Shirley Jackson The Lottery Tradition
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that presents an annual mandatory lottery where each “head” of the family comes up to draw a paper. The family with the head who picks the paper redraws as a whole, and the “lucky winner” gets stoned to death. Villagers in the town originally performed the lottery from the belief that a sacrifice brought better crops to the village. Now, however, the villagers, who have forgotten the purpose, continue just because it is a tradition.
In the beginning, villagers of the town had the idea that richer crops would grow by killing as a sacrifice. Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, stated an old saying of “’”Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”‘”(page 22, lines 260-261) to another villager. Before …show more content…
the meaning shifted largely, people thought that having a lottery as a ritual meant thriving harvest. When Old Man Warner hears about some villages who got rid of the lottery, he criticizes them by remarking that they’ll go “ ‘ back to living in caves.’ ” (page 22, line 258) if there is no lottery. Old Man Warner makes a point that the only way to eat and survive without crops is to go hunt and gather, just like the Stone Ages. He still strongly believes that harvest is better with a lottery, and if the lottery discontinues, they’d “ ‘all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns.’ ” (page 22, lines 261-262). With no good harvest to live off, the selection of food will be very small.
Now, even though the villagers forgot the purpose, they continue to keep the tradition alive.
Villagers seem to be avoiding the thought of the lottery. Before the lottery, children arrived first to collect stones, men arrived after, and they “stood together, away from the pile of stones.”(page 14, lines 34-35). The lottery no longer is an event that has meaning, as many are afraid of it. Getting picked (and stoned) as a sacrifice is useless now, because the villagers themselves are questioning the meaning of the annual lottery. Also, after the lottery, Mr. Summers hides the black box somewhere deep, so it doesn’t come up until the next year. When the Hutchinson family stands on the stage to pick their papers, a friend of Nancy Hutchinson whispers that she hopes Nancy is safe. At that statement, Old Man Warner remarks that “’ It’s not the way it used to be.‘”(page 27, line 382), and he means that the villagers are thinking differently about the whole event. While people back then might have cheered on those “brave souls” who proudly lent their lives for the sake of the village, close peers now secretly wish that their friend wouldn’t lend their life. “Although the villagers have forgotten the ritual…”(page 28, line 408) and excluded many pre-ceremonies of the lottery, the act of stoning people comes back every year. The day of the lottery has turned into a massive mess that has no special purpose than to “keep up” with the ancestors’ ritual.
77 years (and more) ago, villagers
proceeded the lottery in hopes of better harvest, so it was an honor to have your name picked from the box. Currently, it is an unnecessary day of violence wrapped around the word “tradition”.
In the beginning, villagers of the town had the idea that richer crops would grow by killing as a sacrifice. Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, stated an old saying of “’”Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”‘”(page 22, lines 260-261) to another villager. Before …show more content…
the meaning shifted largely, people thought that having a lottery as a ritual meant thriving harvest. When Old Man Warner hears about some villages who got rid of the lottery, he criticizes them by remarking that they’ll go “ ‘ back to living in caves.’ ” (page 22, line 258) if there is no lottery. Old Man Warner makes a point that the only way to eat and survive without crops is to go hunt and gather, just like the Stone Ages. He still strongly believes that harvest is better with a lottery, and if the lottery discontinues, they’d “ ‘all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns.’ ” (page 22, lines 261-262). With no good harvest to live off, the selection of food will be very small.
Now, even though the villagers forgot the purpose, they continue to keep the tradition alive.
Villagers seem to be avoiding the thought of the lottery. Before the lottery, children arrived first to collect stones, men arrived after, and they “stood together, away from the pile of stones.”(page 14, lines 34-35). The lottery no longer is an event that has meaning, as many are afraid of it. Getting picked (and stoned) as a sacrifice is useless now, because the villagers themselves are questioning the meaning of the annual lottery. Also, after the lottery, Mr. Summers hides the black box somewhere deep, so it doesn’t come up until the next year. When the Hutchinson family stands on the stage to pick their papers, a friend of Nancy Hutchinson whispers that she hopes Nancy is safe. At that statement, Old Man Warner remarks that “’ It’s not the way it used to be.‘”(page 27, line 382), and he means that the villagers are thinking differently about the whole event. While people back then might have cheered on those “brave souls” who proudly lent their lives for the sake of the village, close peers now secretly wish that their friend wouldn’t lend their life. “Although the villagers have forgotten the ritual…”(page 28, line 408) and excluded many pre-ceremonies of the lottery, the act of stoning people comes back every year. The day of the lottery has turned into a massive mess that has no special purpose than to “keep up” with the ancestors’ ritual.
77 years (and more) ago, villagers
proceeded the lottery in hopes of better harvest, so it was an honor to have your name picked from the box. Currently, it is an unnecessary day of violence wrapped around the word “tradition”.