Shirley Jackson Downfall

Childhood is the most crucial part of life that determines who a person is. It is the period of time in which the brain is developing. The children in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson may run into problems as they age since their little developing minds are seeing and participating in the act of stoning. Also, those same children will experience shame towards their actions once the town advances with the times and puts an end to the lottery. Not only that, but the lottery takes mothers away from their children. Davy Hutchinson is a prime example of this seeing as his mother is taken by the lottery, leaving him to face the negative effects of growing up motherless. As Davy Hutchinson reaches adulthood, he will likely possess violent tendencies …show more content…
The idea of ending the lottery is already being discussed among people, saying that “some places have already quit lotteries” (Messenger 256). This notion is quickly dismissed by Old Man Warner, who will more than likely be in the afterlife by the time Davy is older. Further, when the realization of how the lottery is sickening dawns upon him, shame will be all he knows. It will eat him up inside, leaving him with low self-esteem and anger. More than that, shame will be the reason for Davy’s downfall because it “is the most destructive of human emotions” since it leads to depression and self-hatred (Engel). Depression can then lead to suicidal thoughts, which can also lead to him following through with those thoughts. Additionally, he might abuse substances in order to feel better about himself, resulting in events such as bar fights. Clearly, the shame of knowing the lottery is wrong will lead Davy Hutchinson into a life of …show more content…
A child witnessing violence experiences the same effects as a soldier witnessing violence in war. They are more susceptible to being diagnosed with “anxiety and depression in later life” as well as being desensitized (Thornhill). Withal, symptoms of anxiety include irritability, watching for signs of danger, and anticipating the worst. He may very well think he is in danger and attack an innocent person subconsciously, seeing as the primary symptom of anxiety is “irrational and excessive fear” (Smith, Robinson, Segal). Not only will witnessing the violence of the lottery cause depression, but it will desensitize Davy. Seeing all that violence will heighten Davy’s ability to stomach gory and savage commodities, raising the chances of him hurting others since violence is monotonous to him. Overall, Davy has a high chance of obtaining the effects of viewing the violence portrayed from the