One reason why the “The Lottery” is a superstition is because the city is afraid that they wouldn't receive enough food when the harvesting season arrives. This can be viewed as a superstition as it might be considered “bad luck” if they do not conduct the lottery, which is kind of similar to the superstitions today, such as “Walking under a ladder” or “A black cat crossing the street”. According to Old Man Warner on line 277, “ Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon….soon we’d all be back to eating stewed chickweed and acorns.” Consequently, this superstition cannot be a tradition, since the majority of the population in the city are afraid of winning the lottery, as they do not want to get stoned to death. If they considered it a tradition,
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As many people are afraid of being sacrificed, they believe that it is unfair that they become chosen to become an “offering” to nature. For instance, from lines 300-320, Ms. Hutchinson argues that Bill Hutchinson did not have enough time to pick a slip, thus receiving the one with the black spot. Moreover, on line 430, when Tessie Hutchinson received the slip with the black dot, she cried out, “ ‘It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.’....and then they were upon her,”. Therefore, people in the town only believe that the lottery is not fair when they themselves get chosen to be stoned to death. Likewise, children in the city also start becoming more fond of each other, and are nervous that their friends and family will get stoned to death. On line 380-381, a girl whispers, “ ‘ I hope it’s not Nancy’............’It’s not the way it used to be,’ Old Man Warner said clearly.” As the new generations of children arrive, they become more affectionate to one another, compared to the older generations of people, like Old Man Warner, and even people like Mrs.Dunbar, making the lottery have a negative impact, rather than a “positive” impact for the
As many people are afraid of being sacrificed, they believe that it is unfair that they become chosen to become an “offering” to nature. For instance, from lines 300-320, Ms. Hutchinson argues that Bill Hutchinson did not have enough time to pick a slip, thus receiving the one with the black spot. Moreover, on line 430, when Tessie Hutchinson received the slip with the black dot, she cried out, “ ‘It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.’....and then they were upon her,”. Therefore, people in the town only believe that the lottery is not fair when they themselves get chosen to be stoned to death. Likewise, children in the city also start becoming more fond of each other, and are nervous that their friends and family will get stoned to death. On line 380-381, a girl whispers, “ ‘ I hope it’s not Nancy’............’It’s not the way it used to be,’ Old Man Warner said clearly.” As the new generations of children arrive, they become more affectionate to one another, compared to the older generations of people, like Old Man Warner, and even people like Mrs.Dunbar, making the lottery have a negative impact, rather than a “positive” impact for the