Social Conformity In The Lottery, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Conformity is heavily involved with the day to day activities of our lives. Almost everything we do can connect to some form of conformity. Most people do not think about how much social conformity influences their lives. People in a society conform to certain norms or traditions to blend in with everyone else. People do not conform when they are told, they conform due to the fear that they would be an outcast of their society otherwise. Some people believe that conformity is good for society and that everyone being equal is a good thing. The truth is however, social conformity can have a detrimental effect of a person’s freedoms and rationality. When social conformity becomes a heavy part of society, it can cause people to do things that they normally would not do. It can cause people to make certain traditions or routines a common part of life, some of which can be damaging. This can profoundly be seen in The Lottery. The people in a village hold a “lottery” every year in which the winner gets stoned to death. In the story the narrator states “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the …show more content…
People within the community of Hester Prynne ridicule her for being a sinner. Everyone looks down on her and her daughter Pearl because Hester had committed adultery. The people do not have anything personal against Hester but they shame her because they know that if they do not shame her, they will also be ridiculed. They must conform to the idea that Hester Prynne is a horrible person, otherwise they face the consequence of being labeled as her equal. It is a one sided issue. The people were either against Hester, or they were with her. This type of conformity can be dangerous because the people are motivated to conform out of pressure and fear from others, rather than it being because they do not want to be an outcast. This kind of conformity can lead to the loss of