Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery
Shirley Jackson’s fictitious story entitled “The Lottery” is an allegorical examination into the underpinnings of societal rituals and traditions as well as how these rituals affect both social and political cultures. Although Jackson presents her literary work as a somewhat simplistic story about a village that holds an annual lottery every summer, the themes governing the story’s plot and underpinnings delve into a deeper analysis regarding the effects and consequences of a political oligarchy on its citizens. Rooted in long-standing tradition, the lottery is conducted in a way that illustrates the hierarchy of an organization of people controlled by [misguided] ideology—albeit somewhat lost in translation over the many years—and outcome.
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Jackson describes the men in the town as industrious and hard-working, discussing farming and taxes (economics). The women, on the other hand, are described wearing “faded dresses” and relegated to “gossiping” (lack of economics). There is also an instance in the story when Bobby Martin, Jr. is called by his mom to come to her; the boy ignores her and continues to play with friends. When his father, on the other hand, calls to him in a more assertive tone, it is inferred that the boy immediately listens and runs to his father. The roles between the men and the women in this village is important because it clearly defines the expectations of the working men and the functions of the women, who keep the house and the children. Though today these roles would be defined as maybe sexist and stereotypical, Jackson alludes to a time period in which men are seen and defined as the “bread winners” and leaders of their households and in their communities. The rules of the lottery, therein, affect the heads of households because it is they who take part in the lottery by approaching the dreaded black box, taking a slip of paper from the box, and awaiting to see who has “won” the lottery if the black dot appears on a slip of
Jackson describes the men in the town as industrious and hard-working, discussing farming and taxes (economics). The women, on the other hand, are described wearing “faded dresses” and relegated to “gossiping” (lack of economics). There is also an instance in the story when Bobby Martin, Jr. is called by his mom to come to her; the boy ignores her and continues to play with friends. When his father, on the other hand, calls to him in a more assertive tone, it is inferred that the boy immediately listens and runs to his father. The roles between the men and the women in this village is important because it clearly defines the expectations of the working men and the functions of the women, who keep the house and the children. Though today these roles would be defined as maybe sexist and stereotypical, Jackson alludes to a time period in which men are seen and defined as the “bread winners” and leaders of their households and in their communities. The rules of the lottery, therein, affect the heads of households because it is they who take part in the lottery by approaching the dreaded black box, taking a slip of paper from the box, and awaiting to see who has “won” the lottery if the black dot appears on a slip of