The Theme Of Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

The Lottery - Essay Assignment Traditions have been around for as long as humankind, but sometimes their origins are lost in time. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” the theme of tradition masks the evil present in society by excusing it. This is demonstrated through examining the symbols, aspects of the plot, and its characters. Jackson uses these elements to portray the negative effects of tradition. First, Jackson uses the symbol of the black box to illustrate how it expresses its evil influence as no one wants to alter it. “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 1). Since the box has been around in this village for so long, people do not want to think about changing it. While completely ignoring the fact of its use, no thought is aroused about the box as it remains tucked away until the annual day. “The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another;” (Jackson 2). For three hundred sixty-four days of the year, the community goes …show more content…
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones… Mrs. Hutchinson screamed and then they were upon her” (Jackson 7). The only thing that is remembered is the use of stones but not the origin or the purpose. Meaning, they are performing the tradition incorrectly. Thus Mrs. Hutchinson’s slow and unjust death could be possibly avoided. Secondly, Mrs. Hutchinson’s baby son, despite having a choice, follows traditions. “And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” (Jackson 7). The action of arming a child with stones to throw at his mother is an example of the violence permitted by tradition. No one recognizes this as a vile act because they are focused on following the