The Lottery

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

"Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box" (Jackson, page 265).

The symbol and purpose of the black box along with the tradition behind the lottery captivates the main theme of the short story. The theme of the people following the tradition blindly only because it is tradition and not because they know the true meaning of the lottery. Even though the people of the town are unenthusiastic about the lottery, no one wants to break the tradition even in the slightest by making a new box. Furthermore, the human sacrifice was initially to allow for healthy crops but the tradition was outdated and the townspeople did not understand it so there was no reason for the tradition. When mentioned to rid of the lottery, Old Man Warner said that was dumb and the young people were taking away from the tradition. In society today, people can be caught following traditions that could be cruel or unnecessary in current culture. Furthermore, people can find themselves following a ritual or tradition that is outdated and the meaning is not understood anymore. The scapegoat of the lottery was Tessie Hutchinson. Tessie was pick at random from the town. She acts as the sacrifice for the crops to flourish. In this way, Tessie became the scapegoat of the lottery for the townspeople.