The Country Setting In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the country setting isolates the villagers in the community from the outside world, making them reliant on their steadfast traditions. This small town “where there were only about three hundred people” (Jackson 693), is confined by the country setting, which stifles interaction between the residents and other villages. The minimal amount of civilians limits the exploration of new ideas regarding what could be changed to initiate a revision of their corrupt rituals. Although “over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” (696), the villagers in this town refrain from altering their customs because they have no models of a society that functions without the lottery. The residents are too