The Time Surrounding The Lottery - Research Paper Example

The late 1940s, the time when the story was written, was a time of political and social upheaval. Due to the complicated events that took place during and after World War II, and the beginning of the “Cold War,” many things that had been taken for granted in society were being questioned by people. This led to the creation of Womens Rights movements, but also to the Truman Doctrine and, later, McCarthyism—both movements which supported the status quo. These contradictory movements for change and against it show that “The Cold War affected almost every aspect of American life.

” (“Introduction”) The story shows a definite nod to the increasing social awareness of women in 1940s America. During World War II, women had begun to work and take on more responsibilities, and they became used to being treated more like equals. After the end of the war, they were expected to go back to being submissive and agreeing to everything their husbands told them to do. Obviously, this did not sit well with many liberated women. This aspect of the story is more of a reflection than a criticism.

It can be seen in how the various female characters in the story are critical of the tradition of the lottery. This is obvious from the story, because there are many places where women question the established traditions, like Mrs. Adams, who says that " Some places have already quit lotteries” (Jackson, 308). However, it is equally obvious that the men disagree. This was the same in reality, where many men were opposed to feminism because they wanted to remain socially superior to the other gender.

In other words, “society defined experiences centered around males, with females as mere accessories.” (Feminism) Even though Feminism didn’t really exist until the 1960s, there seem to be very strong elements of it in “The Lottery” with female characters like Mrs. Adams. The