The Lottery is a short fictional story that describes a small town in Contemporary America
The Lottery is a short fictional story that describes a small town in Contemporary America. Like other setups in the yesteryears, the community observes an annual rite “the lottery,” whereby one member of the populace decides his or her fate to live through a game of chance. Shirley Jackson used a series of literal devices to disseminate crucial information within the text. Firstly, the setting infers that society follows all customs and traditions without any objection. Despite their unwarranted ramifications, such as death, the population is adherent to continue practicing its heritage (Jackson). Secondly, Jackson exhumes an underlying conflict between good and evil throughout the text. While the lottery underscores an act of stoning someone to death seeking to purge the town of some bad and allow for some good, its setting and imminent conflict unveil intricate themes, including the dangers of following tradition as well as the randomness of persecution.
Conflict
In any society, humans often exhume divergent views and beliefs. Over time, these inherent differences spew conflict that necessitates the intervention of legal jurisprudence. Conversely, the lottery exemplifies a community that is ready to persecute its members without any potent justification. Primarily, the only transgression committed by the victims is drawing a wrong slip of paper from the black box. The framers of this elaborate ritual sought to ensure that every year, the town vindicates one member, an element that predisposes children to considerable risk (Jackson). Ideally, no family or individual is safe from this imminent threat. For the most part, Tessie Hutchinson is a modest and popular housewife renowned for her outstanding virtues. However, the moment she draws a wrong slip earmarked for death, the villagers move with a chilling swiftness to persecute her. In the fervor of persecution, both friends and family members participate in this ritual with considerable enthusiasm.
In most societies, despicable or heinous crimes, such as murder, attract a death penalty. The conflict in the lottery emanates from the fact that death is a sentence served to the villagers, despite their innocence or guilt. Tessie’s execution exemplifies this conflict since she has not committed any crime whatsoever. The logic that warrants her death is the fact that Tessie draws a marked paper from a black box; therefore, she must die. The element of conflict in The Lottery resonates with modern-day parallels allied to prejudices. For decades, humanity has inculcated stereotypical insinuations based on gender, race, creed, economic status, and sexual orientation, among others (Jackson). Like in the lottery, society often marks an individual or group for persecution based on a trait that is beyond their control. For instance, patriarchal inhibitions have often castigated women, yet such barbaric traditions have no lawful basis. Just like in The Lottery, the conflict between good and evil requires reason, yet society opts to follow traditions blindly. As Jackson purports, random persecution is unlawful, yet Tessie’s death is universal.
Setting
Undoubtedly, different communities observe unique customs and traditions. Jackson used a contemporary setting in America, seeking to emphasize the theme of heritage, custom, and mob belief. In the past, people overly relied on their customary beliefs instead of using the voice of reason. Over time, the dangers allied to following all traditions blindly became all too evident. Since modern society has antagonized most of these retrogressive principles through elaborate laws and policies, the contemporary American setting was ideal for Jackson (Jackson). Before the reader understands the conventions of the lottery, the preparation in hindsight seems harmless. Though the leader is a pathetic individual, children run around gathering stones in the town square. All members are busily preoccupied with a funny-looking box that contains slips of paper. It is imperative to illuminate that traditions were endemic in small towns as they played a focal role in linking and uniting families. It was through such practices where people would meet, share stories, and extend beliefs from one generation to another.
Through the narrative, Jackson pokes considerable holes in the reverence that communities have traditions. According to the author, villagers do not understand the origin of the lottery; yet work hard to ensure its preservation. Through this setting, Jackson evidences that blind acceptance of the lottery has entrenched a ritual murder as part of the town’s fabric. Old Man Warner believes that people should not negate the tradition, as any violation will lead them back to the primitive years. Since none of the dwellers pauses to question their actions, they always pick a stone and commit a heinous murder when called upon (Jackson). The blindness allied to this tradition is overwhelming as it gives ordinary people the required justification to kill an innocent person. For them, a wrong slip is a death sentence, and as such, its bearer does not deserve penance or mercy.
Conclusion
From the above discourse, it is evident that random persecution is a product birthed by the following tradition blindly. Through the story, Jackson uses various literary devices, including setting and conflict, to reveal the underlying themes. The traditional setting in a contemporary American town exemplifies the detriments allied to specific conventional connotations. Similarly, the conflict between good and evil manifests through random persecutions, whereby ordinary people murder without a second thought. In summation, The Lottery is a wakeup call to humanity seeking to emphasize the need for formidable laws to govern populations and eradicate dumbfounded traditions.