out that a person gets stoned to death because it is tradition. Only avfew little comments during the story indicate that anyone thinks the tradition should be stopped. When one of the towns people makes a comment about quitting the lottery “…that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” (Jackson. par. 51) another town person remarks, “Pack of crazy fools…there’s always been a lottery” (Jackson. par. 52). This remark lets the reader know where many of the town people stand on the tradition. They believe tradition must keep going. …show more content…
No one tries to stop or question why the town continues the lottery. In fact, Tessie Hutchinson, the one who ends up the winner/loser of the lottery, is the only one who voices that the lottery is wrong, tradition or not, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed,…” (Jackson. par 79.) Everyone else picked up their stones and stoned her. They even did as Mr. Summers said, “Let’s finish quickly” (Jackson. par. 73.). As a group they all stoned her, working together and justifying her killing as
Shirley Jackson’s “Lottery” satirically creates a society that puts the importance of tradition above even the life of the members of the community, as indicated by Old Man Warner’s response to Mr. Adams stating, “‘[O]ver in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery.’ Old Man Warner snorted. ‘Pack of crazy fools … Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them … There’s always been a lottery,’ he added petulantly” (413). Here Old Man Warner defends the tradition of their society, though notably without justifying the tradition. Rather, he focuses on the people of other villages and the tradition as self-evident, both logical fallacies. The first argument he makes in favor of continuing to have a lottery is an ad
The town's citizens are eager, gathering in the town square in order to take part in the yearly lottery. With the story focused around one particular family, the Hutchinsons, who are so anxious to get it all over with until they find that one of their members is to participate in the lottery's closing festivities, Tessie. Of course, unlike your typical lotteries, this is not one that you would want to win. The one chosen from the lottery is to undertake a cruel and unusual death by stoning at the hands of their fellow townsmen for the sake that it may bring a fruitful crop for the coming harvest season. Ironically, many of the towns people have suggested that the lottery be put to an end, but most find the idea unheard of being that they have lived in it's practice for most of their lives.
“The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson is about a town coming together to hold a lottery. The twist being the winner of the lottery gets stoned to death by the town members. No one really know why their town and the ones surrounding it keep the practice going. But no one stops the ceremony they just know it is an event that happens every year for the past seventy seven years. Through the characters and the ritual of the lottery Jackson demonstrates how people blindly follow their traditions without knowing their history.
Everyone has their own way of solving problems; however, ritual is a form that people doing one thing in the same way. It defines as “the prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony.” However if the meaning of ritual is mistaken, the consequence could be unpredictable." The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson gives us a lecture about a tortuous ritual. The story takes place in a small village with 300 citizens, they gather for a yearly lottery which everyone should participate. The story leads to a horrific ending by people forgetting the concept of ritual.
In conclusion, the use of symbolism, irony and setting in the Lottery is very evident, the author indirectly implicates the true darkness within the human heart. The Lottery remains relevant in society today because the overall vagueness of the city allows this story to be true to all people around the world. The short story shows us that humans are evil enough to follow traditions blindly, even if they cause pain and death in loved ones we know. Jackson also centers a lot of symbols and irony on religion and how they affect our culture and decisions. In this the reader can learn that sometimes it’s better for a person to follow his moral compass, and not just blindly follow his evil heart, and the evilness of others.
In her story “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson attacks social conformity and cultural mindlessness. Even though stoning someone to death is incredibly inhumane, the townsfolk still carry on tradition in fear of what might happen if the lottery was abolished. Also, the one person who rises against the lottery, Mrs. Hutchinson, ends up being the one who gets the “honor” of winning the lottery, which indirectly shows that those who cry out against conformity get punished, proving that maybe conformity is the only chance people have at survival and safety. In the story, the townspeople all gather every year for the “lottery,” but instead of winning a prize like someone would think, the winner of this lottery gets stoned to death. Early in the story it is made clear that the lottery is an old tradition, so old in fact that even the oldest man in the town wasn’t alive to see the original box that the names were drawn from.
Shirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story “The Lottery” (Hicks). “The Lottery” was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elements. There are some important elements of the story that develop the theme of the story: narrator and its point of view, symbolism, and main conflict. The story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, argues practicing a tradition without understanding the meaning of the practice is meaningless and dangerous.
Jackson uses the lottery itself to function as an ironic symbol of tradition in the story. In today’s society, a lottery is an event that has positive connotations related to it. A lottery a game that is associated with fun, chance, fun, and expectation. Good things usually result from lotteries especially for those who win. Furthermore, those who don’t win have nothing to lose. Lotteries bring forth a feeling of great expectation of a wonderful outcome. Through out the story, the lottery is projected as a harmless and affable pastime, which is how it is used in today’s society; however, by the end of the story it ends with disaster.
The story “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948 is about a yearly tradition that to whole town took part in it. Most people have traditions they celebrate every year, and they have symbolic items or meanings to them. Some traditions can be good or bad; however, people continue them anyways. In the story “The Lottery,” there is many different symbolic traditions.
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.
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.
“The Lottery” was quite disturbing to read. It is an very unusual story that has an ending that will have you baffled. You will want to reread certain parts to see if there is anything thing that you could have missed. The title of the short story is also misleading. In most cases the lottery is a good thing. People don’t win punishment and lotteries don’t hurt them. But in this story it does just that. The author did a great job of telling how anyone and everyone can follow tradition blindly. It is dangerous not to have a mind of your own and to just follow the crowd even if you don’t understand on agree on why something is happening.
The Lottery was a short story by Shirley Jackson. In a small village of about 300 , on every June 27th, they have a lottery. The Husbands pick a slip of paper from an old black box, then wait to open the paper till announced. After the papers were opened, whoever had a black dot on the paper would “win” the lottery. In this case, Mrs. Hutchinson was declared the winner. She had received many “congratulations.” In the short story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the symbolism and theme appeared to have been very shocking, the title had meant something a little different than what the reader had in mind.
The author also points out in her story that no one knew when or why the tradition of the lottery began. Even not knowing Tessie Hutchinson, at first had no issues with the annual event. It was only when she “won” the lottery that she developed the point of view that was bias or judgmental. Mrs. Hutchinson protests the process of the lottery and the town’s methods, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 256). The interpretation of the stoning is that the town quantifies the reason to murder to satisfy the harvest.
Thesis: After a long period of time passes people forget the true meaning of their traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass.