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Old Man Warner: The Custodian of Tradition
Character: Old Man Warner
Plot: The Lottery follows a community detached from its humanity that allows cruelty and its blind faith in tradition to drive it into making inhumane decisions.
Setting: The early hours of June 27th in a monotonous town with a population of about three hundred people. Old Man Warner is a symbol of the conservative archetype that dominates the plot of the short story as a central character in The Lottery,. Tradition is a central theme in the short story since the town’s lottery is a tradition practiced by the inhabitants of the town for many years. In fact, in this particular edition of the lottery, he will be participating for his 77th time. As …show more content…
To comprehend the supernatural significance of the lottery in the life of the village, one has to study its history. Old Man Warner believes that the natural implications that may arise out of abandoning the lottery make the tradition a natural aspect of their life as a village. The reader cannot determine the truth behind the statements that Old Man Warner makes in a bold attempt at preserving the existence of the lottery. By tying the lottery to nature, he ensures that the practice brings a natural feeling to all the villagers eroding any misgivings or guild that may be existing among them. In fact, it is clear that the villagers mainly refrain from questioning the tradition of the lottery because such an action is equivalent to questioning the natural cohabitation of individuals as communities. The ritual’s antiquity, its natural ties and its unknown origins all direct the reader into accepting that it has a pre-civilization mythical past. Old Man Warner fears that the absence of the ritual would degrade the community to the lifestyle of a hunter and gatherer instead of farming. In this regard, he states, “First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns" (Jackson 33). Old Man Warner connects the tradition to nature as a way of making the lottery appear …show more content…
Stereotypically, old men tend to possess the tendency of reminiscing the old days when things happened in a particular manner. In addition, they detest the manner in which young men lack discipline in conducting their affairs in the modern era. According to Old Man Warner, “It's not the way it used to be [...] People ain't the way they used to be" (Jackson 69). He makes this statement as a way of supporting the tradition of the lottery that seems to be dying slowly. The truthfulness of his proclamation is insignificant in this case because he is the supreme voice of tradition in the town and he speaks only in defense of it. The most prominent force of resistance to the tradition of the lottery exists among the young people of the town who are most vocal in opposing the continued practice. Old Man Warner calls them a "Pack of crazy fools […] nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves" (Jackson 33). To him, they represent a backward trend that will eventually end up dooming the fate of the entire community. By refusing to adhere to the traditions passed down to them by their ancestors, they lack discipline and are lazy. Old Man Warner acts as the defender of tradition when he shows resentment for new ways and detests the alleged absence
Tutor:
Course:
Date:
Old Man Warner: The Custodian of Tradition
Character: Old Man Warner
Plot: The Lottery follows a community detached from its humanity that allows cruelty and its blind faith in tradition to drive it into making inhumane decisions.
Setting: The early hours of June 27th in a monotonous town with a population of about three hundred people. Old Man Warner is a symbol of the conservative archetype that dominates the plot of the short story as a central character in The Lottery,. Tradition is a central theme in the short story since the town’s lottery is a tradition practiced by the inhabitants of the town for many years. In fact, in this particular edition of the lottery, he will be participating for his 77th time. As …show more content…
To comprehend the supernatural significance of the lottery in the life of the village, one has to study its history. Old Man Warner believes that the natural implications that may arise out of abandoning the lottery make the tradition a natural aspect of their life as a village. The reader cannot determine the truth behind the statements that Old Man Warner makes in a bold attempt at preserving the existence of the lottery. By tying the lottery to nature, he ensures that the practice brings a natural feeling to all the villagers eroding any misgivings or guild that may be existing among them. In fact, it is clear that the villagers mainly refrain from questioning the tradition of the lottery because such an action is equivalent to questioning the natural cohabitation of individuals as communities. The ritual’s antiquity, its natural ties and its unknown origins all direct the reader into accepting that it has a pre-civilization mythical past. Old Man Warner fears that the absence of the ritual would degrade the community to the lifestyle of a hunter and gatherer instead of farming. In this regard, he states, “First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns" (Jackson 33). Old Man Warner connects the tradition to nature as a way of making the lottery appear …show more content…
Stereotypically, old men tend to possess the tendency of reminiscing the old days when things happened in a particular manner. In addition, they detest the manner in which young men lack discipline in conducting their affairs in the modern era. According to Old Man Warner, “It's not the way it used to be [...] People ain't the way they used to be" (Jackson 69). He makes this statement as a way of supporting the tradition of the lottery that seems to be dying slowly. The truthfulness of his proclamation is insignificant in this case because he is the supreme voice of tradition in the town and he speaks only in defense of it. The most prominent force of resistance to the tradition of the lottery exists among the young people of the town who are most vocal in opposing the continued practice. Old Man Warner calls them a "Pack of crazy fools […] nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves" (Jackson 33). To him, they represent a backward trend that will eventually end up dooming the fate of the entire community. By refusing to adhere to the traditions passed down to them by their ancestors, they lack discipline and are lazy. Old Man Warner acts as the defender of tradition when he shows resentment for new ways and detests the alleged absence