“The Lottery” is a short story by Shirley Jackson about the impact of social conventions on real life. The story uses a utopian plot, in which in a country where people are constantly at war state, there is a tradition to hold a mysterious lottery every year. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the point of the lottery is to select a victim among the community members and collectively stone her to death. This paper argues that the story clearly illustrates the absurdity of myths or traditions, which do not pass the test of common sense.
Summary
The story describes a festive summer day, when fellow villagers gather to hold a lottery, as a result of which one of them will be stoned to death. The absurdity of the situation is aggravated by the fact that no one from the community condemns what is happening. On the contrary, the lottery is perceived by the villagers as something mystical and filled with a higher meaning. Some of the participants recall the unique cases when all the sheets in the box turned out to be white and say that this happened only once in a hundred years, and after that, the authorities came and forced the villagers to hold the lottery a second time.
Among the hundreds of people gathered, including women and children dressed nicely, as if for a Sunday mass, one can hear no more than a dozen timid disgruntled voices condemning the tradition. But in general, no one runs the risk of violating the ritual, which has existed for about two hundred years. After a random selection chooses the family of Bill Hutchinson, residents watch with bated breath how the lottery is now being played among family members, including Dave, who is apparently less than seven years old. The lot falls on Tessie, the wife, and the crowd does their duty responsibly, surrounding her and stoning her to death.
Analysis
The author skillfully uses details to convey the horror of the situation. Outrage at the absurdity of tradition is expressed by ‘fools,’ in muffled whispers, and at the risk of being expelled from the community. The children have been collecting stones all morning, which are neatly stacked next to the meeting. On the eve of the lottery day, the lottery man responsibly fills the Black Box, and equally responsibly puts a circle on one of the sheets. From the dialogues between senior men, the reader learns that the tradition is in every possible way supported by the ruling military dictatorship.
One of the most emotional elements of the plot is the ending of the story when a blind lot must choose between members of the family of Bill Hutchinson. Even more terrifying, when the lot falls on Tessie, the reader is left with the feeling that things didn’t turn out so badly. The choice could fall on Bill, which would deprive the family of a livelihood, or on one of the children, which would be excessive cruelty. It is noteworthy that in the course of the narration, the author points out that some families got into the lottery several times. Therefore, Tessie’s death in no way provides full protection for her family in the future.
Thus, the lottery village has a value system that is in conflict with civilized society. The tradition of the lottery is cruel and unjustified, but because it is supported by the succession of generations, it continues. The lottery is not the idea of a military dictatorship ruling the country, it was introduced a hundred years earlier, and the regime found this tradition useful. Such a tradition conflicts with the fundamental values of a civilized society. Despite this, unfortunately, even today, events such as the storming of the Capitol or mass executions of civilians due to free access to weapons demonstrate the absurdity and unacceptability of some established traditions.