The Theme Of Economism In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery?

Ceteris paribus; holding all else equal, is an Economist’s utopian concept. For all one knows, such a world does not exist. Who would not choke at this idea of a perfect world? It is highly illogical, but a very practical idea used to identify the problems of the real world, especially in Economics. People have come to accept this unreal world in Economics, surely avid literature enthusiasts do appreciate such fantasies in creative works as well. It is hard to deny that these surreal ideas truly help us study the real world and understand real situations better to a certain extent. Shirley Jackson’s highly celebrated short story “The Lottery” is the epitome of fantasy. Although it is no paradise, it is still a society that had fictitious elements …show more content…
According to Shirley Jackson herself, “The Lottery” was written to address the issue of anti-Semitism which she thought of during her folklore class in college. In addition, the New York Times writer Kip Orr says that “The Lottery” was meant to “show, in microcosm, how the forces of belligerence, persecution, and vindictiveness are, in mankind, endless and traditional and that their targets are chosen without reason” (“The Lottery” Letters, 2013). The theme of heinousness in “The Lottery” was to show the degree of immorality any person has the ability to attain. Speaking of which, such obnoxious side of a human being could only be revealed when they have been placed in a stressful or disruptive environment. In the study of Economics, resources are allocated wisely so that everyone could be better off and such disruptive or inhumane behavior could be minimized. Generally speaking, scarcity, greed, and selfishness are inevitable matters. Humans have been engineered with survival mechanisms that requires them to be selfish to some degree. Hence, even though what the villagers did was considered selfish, they did what they had to in order to ensure their own