Shirley jackson's - Essay Example

Running Head: THE LOTTERY “The Lottery” as It Relates to Our Time School “The Lottery An Analysis Cultural traditions help shape values and behavior. Passed on from one generation to another, they maintain values of a certain nation or group. The problem with passing on cultural values is that not all values are good. In Shirley Jackson’s story, “The Lottery,” she demonstrates a ridiculous traditional practice that should be rid of. The story clearly shows the evil in the lottery, which takes away the lives of people.

With victims sacrificing to continue the tradition, the conflict in the story is how to convince people to think rationally.The story happens for less than a day in a small village where neighbors closely live and know each other. The yearly summer festival which includes the lottery is probably what draws the neighbors close to each other. The people gather together to enjoy the events, and the whole family, including small children are required to be in the lottery. Noticeably, the author does not assign a name for the village.

By keeping the place unknown, the author implies that the story of the lottery may take place in every village or town, and in the most common places where tradition and festivities are usually held.The lottery differs from other draws in that it sacrifices the lives of people in the tribe. The readers can sense the resistance to the practice but the characters cannot express their negation. They seem powerless and ignorant except for Tessie who tries to stop the ceremony and convince the people that what they are doing is not right.

Tessie’s suffering in the hands of the people including her family shows the evilness of the tradition and the powerlessness and ignorance of the people. Tessie struggles to open the minds of the people that the lottery tradition which the people have practiced for seventy-seven years is nothing but a deadly tradition that aims to challenge the courage of the clans and play with the fate of each member of the village. The people do not mind the feelings of those who are called even though they themselves feel anxious to be called.

The point of the author is clear. Laws and traditions that help people should be kept while those that do not bring any good should be discarded. The story should teach readers the value of rationality over traditions. Those traditions that do not bring any good especially those that violate human rights should be banned.ReferenceJackson, Shirley. (n.d.) The lottery. Retrieved on January 28, 2015, from http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html