ipl-logo

The Lottery Shirley Jackson Tradition Analysis

779 Words4 Pages

Following misunderstood traditions allows people to perform harmful actions because it is what they have been taught to do. In the short story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson reveals the tragic consequences of not being willing to stand up against traditions that serve no useful purpose in society. Through the use of symbolism, characterization and setting shows the way that even ordinary people pursue traditions that create tension and harmful outcomes to anyone involved. People will blindly follow tradition without questioning it or its outcome. A box that has been used since the lottery started is now on its last leg but when "Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, no one liked to even upset a tradition as was represented by the black …show more content…

Even so, the lottery returns annually, merely because there has always been a lottery. The lottery is an exaggerated example of what can happen when traditions are not investigated by new generations and generations to come. The third major use of symbolism is through the characters themselves. Old Man Warner is firm in his beliefs of following traditions. He never stops condemning new ideas about the lottery. When Mr. Adams mentions that a different village is considering doing away with the lottery, Old Man Warner responded, "Pack of crazy fools... listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to live in caves, nobody work anymore, live that way for a while" (Jackson 246). He is holding onto tradition, even some that are no longer being put to use. He is the perfect symbol of everything that is wrong with blindly following traditions. Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves both symbolize leadership in the wrong way, controlling the citizens who look up to them incorrectly. Even though Mr. Graves nor Mr. Summers are cruel,

Show More
Related

  • Blindly Accepting Traditions In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    586 Words  | 3 Pages

    To start off, a brief history of the lottery is presented to the reader, which quickly implants the idea that the Lottery is an annual event that has occurred for centuries within the village and surrounding area undisturbed. One example of this is the statement regarding how the original equipment for performing the Lottery was lost decades prior to the oldest villager's birth, thus implying a history that dates back over a hundred years. In addition, Old Man Warner states to Mr. Adams “There's always been a lottery.” These two examples establish the idea that the Lottery has been carried out for centuries in the village unchallenged.

    Read More

  • The Lottery Tradition Analysis

    569 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people would die to win the lottery; in the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson you would do anything NOT to win this lottery. This annual lottery reveals the negative aspects of this town’s Tradition, Savagery, Barbarism, and cold-heartedness. In this paper I will show why this town blindly follows these customs, not because it’s a tradition but because of the accepting wickedness that can be shown. Why does the town follow this foolish tradition? Throughout “The Lottery” the narrator tells that the people do not remember how the lottery began, and that some of the older people believe the lottery has changed over the years, that now people just want to get it over with as fast as possible.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Lottery And Harrison Bergeron

    368 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Lottery and Harrison Bergeron, both share common themes and differences in their stories. One would be that both societies claim theses “traditions give them unity and equality”. Another theme commonly shared is both stories show how people can be blind to tradition. Although these stories are similar they have their differences one being Harrison Bergeron tried dyeing like a martyr while Ms. Hutchinson died trying to save her own life. In both of theses stories society believes that their barbaric traditions bring them equality and unity.

    Read More

  • The Lottery Tradition Essay

    501 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Lottery itself represents a primal example of loss of innocence; portrayed through the young boys who gather at the town square to collect rocks for the horrors soon to follow. An illustration of how traditions can lose their true meanings and come to represent violence and warfare. Furthermore, “The Lottery” also represents the decaying characteristics of traditions, as symbolized by the town’s black box, in this case where every year, someone’s name is drawn out of the black box and they are stoned to death, by other members who may or may not end up to be family. Nonetheless, it ends up to be the villagers who

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography: The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    2309 Words  | 10 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography 1. Jackson The Lottery By: Yarmove, Jay A. Explicator. Summer94, Vol. 52 Issue 4, p242. 4p.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    1675 Words  | 7 Pages

    Symbols such as the black box meaning the towns loyalty to the lottery ritual, to the lottery ritual itself representing tradition, the short story is brimming with hidden elements that are bursting out of the seams of what is Shirley Jacksons' famous short

    Read More

  • Essay On Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    492 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead to a crumbling society. For example, in the lottery, Shirley Jackson writes “The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool, and when Mr.Summers asked… ‘give me a hand?’ there was hesitation.” This reveals that despite Mr. Summers being portrayed as a “round-faced, jovial man”, he brings fear and hesitation by just being seen with the black box. Mr. Summers is known for bringing joy when conducting fun activities like square dances, teenage club, and the Halloween program, however, when

    Read More

  • Thesis For The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Essay

    711 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Lottery Template Topic Sentence: One can see by examining the symbolism of the worn out black box, and the foreshadowing of the children putting rocks in their pockets in the The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, that this story is a classic archetypal horror story. Argument: Firstly, one can see that when Mr. Summers arrived at the square carrying a black wooden box, he asked the villagers if anyone would give him a hand with putting the box on the three- legged stool, however, many hesitated to come near the black box, a symbolic twist that foreshadows the imminent ending. The black box has been used for generations, even before the oldest villager. It has been said that the current box was made from the pieces of the

    Read More

  • The Negative Consequences Of Tradition In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    467 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her story "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson implies the negative consequences of blindly following tradition through the acceptance, by the villagers, of the tradition of the lottery. Jackson suggests that the people of the village are afraid to give up the little tradition they have, even if it is not good. Every year after the lottery, the conductor of the lottery, Mr. Summers suggests that they should build a new box but, “No one [likes] to upset even as much tradition as [is] represented by the box.” (Jackson, 1). The black box symbolizes ritual and tradition.

    Read More

  • Conformity In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1060 Words  | 5 Pages

    Jackson gives an impression that the shabby, black box is a personal and constant reminder to the people so that they must remain faithful to the tradition of their forefathers and never ponder on the notion that those customs might be wrong or immoral. In addition, the villagers’ behavior towards the box embodies their assessment on the entire system of the lottery. They seem to be frightened by the lottery and the box, but they are even more petrified to alter or doubt one or the other. Pressures, traditions and longstanding beliefs may potentially guide that society to an extensive ignorance and sanctioned malevolence that is directly strengthened by

    Read More

  • Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    593 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine a society where killing somebody for the sake of a tradition is acceptable. In the short story “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson describes an ordinary village with normal people, but as the story progress the details of their yearly practice known as “the lottery” unravels to be more disturbing. The author subverts the readers’ expiations by persuading the reader into assuming “the lottery” is a ordinary tradition until unusual details and the behavior of the characters come into place. In her short story “The Lottery,” Jackson seemingly uses ordinary details about the setting and the townspeople to characterize her theme that although society claims to be civilized, and may appear so, it is inherently barbaric.

    Read More

  • Human Nature In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1220 Words  | 5 Pages

    Human nature can be characterized as being positive, capable of altruism and goodness which sets humankind apart from savage animals; however, human nature possesses a dark side, namely cruelty, and it is capable of barbarism like any beast. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, cruelty is part of human nature, and the participants of the lottery demonstrate human cruelty through violence towards one another; markedly, by exhibiting desensitization to violence and the acceptance of violence resulting in internal dysfunction which is perpetuated yearly. Participants of the lottery belong to a close-knit community, and every year the community hosts an enigmatic lottery draw. The conclusion of the lottery draw is only mysterious until the outcome

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Tradition In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    505 Words  | 3 Pages

    They do not want to follow the other towns that had given up the lottery. The townspeople are apprehensive of transition because of the unknown factors. One of the examples in the story that shows their lack of willingness to change their customs is the battered black box they use for the lottery. It has been stained and the original color of the wood is shown on the side. Every year, Mr. Summers, who manages the lottery suggests to the villagers to get a new box.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    As ‘The Lottery’ is a short story, the author doesn’t expound each and every detail. There is a ‘vacuum’ in the story, but it is a desirable vacuum. It leaves a room for diverse imaginations, accommodating an active participation of its readers. For example, the author doesn’t give much information about the lottery or characters. All we know about the lottery is that it is an old tradition that involves

    Read More

  • Analytical Essay: The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    355 Words  | 2 Pages

    But maybe they do the lottery because for another reason. During the story Old Man Warner says that if they

    Read More

More about The Lottery Shirley Jackson Tradition Analysis

Open Document