"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson (1948) is presented with the contention that the
town is extremely superstitious, the townspeople adhere to tradition unconsciously out of
habit as a consequence the leaders participate in a conspiracy to control the community
which is a clear argument of the misuse of tradition to control the townspeople.
The story, told in past tense, and uses a third person as the narrator. The narrator
does not have a character. The main purpose of the narrator is to walk among the
population relating in chronological order the events which are unfolding. Foreshadow is
used in an ironic ending. Furthermore the narrator uses strong descriptive diction to
describe the setting. "the flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly
green" (271). The aura portrayed by the narrator is that of a typical town on a normal
summer day. These images serve to give the reader a peaceful felling as well as a
Despite not knowing the full ceremony as well as the loss of the meaning behind
the tradition, it is apparent the community leaders express a great deal of interest that
tradition is carried out. This can be confirmed by how narrator describes the, "There
was the proper swearing in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster as the official of the
lottery" (273). The prosperity of their harvest allegedly depended upon their performing
the tradition. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (Old man Warner 275). The fact can
be stated that the introduction of the black box can be argued changes the mood and the
atmosphere in the town. Along these lines it can be stated that black box is a key turning
point in the story. The townspeople become uneasy around it like they are superstition
and avoid looking at it. This is evident in the fact that "the villagers kept their distance"
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