Matt Gustafson
Brisson
ENG_112_52
15 September 2016
“The Lottery”, an idiosyncrasy full of twisted hidden symbolisms and horror by Shirley Jackson. The symbolisms, the black box, the three legged stool and the stones used in the lottery, are a vivid reference to a sociological event where tradition outweighs moral rationalism. It’s a well written fictional illustration, yet fierce in its details and horror against a human agency where the long history of the tradition, The Lottery, morally crushes rationalism. The black box is a representative statue in the town’s conformity to a tradition which occurs yearly on the morning of June27th that has clouded the judgment, good practical moral standards from the adults all the way down to the …show more content…
The stool can easily be toppled, just by removing one leg of the three legs, a visual reference to a community religious or one that could crumble and implode at any moment due to traditional liberal morality, a moral code derived from reason, being over turned by traditional morality, a moral code based on culture or history. So when Mrs. Hutchinson, Tessie, some of the younger village members state that there are other villages that have given up the ritualistic tradition of the lottery, as stated by Mrs. Adams, “Some places have already quit lotteries” (36), this small group show signs that they are beginning to grow a moral attitude. Then Old Man Warner voices his own hardened opinion about upholding the lottery and that it must continue as part of the village’s historical tradition. He states “There’s always been a lottery” (5). He proudly declares that he has survived 77 lotteries. “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery, “Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd. “Seventy-seventh time.” (43). Warner then proceeds to state those villagers that want to give up the lottery are a “Pack of young fools” (37). Clearly in Warner’s eyes, just because people have always done something justifies its existence. The shear defiance between the younger and elder folk of the village is a much needed sign for a change. The reality is that the lack …show more content…
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.”(76) The villagers are all too eager to embrace what remains, eagerly picking up the stones and carrying on the “tradition” for another year. Not only is stoning a particularly horrifying way to imagine dying, it's also, always, a crowd-generated death. In other words, stones allow everyone in the village to participate freely in the ritual, from the youngest children to Old Man Warner. The stoning, or lapidating, a method of communal capital punishment with a strong religious association where groups of people throw stones at a person until they die is significant to an early form of murder. In other words, stoning is the classic means for expelling an outsider to reinforce group beliefs, the end of morality. Mrs. Hutchinson, Tessie, throughout the ritualistic process avidly voices her opinion on how she feels about the event especially right after her husband; Bill draws the piece of paper with the black dot in the middle of it. “It’s Hutchinson. It’s Bill,” “Bill Hutchinson’s got it” (46). Tessie then says “It wasn’t fair” (54). Tessie from that point on is not only scared, but out right terrorized of the thought that one of her family members is about to die a horrific death at the hands
Brisson
ENG_112_52
15 September 2016
“The Lottery”, an idiosyncrasy full of twisted hidden symbolisms and horror by Shirley Jackson. The symbolisms, the black box, the three legged stool and the stones used in the lottery, are a vivid reference to a sociological event where tradition outweighs moral rationalism. It’s a well written fictional illustration, yet fierce in its details and horror against a human agency where the long history of the tradition, The Lottery, morally crushes rationalism. The black box is a representative statue in the town’s conformity to a tradition which occurs yearly on the morning of June27th that has clouded the judgment, good practical moral standards from the adults all the way down to the …show more content…
The stool can easily be toppled, just by removing one leg of the three legs, a visual reference to a community religious or one that could crumble and implode at any moment due to traditional liberal morality, a moral code derived from reason, being over turned by traditional morality, a moral code based on culture or history. So when Mrs. Hutchinson, Tessie, some of the younger village members state that there are other villages that have given up the ritualistic tradition of the lottery, as stated by Mrs. Adams, “Some places have already quit lotteries” (36), this small group show signs that they are beginning to grow a moral attitude. Then Old Man Warner voices his own hardened opinion about upholding the lottery and that it must continue as part of the village’s historical tradition. He states “There’s always been a lottery” (5). He proudly declares that he has survived 77 lotteries. “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery, “Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd. “Seventy-seventh time.” (43). Warner then proceeds to state those villagers that want to give up the lottery are a “Pack of young fools” (37). Clearly in Warner’s eyes, just because people have always done something justifies its existence. The shear defiance between the younger and elder folk of the village is a much needed sign for a change. The reality is that the lack …show more content…
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.”(76) The villagers are all too eager to embrace what remains, eagerly picking up the stones and carrying on the “tradition” for another year. Not only is stoning a particularly horrifying way to imagine dying, it's also, always, a crowd-generated death. In other words, stones allow everyone in the village to participate freely in the ritual, from the youngest children to Old Man Warner. The stoning, or lapidating, a method of communal capital punishment with a strong religious association where groups of people throw stones at a person until they die is significant to an early form of murder. In other words, stoning is the classic means for expelling an outsider to reinforce group beliefs, the end of morality. Mrs. Hutchinson, Tessie, throughout the ritualistic process avidly voices her opinion on how she feels about the event especially right after her husband; Bill draws the piece of paper with the black dot in the middle of it. “It’s Hutchinson. It’s Bill,” “Bill Hutchinson’s got it” (46). Tessie then says “It wasn’t fair” (54). Tessie from that point on is not only scared, but out right terrorized of the thought that one of her family members is about to die a horrific death at the hands