Analyzing Theme: "The Lottery"
Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relation to tradition. The story begins on a beautiful summer afternoon. 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 t
The irony of this act is that though the sacrifice is performed with good intention, from a ethical aspect it is completely immoral. "The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson few pebbles. Can you imagine what life would be if there were no Christmas or Thanksgiving? For many cultures, tradition is the basis for their history. They have grown with the tradition and find discomfort in the idea of change. eventually they made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded against the raids of the other boys. This ensures that the tradition survives. We must not isolate ourselves to what we think we know, but instead allow ourselves to comprehend. The children seem to primitively grasp the concept of what the lottery means to the town as they play, protecting the stones as if they were gold. Adams speaks of other town who have stopped their lotteries, she never actually suggests it. Every year the suggestion is made, and every year the suggestion is purposely disregarded for the sake that their tradition be unchanged. They cannot allow themselves to withdraw from the tradition because they do not know any other way. His beliefs, which can be seen representative of those of the rest of the town, were most likely rooted through fear of what may come should the lottery be stopped. In the story, reference is given to a black box that is used to house the names of those who participate in the lottery. " (Jackson 422) This illustrates the people are blind to the idea of even tampering with their sacred box. We turn to tradition as a source of happiness.
Common topics in this essay:
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Tessie Hutchinson,
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,
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jackson 422,
black box,
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lottery summers,
it's practice,
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box changed,
illustrates people,
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Acceptance Essays
