The Lottery By Shirley Jackson: Literary Analysis

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson describes a village that follows a tradition that is inhumane without a question because it is their tradition that has been passed down for many generations. One of the literary critic said, “…it describes man’s victimization by… ‘unexamined and unchanging traditions which he could easily change if he only realized their implications.’ ” In the story, the lottery takes place every single year with the head of the family drawing a paper and one of the family member in that family is killed by the villagers. This tradition or ritual has been practiced since the creation of the village. The theme of the story is that people follow the tradition or ritual blindly just because it has been practiced for a long period of time whether or not it is the right thing to do. …show more content…
It states, “the original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago” (Jackson, 1949, 1). The black box is shabby, the “much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded” (Jackson, 1949, 2), the villagers doesn’t even follow the exact steps of the ritual any longer, and they don’t even remember the exact ritual. The older generation thinks the lottery is a tradition that shouldn’t be touched and something that must be followed without any question. However on the other hand, the younger generation thinks that this is irrational and inhumane. Therefore, the village in the north decided to abandon the