Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”: Ritualistic, Brutally Violent Traditions

On June 26th, 1948, Shirley Jackson published The Lottery. This tale was created in Vermont, a tiny rural hamlet where residents participated in “the lottery,” a yearly custom. The Lottery is all about the person who would be slain by being stoned to death by people using rocks or by having their skull smashed by stones. The narrative is about observable customs that are unique to a certain group, not the exact meaning of a lottery. This tale was written by Shirley Jackson primarily for the goal of criticizing social practices such as rituals and rites that are harmful to people’s health and development, antiquated, and bordering on lunacy. This essay will examine how the narrative developed and explain the significance of “the lottery.” Shirley Jackson cautions individuals against blindly adhering to traditions simply because they are associated with the group that created them. Because they encourage human death without a good reason, several rituals are now considered to be demeaning, obsolete, and unpleasant.

The Lottery adopts a chance-based perspective. Chances imply that one may be fortunate or unfortunate. One might be fortunate to win the lottery or unfortunate to lose. But in this situation, the outcome was decided by chance, thus who lives and who dies (Bonikowski 66). Given that it suggests using human life as the sole bait, this ceremony is ambiguous. It actively works against liberty, love, and peace. If they are unfortunate or choose not to participate, they must constantly live in terror of being stoned. Villagers congregate in the town square in the midst of the bank and the post office at 10 o’clock on the day of the lottery. Each family member selects a slip from the box of five after which the event begins. The group member who chooses a slip with a spot will be stoned to death. In actuality, this is one nebulous justification for stone-throwing. In the contemporary world, serious crimes like murder provide the basis for the death penalty. With The Lottery, this is not the case. This demonstrates the degree to which the rituals in this tale are rendered ineffective.

The protagonist of this tale and the victim who will be stoned is Tessie Hutchinson. He may become a victim of the roving mob by participating in this lottery if she unintentionally chooses a slip with a black stain. Is this ironic at all? A lottery should typically be an opportunity for a participant to get lucky by winning a prize. Maybe someone should be unfortunate and lose the money and effort they put into it (Hinchey, Patricia and Isabel 40). But in this place, everything is totally different. The victim’s life is on the line, not the two possibilities given above as in a typical lottery. This ceremony comes out as crude and undeveloped. Tessie Hutchinson is Bill Hutchinson’s wife and the parent of four kids. Tessie became irate after realizing she had lost the lotto. Tessie will abandon her four children, Nancy, Bill, Junior, and Dave, as well as her husband Bill Hutchinson, in order to get stoned. Bill, who was selected as the household leader in the first draw, seemed to embrace his beliefs despite the internal suffering he experienced. Hutchinson silenced his wife when she objected to his lottery choice. He could believe in the lottery or not want to be humiliated in front of the community. This individual is in charge of the lottery event. It indicates a ritual is severely crippled if victims may dispute it. Once a person becomes a victim, it only makes sense to them.

The people who support this ceremony are either egotistical or ignorant. Because they personally profit from this scheme, Mr. Summer and Mr. Grave endorse it. A ritual ought to serve the greater welfare of the whole community (Hinchey, Patricia, and Isabel 40-42). This practice, nevertheless, is just for a restricted group of people who are in charge of and operate Vermont’s largest corporations. Its significance and meaning are diminished as a result. Mr. Summer, the local postmaster, has a position of authority since he oversees communication throughout the community. His work forces him to uphold the customs of the community. He brings forth troubling evidence on the real purpose of the lottery process. The lottery seems to be more potent in this tale than the villagers’ fears that they can’t get rid of the rite in time to rescue their own people. Realizing it’s not yet their turn, individuals joyfully take part in the murdering of their own people. Even though this occurrence caused some families to lose a loved one, many now think that the lottery may provide them with safety. The locals take pleasure in this tradition even if some individuals lose a family member. The lottery victim Tessie Hutchinson’s demise is crucial to the plot. Every year, villager murders one of their own to keep the group together for the celebration. As they kill one of them to maintain unity, the community here seems to be the hero.

The ritual’s opponents think it is time to discontinue such customs if they do not benefit society. But they encounter fierce resistance (Bonikowski 68). Adam was the first name called out in the lottery, which is conducted in alphabetical order. Old Man Warner was informed by Adam and his wife that the neighboring villages were considering abandoning the lottery custom. That suggested that they were prepared for any kind of change. Adams has always been among the first to stone victims, demonstrating his adherence to the custom. The Old Warner is the oldest guy in the whole community. He is one of those who respects the lottery tradition since he was born into it. He has won the lotto 77 times during the course of his life. The reports that the lottery may be abolished in surrounding communities and what he observes among the younger generation irritate Old Warner. He is determined that he will carry out whatever action necessary to continue the rite. This demonstrates that individuals don’t always do rituals because of a sense of duty to society or because they have been seen to be performed from birth. In a perfect world, murdering people has no purpose. The Old Warner, who is the oldest, is opposed to change despite all the life lessons he has learned.

The central theme of the ceremony in this tale is hypocrisy. To begin with, this ritual’s meaning is contradictory to what it really includes. Second, the people who operate it and live in luxury in the town are the proponents, while the rest of the populace must live in constant dread of being slaughtered and as a result, must support the ritual to save their own lives (Robinson 35). Thirdly, one’s sycophancy to the social ruling class and acceptance of the ritual do not provide one with immunity since they are still susceptible to its effects. Overall, the rite was meaningless to the peasants. Nobody appears to be aware of the beginning or finish of this lottery practice. The lottery has greater authority since there isn’t any precedent, and nobody in the town can attempt to challenge it. Although most people would genuinely want to be free, they are afraid of the unknown. Regarding this lottery custom, there are many loyalties and viewpoints that add up to hypocrisy. The people seem to be so perplexed by this rite that they are unable to reasonably comprehend what it really entails. Only outsiders in this tale have the authority to condemn the ritual’s lunacy. The actions of the villagers are so stunning that they have every right to kill one of their own merely because they drew, they claim.

Jackson concludes the narrative with the irony that is occurring all across the globe and she painstakingly portrays a community of hardworking people in America. The peasants in the tale are unaware of the benefits of the lottery process. People are reluctant to leave the culture they have discovered because they think strong forces will keep them safe. Every time the moment to choose a slip from the box comes around, family members dread doing so for fear of losing one of them. Although rituals no longer have any sense or purpose, people continue to do them because they discovered them and must pass them on from one generation to the next. Nobody is prepared to question their significance, despite their willingness.