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Tess Hutchison Tradition

656 Words3 Pages

The Annual Tradition Introducing the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson the author is trying to inform the reader about an annual tradition. The unifying theme is fading tradition seen through Old Man Warner, Tessie Hutchison, changes in the ritual and the black box. The unifying theme is also relevant to the content by reason of an annual from past generations. Overall a tradition is held to celebrate and has its beliefs from generation to One example of the unifying theme is Old Man Warner. Old man warner is the oldest man in the village who seems to take it upon himself to make sure, the annual tradition stays the same. His loyalty …show more content…

Tessie Hutchison is the only powerful woman in the village who has questionable actions approaching the ritual and tries to prove her rights to live. She and other villagers are proudly a part of the tradition while the black box is placed to begin the lottery. Tessie Hutchison changes and has an outburst saying “it wasn’t fair” (Jackson 108). The black box also resembles the unifying theme because Tessie Hutchison changing her thoughts about the annual tradition just as the necessities being replaced in the black box. Mr. Summers stated “Had all be well when the village was tiny, it was necessary to use something that would fit more easily into the black box” (Jackson …show more content…

The ritual being changed symbols the unifying theme because in earlier years the ritual took place differently within the postmasters greeting the villagers. The greetings is “a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery” (Jackson 106). The black box represents the ritual being changed due to the different locations of the black box. The narrator says, Mr. Summers “safe at his coal company, Mr. Graves barn and the post office”(Jackson 106). The ritual changing adjust the villager’s mindset about the black box. However the Black Box is the most important symbol in the lottery. The unifying theme is connected to the black box. The black box is fading in many ways which doesn’t interfere with the villager’s belief towards the tradition. The black box has a similar look to a black coffin. The Black box is described as “grown shabbier each year, by now it was no longer black”. Not only is the conditions of the black box is fading but also the way villagers view it. Mr. Summers said “the ritual had been allowed to lapse” (Jackson

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