The Lottery
Throughout history, certain traditions and rituals have been able to dictate human behavior, even to the point where the person loses his sense of morality. The "lottery" of Shirley Jackson tells us the story of a small American city that was founded in the old half of the twentieth century. Outside, this colony seems pretty normal. He had about 300 people, most of whom were peasants. The chief of the post, Mr. Graves, was the chief of the city, only by Mr. Summers, who owned the local coal companies. But despite the picturesque atmosphere, this misleading quiet city has a unique place. Every year, on June 27th, a lottery is organized in the city. Despite the spelling, this lottery wins the individual far from being happy. This lottery, in which every member of the city must participate, determines which person is stoned by his fellow citizens. This horrible act is the result of a ritual that has been incorporated into society in previous generations. The inhabitants of the village had long forgotten the importance, the most details and the original intention of this ritual. She only remembered every June 27th, they wanted to have a lottery for the whole city, and brutally murdered the winner.
Perhaps one of the most powerful characteristics of tradition is its ability to evoke persistence among its followers. By the inhabitants of the city they were not interested in changing the smallest detail of the lottery. If Mr. Summers suggested having a new crate, because the flow had worsened a lot, the citizens refused to be unhappy because the crate should be made with pieces of the original crate, which was used when the the first settlers of the city lived in the area. Even in its climatic condition, this black box was a symbol of the impending Doom city, which awaited an unfortunate person each year. The villagers were also very reluctant to move out of wooden blocks to paper containers as a means of drawing for the lottery. However, with much perseverance from Mr. Summers, the Village people finally admitted because the city was grown too big for each piece of wood to fit into the crate. The villagers were also persistent in the electoral procedures of lottery tickets. Only in the rarest cases was a woman allowed to choose the film for her family; It was usual to work the husband, or a son who was old. This is shown when Jane Dunbar husband was unable to attend the lottery because of a broken leg. It was very obvious that Jane felt out of the place when she pulled out her ticket. The Watson family had the chance to have a son who was old enough to attract his father. The crowd favors this much more than a woman's drawing, as she was told to be glad to see that her mother has a husband to do it. The villagers were also very persistent that the lottery was still a tradition in the community. The lottery was so rooted in its culture that those who do not practise it were not civilians. The old man Warner compared the abolition of the lottery with life in the caves and refusal of work. The surrounding villages, which chose the lottery, were also called "pack of Young Fools". The old man Warner represents the pious followers of a tradition. Although they are not looking for leadership positions, they are determined that if things are practiced in any way over a longer period of time, then this should not be changed. The old man Warner was annoyed by the fact that Mr. Summers was comfortable with the residents as they went out for his lottery ticket because he believed it was inappropriate for the lottery, which was not held in a strict manner. He was also irritated by the concern of the Friends of Nancy Hutchinson in considering that she was the winner. Grace and compassion apparently had no place in the lottery.
The second and most important characteristic of this ritual is its dehumanizing effect. The winner of this lottery is stoned by his own city. Friends and family show extreme cruelty by making the blood thirst amount to stone one of their own. A few moments before the start of the lottery, Mrs. Hutchinson had a friendly conversation with Mrs. Delacroix. However, when Mrs. Hutchinson had been declared the winner of the lottery, all the previous illusions of friendship between the two had been extinguished. Mrs. Delacroix ran to her with the greatest stone she could find excited to kill the likelihood that, just the day before, she would have called friend. As troubling as it may be, it's not as confusing as betrayal among family members. It is clear that these families had no love for each other. Rather, they were just on each other as farmers who would reduce the likelihood that they chose for the lottery. The last words of Mr. Hutchinson to his wife were "shut up, Tesse." Mrs. Hutchinson, when she sees the opportunity to be elected, immediately tries to lessen her chances by asking her married daughter to also choose. Their children, instead of expressing their horror at their impending death, show pure cheer when they see their lives saved. Towards the end of the story, children and adults join the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson. Even little Dave, who might have been as young as five years old, got pebbles to throw his mother. This shows the sensitization of the murder as the implants of the city in the youth. From the moment they can go, children are taught to join the murder of a person, either someone they do not know, or a member of their own family.
This short story illustrates how tradition has the power to influence our lives in such a way that we lose the ability to know what is right and wrong. These people were conditioned to kill a person every year, simply because it was the way it was always done. Although there are also favorable aspects of the ritual, they are not represented in short history. Jackson made a clear effort to show the reader how dangerous tradition can be.
Throughout history, certain traditions and rituals have been able to dictate human behavior, even to the point where the person loses his sense of morality. The "lottery" of Shirley Jackson tells us the story of a small American city that was founded in the old half of the twentieth century. Outside, this colony seems pretty normal. He had about 300 people, most of whom were peasants. The chief of the post, Mr. Graves, was the chief of the city, only by Mr. Summers, who owned the local coal companies. But despite the picturesque atmosphere, this misleading quiet city has a unique place. Every year, on June 27th, a lottery is organized in the city. Despite the spelling, this lottery wins the individual far from being happy. This lottery, in which every member of the city must participate, determines which person is stoned by his fellow citizens. This horrible act is the result of a ritual that has been incorporated into society in previous generations. The inhabitants of the village had long forgotten the importance, the most details and the original intention of this ritual. She only remembered every June 27th, they wanted to have a lottery for the whole city, and brutally murdered the winner.
Perhaps one of the most powerful characteristics of tradition is its ability to evoke persistence among its followers. By the inhabitants of the city they were not interested in changing the smallest detail of the lottery. If Mr. Summers suggested having a new crate, because the flow had worsened a lot, the citizens refused to be unhappy because the crate should be made with pieces of the original crate, which was used when the the first settlers of the city lived in the area. Even in its climatic condition, this black box was a symbol of the impending Doom city, which awaited an unfortunate person each year. The villagers were also very reluctant to move out of wooden blocks to paper containers as a means of drawing for the lottery. However, with much perseverance from Mr. Summers, the Village people finally admitted because the city was grown too big for each piece of wood to fit into the crate. The villagers were also persistent in the electoral procedures of lottery tickets. Only in the rarest cases was a woman allowed to choose the film for her family; It was usual to work the husband, or a son who was old. This is shown when Jane Dunbar husband was unable to attend the lottery because of a broken leg. It was very obvious that Jane felt out of the place when she pulled out her ticket. The Watson family had the chance to have a son who was old enough to attract his father. The crowd favors this much more than a woman's drawing, as she was told to be glad to see that her mother has a husband to do it. The villagers were also very persistent that the lottery was still a tradition in the community. The lottery was so rooted in its culture that those who do not practise it were not civilians. The old man Warner compared the abolition of the lottery with life in the caves and refusal of work. The surrounding villages, which chose the lottery, were also called "pack of Young Fools". The old man Warner represents the pious followers of a tradition. Although they are not looking for leadership positions, they are determined that if things are practiced in any way over a longer period of time, then this should not be changed. The old man Warner was annoyed by the fact that Mr. Summers was comfortable with the residents as they went out for his lottery ticket because he believed it was inappropriate for the lottery, which was not held in a strict manner. He was also irritated by the concern of the Friends of Nancy Hutchinson in considering that she was the winner. Grace and compassion apparently had no place in the lottery.
The second and most important characteristic of this ritual is its dehumanizing effect. The winner of this lottery is stoned by his own city. Friends and family show extreme cruelty by making the blood thirst amount to stone one of their own. A few moments before the start of the lottery, Mrs. Hutchinson had a friendly conversation with Mrs. Delacroix. However, when Mrs. Hutchinson had been declared the winner of the lottery, all the previous illusions of friendship between the two had been extinguished. Mrs. Delacroix ran to her with the greatest stone she could find excited to kill the likelihood that, just the day before, she would have called friend. As troubling as it may be, it's not as confusing as betrayal among family members. It is clear that these families had no love for each other. Rather, they were just on each other as farmers who would reduce the likelihood that they chose for the lottery. The last words of Mr. Hutchinson to his wife were "shut up, Tesse." Mrs. Hutchinson, when she sees the opportunity to be elected, immediately tries to lessen her chances by asking her married daughter to also choose. Their children, instead of expressing their horror at their impending death, show pure cheer when they see their lives saved. Towards the end of the story, children and adults join the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson. Even little Dave, who might have been as young as five years old, got pebbles to throw his mother. This shows the sensitization of the murder as the implants of the city in the youth. From the moment they can go, children are taught to join the murder of a person, either someone they do not know, or a member of their own family.
This short story illustrates how tradition has the power to influence our lives in such a way that we lose the ability to know what is right and wrong. These people were conditioned to kill a person every year, simply because it was the way it was always done. Although there are also favorable aspects of the ritual, they are not represented in short history. Jackson made a clear effort to show the reader how dangerous tradition can be.
