Tradition Stays Put in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Tradition Stays Put Easily regarded as one of America’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and symbolism. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolism is shown through character’s names such as Old Man Warner and Tessie and through various objects in the story like the stool and the black box. However, another reason tradition stays could be the possibility of superstition. The idea of having unwritten laws stick around for so long can relate to the fact that many people in today’s culture are superstitious. Society might believe that if a tradition is done away with, perhaps bad luck or even evil will come upon them. Of course, this is a just speculation, but, it is also a very real idea of why traditions have yet to change year after year. Tradition often twists ones mindset to a point where reality is viewed from a grotesque and skewed perspective. For instance, in â€Å"The Lottery,† the townspeople go about conducting their farmland’s lottery as if it was the most normal thing to do. They are so attached to a tradition created centuries ago they are unable to detach themselves from it. The fact that the small town isShow MoreRelatedThe Unexpected Surprise of Violence1009 Words   |  5 Pagesvalued once risks are taken, but the outcome is never expected. Shirley Jackson, reader of witchcraft books, horrifies people with her perspective on the understanding of merciless rituals that kept communities at ease. Shirley Jackson develops her theme of unexpected violence in her short story â€Å"The Lottery† through the use of iro ny, symbolism, and denouement. On a summer day in a small town in the short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson takes advantage of the peaceful environment and adds a convolutedRead More, Symbolism, And Themes In The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1252 Words   |  6 PagesShirley Jackson’s The Lottery, is a realism story that was written for the main purpose of entertainment. Jackson writes about a small village that gathers every year for an event they call â€Å"The Lottery†. Every head of households comes up and draws a slip of paper from the box. Bill Hutchinson draws the first slip of paper with the black dot but Tessie Hutchinson quickly exclaims the lottery is not fair. Mr. Summers then puts five slips of paper back into the box, one for each of the family membersRead MoreSymbolizing the Ideas and Beliefs in The Lottery1167 Words   |  5 Pagescustoms and ideas. In â€Å"The Lottery† the people from the community are sacrificing in order for their crops to grow. Many lives are at risk and in fear despite the acceptance of their actions.Symbolism is something that represents ideas or qualities of an object. An example of this can be a dove which represents peace. In the short story The Lottery, it takes place in the late 40s early 50s. The whole story is a contradiction because you would think that having a lottery would be a good thing, butRead More Essay on Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Message of Social Responsibility912 Words   |  4 PagesThe Message of Social Responsibility in The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚   Often, we paint a fairytale view of life for ourselves and our children. Sometimes, an author paints a frightfully realistic picture of life and forces us to reconsider the fairytale. In Shirley Jackson’s story, The Lottery, a town each year conducts a lottery in which the winner or looser, in this case, is stoned to death by his or her own neighbors. 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These characters however were often chastised for their refusal to conform to a woman’s traditional way of life. Much like her characters, throughout Shirley Jackson’s life, she also rejected the idea of fitting into societys perception of a womans role. Shirley Jackson was married to writer and literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman. HymanRead MoreWinning the Lottery Equals Death in Shirley Jackson, The Lottery786 Words   |  4 PagesTo win a lottery should be an exciting and joyful thing, but in â€Å"The Lottery† created by Shirley Jackson, winning the lottery in the story would be the most unfortunate thing for everyone as it equals to death. â€Å"The Lottery† is a tradition to pick a scapegoat, it has been carried out in the village for a very long time and it is a part of life for everyone. No one wants to question the tradition as they believe that it would help them to having a great harvest. A Third person narrator tells theRead MoreLuisaldo Mendiola. Professor Price. Engl 1302 Nt6. Research2132 Words   |  9 PagesResearch Essay April 21, 2017 Tradition and the Sheep A Critical Analysis of Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† Traditions are common part of culture and religion in the world today; almost everyone has a tradition that they follow. The traditions you practice can be new and only just have started with your generation or the generation before yours. The traditions could also have been old, spanning many generations before your generation and your parents’ generation. Some traditions could be small and lastRead MoreIn Both Faulkner’S â€Å"A Rose For Emily† And Shirley Jackson’S1110 Words   |  5 Pagesand Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery,† we see many examples in which tradition conflicts with modernity. Even in today’s society, there is a lot of change, which results in tradition conflicting with modernity. Traditions are normally something that is passed down from generation to generation, but modernity clashes with tradition because as societies continue to develop, they are more inclined to change. This is when tradition conflicts with modernity; when people are losing their traditions as everythingRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson And The Yellow Wallpaper1302 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman make the reader so passionate to know what is going to happen next because they are two of the most expressive and meaningful stories that have lots of great deep meanings. These stories share so many similarities when it comes to symbols, themes, and conflicts. Although The Lottery and The Yellow Wallpaper do not have the same plot, their themes have some similarities like following unfair traditions and