The Lottery - Or was It? Essay Example

The Lottery is a story about a small village that takes part in an annual tradition that appears to be practiced in that region. Nevertheless, unlike other lotteries where people get to walk away with prices and other goods after winning the lottery, this particular lottery was far from the widely-known lottery. It was often held on the morning of the 27th during the summer and in areas where the population was bigger, it started on the 26th. All the villagers were expected to meet at a central point where they would gather with all the members of their households and families. Once everyone had gathered in the central point, the men were expected to pick pieces of paper from the black box and after every man or representative had picked the pieces of paper, only one had a black dot. That family would then go through another small lottery to determine which member of the family had ‘won’. But what was the price? Being stoned. This is a story that looks at the inhumane nature of human beings in a manner that is relatable. It summarizes an example of how traditions and social pressures continue to influence the lives of many societies all over the world. The title, in itself, is a reflection of what people expect but in most cases, the complete opposite is achieved as a result of inhumanity.

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The lottery had been a village tradition for a long time. There is supporting evidence that shows the reader how old the process was. The reader is introduced to Mr. Summers, a community leader who appears to be well respected and the organizer of this year's lottery. Mr. Summers had been charged with the responsibility of not only conducting the lottery but safeguarding the black box that was used during the ceremony. The black box was also part of the lottery tradition as it was constructed when the first group of people settled in that village (Jackson, 2). The box's original wood had been preserved over the years as a way of honoring this tradition but as expected, gone were the days when the box was black. It had faded over the years and although one could tell that its original color was black, it was also stained and faded in some places (Jackson, 2). Mr. Summers had tried to persuade his fellow villagers to make a new box but that debate never saw the light of day.

As the old wooden box, people in this village were reluctant to change these traditions. As soon as someone mentioned change, he or she was quickly dismissed and their opinions fell on deaf ears. Old Man Warner was the oldest man in the village and he had seen and participated in the lottery more times than any other person in the villages. In a conversation between him and Mrs. Adams, it is evident that he was one of those who were opposed to the idea of having the lottery done away with. Mrs. Adams mentions to him that some places were already quitting the lotteries and she is instantly met with disagreement from Old Man Warner. “Nothing but trouble in that. Pack of young fools,” he said (Jackson, 5). According to Old Man Warner, nothing was good enough for the young people. He argued that giving up the lottery was equivalent to going back to live in the caves. To him, the lottery ensured that the village was fed with corn and not chickweed and acorns, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.” (Jackson, 4). Judging from his argument, one would think that the lottery was very beneficial to the community and its existence pushed for the well-being of the villagers. However, the true meaning behind the lottery was the contrary.

Social pressure is a common part of life. It is as a result of majority influence or conformity. In most cases, those who conform feel like they have no choice since everyone is doing it. The downside of social pressure is that people will often take part in negative activities because others are doing so. At the beginning of the story, the reader is introduced to groups of children who are playing while collecting stones. The boys are either stuffing the stones in their pockets or piling them at a corner (Jackson, 1). However, this behavior seems to be acceptable by both the children and the parents as none of them speaks against having stones and pebbles in one's pocket as if they are preparing for war. Apart from the fact that this behavior is a tradition, the fact that almost everyone in the crowd was doing it makes it 'right'.

However, one of the most outstanding topics of all in this story is the man's inhumanity to his fellow man. This topic is not new to the readers because it is evident in the environment around us and has been for a long time. Taking human life by fellow humans is one of the oldest deeds – as old as giving life in the form of birth. The reasons behind such actions vary from one individual to another or from the community to the community. In this story, the lottery price is being stoned, which is only revealed at the end of the story. This means that from the start of the story, everyone including the young ones knew what the lottery meant. It explains why they are busy collecting small stones and pebbles and stalking them in their pockets or piling them in a corner. This simple act is a sign of the passing on of traditions from one generation to another. When Bill Hutchinson selects the piece of paper with a black dot on it, his family is subjected to another lottery to determine who in the family will be stoned. Surprisingly, the youngest member of the family – little Dave – also takes part in the lottery with the help of his father (Jackson, 6). Unfortunately or fortunately, Tessie Hutchinson, the wife to Bill Hutchinson picks the dotted paper.

This entire process was started when the first people settled in the area. This means that they too selected a single individual to stone for reasons that were only well-known to them. However, after years went by, the same tradition was carried forward to the generations that followed. According to Old Man Warner, this ceremony ensured that they had a good corn harvest during summer which could only indicate that the community did this a sacrifice which was rewarded by a good harvest. But why would an entire community agree to offer a human sacrifice? Social pressure, traditions, and heritage. In this case, one single individual was used as a scapegoat for the entire community in a manner that was considered to be fair since each household randomly selected a folded paper that either had a black dot or not.

Different communities have different traditions that are passed on from one generation to another. Social pressure ensures that everyone follows these traditions without fail. However, the fact that certain traditions have been practiced for a long time does not make them right. In this particular story, beating someone with stones in front of their families and friends and they have done nothing wrong is wrong. This is inhumane and as such, there is a need to review such traditions and analyze the effects of continuing with them. The story also serves an example of how harmful traditions are continuously encouraged and when people like Tessie and Mrs. Adams try to speak against it they are met with negative responses and in some cases, no one seems to care. Like the wooden box that has faded over time but people still cling to it, is the same way people in our societies cling to bad traditions that have faded over time and are in one way or another irrelevant.

Work Cited

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” (1948): 1-8.