What Is The Lottery Powerless Society

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“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, discusses a distinct class structure, which dictates the roles of the powerful and the powerless. The society appears to be egalitarian; however, it becomes abundantly clear that it is a capitalist society where oppression of the masses is evident. Those that accumulate the most wealth in the village, are those that become the most powerful; ultimately demonstrating the division of power and labour. The black box is crucial in the process of the lottery and is kept under the protection of the most powerful people within the village; those that operate and maintain the ‘capitalist’ society:
Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter, held the black box securely on the stool until Mr. Summers had stirred that papers
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An aspect that demonstrates the capitalist society that exists in the village, is the division of order and labour. Mr. Summers is seemingly the most powerful man in the village, as he provides a main source of income through his coal company, as well as possesses the most power when conducting the lottery:
The night before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made up the slips of paper and put them in the box, and it was then taken to the safe of Mr. Summers’ coal company and locked up until Mr. Summers was ready to take it to the square the next morning (353).

The capitalist society presides over the seeming egalitarian society, as the division of power is evident with Mr. Summers possessing a majority of control within the society due to owning the coal company and producing the most wealth within the
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Summers maintains the most control over the lottery, he is also accompanied by Mr. Graves and Mr. Martin, who also preserve the capitalist society. Mr. Graves contributes to the capitalist society by owning the post office, where the black box containing the fates of the villagers is sometimes kept, “The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent one year in Mr. Graves’s barn and another year underfoot in the post office” (353). Mr. Graves owns and operates the post office, which is considered a high governmental position that is essential for the functioning of the village. Due to his position in government, he possesses a substantial amount of control in the village; ultimately demonstrating the division of power contributing to the capitalism in the village. Additionally, Mr. Martin owns the grocery store, which is essential for providing the village with basic necessities. Mr. Martin also has control over the black box, “[…] sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there” (353). Due to Mr. Martin providing the community with basic necessities, he maintains a high position in the village and demonstrates the hierarchy that is present in the village. Jackson asserts that those in power of the economic and political system, create a division in class, which is evident when the lottery is

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