The Running Of The Bulls
The Running of the Bullshit Trying to decide on a topic about traditions that make absolutely no sense and then researching it in relation to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” was very difficult because are so many examples around the world. Being an animal lover I finally decided to write about The Running of the Bulls which takes place in Pamplona, Spain according to Randy James. This topic is perfect because it also dates back to the Middle Ages where it originated in Navarra, Spain according to Sarah Pruitt, making it the very definition of a tradition. It is a tradition that should no longer be allowed to continue due to the recklessness of the participants and the cruelty it inflicts on the bulls involved. It is a seven day celebration
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in July where thousands of people gather to either celebrate, participate, or watch from the streets, balconies, and is broadcast on television (James). After many people have been injured and the bull has been thoroughly harassed and scared, the bull has to face the matador to be stabbed, tortured, and then killed for people’s entertainment (James). The irony in this tradition is it started as a way to honor St. Fermin (James). What better way of honoring the life of a saint than with the violent slaughtering of a bull? Although, to be fair, this event seems to be less about the saint and more about people drinking and acting stupid and reckless. It brings to mind the New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras. The running of the bulls was also made popular because of the classic book The Sun Also Rises, written in 1926 by Ernest Hemingway (Pruitt). There are many direct similarities and comparisons between the fate of a character in Jackson’s short story and the way the bulls are treated.
In the story, the character of Tessie is singled out and chosen in a similar way the bulls are chosen. They are both used as a form of entertainment, for example, when the children gleefully start to gather their rocks in Jackson’s story, and the spectators waiting hours behind blockades to see participants run with the bulls during the Running of the Bulls festival (James). Both Tessie and the bulls are doomed to meet their end in a gruesome and shocking way. The third similarity between the two is how the lottery and the Bull Run are both accepted as part of the norm even though it is inhumane. Each culture views these traditions as not only being okay, but being expected and fun. For another example, in both instances, the things that happen to Tessie and the bulls affect and hurt other people around them. In Tessie’s case, her husband lost his wife and their children lost their mother and people who were her neighbors killed her. An allegorical representation can be seen between how the lottery was started as a way to insure a good harvest compared with people running with the bulls to express their joy at successfully herding the animals from the corral to the bull fighting ring (James). Comparing the tradition of the lottery with the bull runs, there are close to over a dozen injuries a year during the runs and since 1924 fifteen people have been killed
(Pruitt). Tessie is the only person who we know who gets stoned to death because of the lottery, but there are a lot of stories about not only what happens to the bulls but to what happens to the people who participate. In the traditional running of the bulls, participants have to be eighteen to run, but people were shocked to see that a little boy was smiling while running through the streets of Pamplona in 2007 (James). The last recorded death was of an American in his early twenties named Matthew Tassio who was knocked to the ground by a bull and then gored to death by another when he stood back up which was also against the rules (James). No matter how many rules or regulations they put in place, people are still going to get hurt when they do idiotic things such as trying to run with a bull that can weigh close to over a ton (Pruitt). The bulls do not particularly enjoy having their hooves damaged by running on cobble stone streets, nor do they enjoy being slaughtered by someone dressed in what resembles a sparkly Halloween costume. Matadors may be really popular, but they can still look ridiculous waving around a red towel with a sparkling outfit. In conclusion, the Running of the Bulls needs to stop in the way that the lottery needs to stop. Just because a ritual or tradition is accepted and practiced in a culture does not make it right. Human sacrifice, binding the feet of little girls in China, cannibalism, and slavery are all examples of this. History shows that cultures evolve all the time from their traditions as each generation either improves upon the faults of the generation before or become worse. It takes small steps such as stopping the Running of the Bulls because if that tradition is seen as acceptable then we could one day have an actual real life lottery.
in July where thousands of people gather to either celebrate, participate, or watch from the streets, balconies, and is broadcast on television (James). After many people have been injured and the bull has been thoroughly harassed and scared, the bull has to face the matador to be stabbed, tortured, and then killed for people’s entertainment (James). The irony in this tradition is it started as a way to honor St. Fermin (James). What better way of honoring the life of a saint than with the violent slaughtering of a bull? Although, to be fair, this event seems to be less about the saint and more about people drinking and acting stupid and reckless. It brings to mind the New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras. The running of the bulls was also made popular because of the classic book The Sun Also Rises, written in 1926 by Ernest Hemingway (Pruitt). There are many direct similarities and comparisons between the fate of a character in Jackson’s short story and the way the bulls are treated.
In the story, the character of Tessie is singled out and chosen in a similar way the bulls are chosen. They are both used as a form of entertainment, for example, when the children gleefully start to gather their rocks in Jackson’s story, and the spectators waiting hours behind blockades to see participants run with the bulls during the Running of the Bulls festival (James). Both Tessie and the bulls are doomed to meet their end in a gruesome and shocking way. The third similarity between the two is how the lottery and the Bull Run are both accepted as part of the norm even though it is inhumane. Each culture views these traditions as not only being okay, but being expected and fun. For another example, in both instances, the things that happen to Tessie and the bulls affect and hurt other people around them. In Tessie’s case, her husband lost his wife and their children lost their mother and people who were her neighbors killed her. An allegorical representation can be seen between how the lottery was started as a way to insure a good harvest compared with people running with the bulls to express their joy at successfully herding the animals from the corral to the bull fighting ring (James). Comparing the tradition of the lottery with the bull runs, there are close to over a dozen injuries a year during the runs and since 1924 fifteen people have been killed
(Pruitt). Tessie is the only person who we know who gets stoned to death because of the lottery, but there are a lot of stories about not only what happens to the bulls but to what happens to the people who participate. In the traditional running of the bulls, participants have to be eighteen to run, but people were shocked to see that a little boy was smiling while running through the streets of Pamplona in 2007 (James). The last recorded death was of an American in his early twenties named Matthew Tassio who was knocked to the ground by a bull and then gored to death by another when he stood back up which was also against the rules (James). No matter how many rules or regulations they put in place, people are still going to get hurt when they do idiotic things such as trying to run with a bull that can weigh close to over a ton (Pruitt). The bulls do not particularly enjoy having their hooves damaged by running on cobble stone streets, nor do they enjoy being slaughtered by someone dressed in what resembles a sparkly Halloween costume. Matadors may be really popular, but they can still look ridiculous waving around a red towel with a sparkling outfit. In conclusion, the Running of the Bulls needs to stop in the way that the lottery needs to stop. Just because a ritual or tradition is accepted and practiced in a culture does not make it right. Human sacrifice, binding the feet of little girls in China, cannibalism, and slavery are all examples of this. History shows that cultures evolve all the time from their traditions as each generation either improves upon the faults of the generation before or become worse. It takes small steps such as stopping the Running of the Bulls because if that tradition is seen as acceptable then we could one day have an actual real life lottery.