The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a horror short story that centers around a fictional American town and an annual ritual that the townspeople take part in every summer. The setting of the story is idyllic at first, but slowly grows more uneasy as the story unravels. The ritual is also developed through the story: All the families gather, and they pick slips of paper from a black box. Whichever family’s head (father or eldest son) gets the paper has to have each member of the family pick individually, and then whoever in the family gets the paper with the black dot will get stoned to death by the rest of the townspeople. The discussion of the ritual in the story tells us that it was regarded as a sacrifice, to ensure a good harvest later in the fall. Throughout the story, Jackson explores many darker themes that she adds depth to through many different aspects of horror that she sprinkles across the pages.
In the middle of the story, a prominent theme that stood out from the characters’ discussions was blind conformity to traditions. It is revealed that the ritual formerly had a purpose that went beyond just ensuring a good harvest, but as time went on, everybody forgot what the original purpose even was. In their eyes, the lottery was something that was to go on no matter what, even if they didn’t understand what it was actually for. The lottery simply “helped”. “There's always been a lottery," he added petulantly.” (Jackson, pg. 6). In this quote, Old Man Warner is refusing to accept the other townspeoples’ talk of giving up the lottery because some other villages up north had already done so. Old Man Warner, being the oldest of the group, had endured the lottery all his life, and due to this lengthy exposure, had begun to think of the lottery as something sacred/holy. He spread his superstitiousness around, and other townspeople also bought the act and began to “worship” the lottery. They have begun to expect it from each other, expect the killing, the murder that takes place each summer. Their human nature has adapted already to a brutal act, and they aren’t even surprised by it anymore. The blind conformity to unknown traditions of the story is shown greatly through the characters’ willingness to accept anything that comes at them, no matter the roots or original intention. They mold their morals to fit the new act, even if it doesn’t benefit them.
The lottery in the story also illustrates the theme of the randomness of persecution in life. The lottery, as shown in the story, is conducted in a manner in which the villagers rely on pure luck in hopes of not getting the slip of paper with a black dot. There is no reason for any of the actions, no answer to why the villagers act this way. Oftentimes, the villager that is picked at the very end is simply innocent and hasn’t actually done anything wrong to upset anyone. Tessie Hutchinson was a harmless old lady, but she nevertheless still got picked at the end of the lottery of the year. “...she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head.” (Jackson, pg. 10). Tessie, though she got picked, had no reason to be stoned to death. Even she realized that the lottery was luck-based, and had no explanation for why a certain person was picked. The randomness of the lottery’s victim highlights the fact that anyone can become a scapegoat, which is a flaw in society. A more powerful man simply has to print some news and put up some posters to blame another man, and yet the other man may not have done anything wrong at all. Luck can be an easy and fair deciding factor in some situations, but it can also be the cruelest one.
The violence and desensitization shown throughout The Lottery also gives readers a grip on what the townspeople have evolved into through their tradition. The ritualistic violence the the lottery, the killing of innocents is simply an excuse that the villagers make to cover up their dangerous deed. They don’t want to acknowledge the level they have sunk to, not wanting to realize what they have become. Their desensitization to violence is repulsing, as even little kids started taking on the act of stoning others to death: “The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.” (Jackson, pg. 10). Nobody cared about age or gender anymore, and although it is good to break down those barriers, the purpose they broke them down for (to kill) was not the least ideal. The townspeople are eager to participate in this cruel and inhumane act, ready to kill at a moment’s notice. Their familiarity with the entire process is fightenting, as they are so close with it now that they don’t even struggle to perform the task, they do it like an everyday thing such as washing the dishes or tying your shoes before you head out the door. The villagers have gotten used to the violence and murder that takes place each summer. Their ignorance about what is going on, their indifference and unwillingness to change reveals the darker side of human nature that people can fall prey to.
As the villagers continue on with the lottery, readers are also introduced to the hypocrisy and illusion of justice in the fictional town. The villagers are indifferent to the entire lottery, showing no sympathy or empathy to the victims of the lottery. Their mob mentality allows them to kill innocent people without feeling guilty. “"Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery," Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd. "Seventy-seventh time."” (Jackson, pg. 6). Combined with the flawed justice system of the town itself, the villagers are the perfect candidates for someone that can murder another person without feeling bad: they have experience, and have grown up in a world where killing is accepted once a year. The townspeople present a polished overview of the lottery, making it seem fair and just on the outside, but the morals of the lottery on the inside are corrupt and make no sense at all. This highlights the illusion of justice that villagers can put up at their will. They manipulate the justice system through adhering to tradition and not questioning the morality of their actions at all.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a wonderfully written horror story that explores a ritual observed annually by a fictional American town. Throughout the entire story, Jackson uses many different ways to develop horror in the story while still making the darker themes known and protruding. The blind conformity of the villagers to the ritual itself warns us about the dangers of adhering to tradition without question, and the randomness of persecution exposes the flaw in society where anyone can become a scapegoat. Through the characters’ actions, we are also shown the characters’ desensitization to violence. The flawed justice system that is presented in the story can also be referred to in history where rulers of power may also have had laws and power in the palm of their hand. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is truly a wonderfully woven yet gloomy story that explores the heart of the darkness of human nature and what it can really lead to.
Reference:
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery.
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