Religious Tradition in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay

Religious Tradition in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery While The Lottery is a fictitious story it can be argued that it mirrors the attitude of American culture in how it addresses religious tradition in its major holidays and celebrations. Two of the biggest holidays in the United States are Christmas and Easter. Both of which are derived from Christian beliefs. Even though The Lottery is apparently a pagan ritual, violent and horrific, it is appropriate, only by the fact that the participants no longer remember, or seem to care, what the original intent of the ritual or the significance of its traditions. When we are introduced to the lottery, we see the traditions that are currently observed. These include†¦show more content†¦Only when we are introduced to Old Man Warner, the only man in the village old enough to remember some of the traditions, do we get an idea of the purpose of the lottery. It seems to be a pagan harvest ritual, as expressed by his old saying: Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon (Jackson 369). By participating in the lottery the villages crops will prove to be bountiful. He justifies the use of the lottery simply by stating ?There?s always been a lottery? (Jackson 369). Furthermore, Old Man Warner is horrified at the thought of ever stopping the lottery. When another villager speaks of other towns that have done away with the lottery he says, ?Pack of crazy fools? (Jackson 369),and ?Nothing but trouble in that? (Jackson 369) Only two traditions survive from the original ritual: the drawing of lots by the head of the households and subsequent drawing of the chosen family, and the use of stones for the dastardly deed. By using the heads of households in the initial round of the lottery, the blame could be passed off to him. The eldest men, and only the men were supposed to draw from the first round as expressed by ?Don?t you have a grown boy to do it for you, Janey (Jackson 368) and ?Glad to see your mother?s got a man to do it.? (Jackson 368) were responsible for their families and the man who drew theShow MoreRelatedUse of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1146 Words   |  5 Pagesbulb represents ideas that just sparked into a character’s head. In the short story, â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, a village has just entered the month of June, meaning that the lottery is to begin. When everyone was present, the heads of the households’ names were called one by one to pick up a slip of paper. It was then discovered that the Hutchinson family was the chosen family to participate in the lottery again. When Mr. Hutchinson, Mrs. Hutchinson, Bill Jr., Nancy, and Little Dave each gotRead MoreCatholicism Exposed in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1303 Words   |  6 PagesTraditions are something that are passed from generation to generation. Tradition becomes a part of who we are as a scociety. Shirley Jackson mocks society’s way of blindly following certain traditions. Characteristics of Jackson’s story create a parallel with Catholicism, by harping on our fear of change but our ability to manipulate what we want from our traditions and the basis of Catholicism’s belief of the innocen ce in children. Shirley Jacksons short story The Lottery has created a clearRead MoreEssay The Truth in the Lottery1338 Words   |  6 Pagesreally has an answer for it, we just do. Traditions are something that is passed from generation to generation, even if we have no backing for what we do, we just know its â€Å"good† and its â€Å"tradition† so its apart of us. Shirley Jackson mocks our way of blindly following certain traditions. Characteristics of Jackson’s story create a parallel with Catholicism, by harping on our fear of change but our ability to manipulate what we want from our traditions and the basis of Catholicism’s belief of theRead MoreCompare and Contrast Essay1047 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Lottery† By: Melissa A. Reeves Professor Andrew Smith ENGL 102-B46 LUO Thesis Statement The stories â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† both appear to show that human behavior and judgment can be flawed, even if the person’s intentions appear good to them. There is a level of fear and underlying evil in Puritan settings in both stories. I. Introduction/Statement of Thesis II. Themes and Author’s Purpose A. The Lottery i. 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For example, the author makes it blatantly clear in the beginning of the story that The Lottery, the village’s annual ritual, which involves a human sacrifice is beginning to have lesser and lesser symbolic value to the villagers as opposed to when it began due to a lack of un derstanding in regard to the tradition’s significance. SecondlyRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson811 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† was published by Shirley Jackson. The story was true expression of Jackson’s genuine thoughts about human beings and their heinous competence in an annual village event for corn harvest . First, her used to word symbolized main point of the story. Second, Jackson was inspired by few historical events happened in the past and a life incident in her life. Lastly, She was able to accomplish the connection between historical and biographical with the story. Therefore, Shirley Jackson’sRead MoreComparing and Contrasting Young Goodman Brown and the Lottery925 Words   |  4 PagesContrasting â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Lottery† By: Wayne Gillard II Professor C. Givens ENGL 102-B19 Wayne Gillard Prof. Givens ENGL 102-B19 Essay 1 Outline Thesis: The literary works of â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† both appear to show the fallibleness of human behavior and judgment. I. Introduction/Statement of Thesis II. Themes and Author’s Purpose a. The Lottery i. The hazards of following tradition or living according to society norms; doingRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small New England town. The town’s people have performed the lottery for more than seventy years. Shirley Jackson gives â€Å"The Lottery† a whole different meaning . The lottery is used for a public stoning, opposing to the very first thing that approaches to a reader s mind when they think of the lottery; a big amount of money . The reader sees both literal and metaphorical meaning of the Shirley Jackson’s short storyRead MoreLiterary Elements in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1334 Words   |  6 Pagesbut think it was innocent because of how they blindly followed a tradition? The short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson communicates this theme by showing how the villagers participate in a lottery every year. In life, there are people who follow tradition because the have to, or they are used to following without question. The author, Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1937, Shirley Jackson attended Syracuse University where she began to write short