The Power Dynamics of Tradition in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" has been a subject of intense scrutiny and analysis since its publication in 1948, captivating readers with its exploration of tradition, power dynamics, and societal conformity. This essay delves into the complexities of Jackson's narrative, aiming to unravel the ways in which tradition shapes the characters' actions and beliefs, and the consequences of blind adherence to societal norms. "The Lottery" has sparked diverse interpretations and critical discussions within the literary community. Scholars have meticulously examined Jackson's use of symbolism, narrative techniques, and thematic concerns to unearth the story's deeper meanings. At its core, "The Lottery" challenges readers to …show more content…
Jackson's narrative serves as a poignant critique of blind conformity and urges readers to question established norms in the pursuit of greater autonomy and moral clarity. This analysis draws upon sociological, psychological, and feminist perspectives to contextualize "The Lottery" within broader theoretical frameworks. By examining the story through multiple lenses, we gain insight into the complexities of tradition and its impact on human behavior, shedding light on the intricate power dynamics at play within the narrative. Jackson portrays the lottery as a deeply ingrained tradition that dictates the townspeople's actions and beliefs. The annual ritual serves as a mechanism of social control, reinforcing the status quo and perpetuating violence. In "The Lottery," tradition exerts a profound influence over the townspeople, shaping their beliefs and governing their behavior. The black box, described as "shabbier each year," serves as a potent symbol of tradition's decay and the town's unwavering commitment to its rituals (Jackson). Despite its deteriorating condition, the box remains sacrosanct, embodying the
storytelling, there is always conflict. Conflict between characters, nature, technology, and society, to name a few. In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, a small town celebrates an annual event called the Lottery. The man in the house draws slips from a box to represent their family. Once a winner is declared, the family individual picks, and once the winner chooses the paper with a black dot, they are killed by the community with stones. The conflict of man vs society is a prevalent theme in this
“The Lottery” Shirley Jackson takes a bold perspective on human behaviour in her short story “The Lottery.” Along with the unusual viewpoint, she writes it as a warning trying to convey the errors of past generations. Throughout history society has progressed in many ways; however, in the short story “The Lottery”, Jackson conveys how society has struggled to advance politically and socially, by illustrating how the lack of critical thinking among a vast amount of individuals can negatively affect
The Lottery, written by Shirley Jackson, is a short story that was first published in 1948. In this case, I am referencing Backpack Literature. There are a couple of themes in this short story. The risk of indiscriminately following tradition is one and the haphazardness of murder is another. I am going to talk about how these themes relate to the story. To start off, this story is an example of how following traditions indiscriminately can be a huge risk. People follow what they think is
Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” is a short story about the annual gathering of the villagers to conduct an ancient ritual. The ritual ends in the stoning of one of the residents of this small village. This murder functions under the guise of a sacrament that, at one time, served the purpose of ensuring a bountiful harvest. This original meaning, however, is lost over the years and generations of villagers. The loss of meaning has changed the nature and overall purpose of the lottery. This ritual is
Jackson’s “The Lottery,” a small village gathers in excitement to partake in their yearly tradition, the lottery. The lottery requires the heads of each family to select a piece of paper out of the infamous black wooden box, similar to how their ancestors once did it. The individual that is left holding the paper with the black dot receives the opportunity for their family to take the grand prize. Next, each member of the family approaches the black box, one by one, and chooses a paper. The individual
unreasonable traditions in today’s society. In the short story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson satirizes society's unwillingness to change through Old Man Warner’s actions and illogical thoughts Society’s reluctance to change is emphasized by the characteristics and actions of Old Man Warner. For example, when the details of the lottery are being described, it is mentioned that
The Hunger Games and lottery share the same purpose or function, even though on the surface they might seem very distinct from another. The Hunger Games features a woman named Katniss who becomes the protagonist of the plot. Katniss is a person like the others to happens to be dragged into The Hunger Games by a process known as reaping. In the Lottery by Shirley Jackson, we are introduced to a society with an arcane dark tradition known as the Lottery. This is when a person is subjugated to death
the society have different expectations and goals of investing. As a result, the lottery-type stock has emerged in the stock market and then has been increasingly prevalent, whose demand shows an upward trend. Thus, the paper that we searched aimed to illustrate the logic of the increasing prevalence of such kind of stock and find out the socioeconomic factors that have significant influence on the demand of the lottery-type stock, hoping to provide reference to price such kind of stock and predict
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
Katelyn DeLong Dr. Jennifer Topale Research and Composition 200 2 April 2024 Dystopia vs. Utopia The world is forever changing and everything is possible, but given the choice of a society where one person is stoned to death every year or a society where everyone is identical to each other, which do you choose? “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a town with about 300 people, and every year the citizens look forward to an event called the lottery. The lottery involves one male from each household
this research proposal, the history of The Vietnam War’s servicemen and the drafted lottery system is brought to surface. It will display how the selective service system caused anti-war and anti-draft protests that were followed by the mistreatment and misconceptions of the Vietnam War Veterans by the American people. The drafting process contained many loopholes that put the poor and working men at a significant disadvantage. This proposal will initiate a plan for a future research paper striving
In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, tradition is seen as very high and something to be respected not to be messed with. Although, the lottery has been removed from other towns, the village where the story is set in still continues to participate in the lottery. It is almost as if the other towns realized the lack of humanity in the tradition. However, the village still continues with the lottery even though the majority of the ritual has been lost or changed. The oldest man in the village complains
know it. In a small village on June 27 there is an annual lottery. It is an even
The Lottery In the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson written in 1948, the cultural beliefs of the townspeople are very different from the views of the people today. In the story the townspeople talk about making a sacrifice every year on June 27th. The event is called the lottery, and everyone chooses a small piece of paper to see who gets elected for the sacrifice. The head of the house has the authority by choosing the piece of paper for their family. If the small piece of paper contains
“We are breathing!” in spite of the fact that breath is coming and going all the time.} Pg 236 paragraph 6. “The Lottery” By Shirley Jackson {A sudden hush fell on the crowd as Mr. Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list. “All ready?” he called. “Now, I’ll read the names-heads of families first-and the men come up and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?” The people had done it so