In The Lottery Chris Abani shows how religion was a big part of his village. First, people have different views on whats just and not just. This is way crimes such as murders are committed by some and not by others. One day in Chris village a man was accused of stealing and he wasnt given a trial. Chris religious aunt slapped the man on his way out the store which showed that she thought the man was a disgrace. During this time Chris has been reading about mob crimes. In the 70s mob lynching were becoming normal and those accused of crimes and killed for their crimes were most likely to be innocent.
This thief was surrounded by civilians and was guilty of this crime without any real proof or trial. As the crowd grew more fueled with anger they began to beat the man with braches and stones. The accuser broke through the crowd with a can filled with gasoline and a rubber tire. As he wrapped the tire he smiled and said I am doing this for you, you know. If you burn here, you wont burn in hell. God is reasonable (200). This very statement made the crowd believe that he was actually saving this man. Chris finds the sight of the mans burned body to be horrible and immoral. While the mob believed their actions were morally correct the elders thought the man deserved a fair trial. When the mans body writhing away the mob form an orderly line to spit on the man. Chris reference this to the offertory line at his Catholic Church.
The Lottery displayed how religion is missed used and over used by people. This mans death will never be investigated or even acknowledged. Chris Abani also used a lot of symbolism. The burning of the man symbolism the burning of Jesus on the cross and the man symbolism and the elders represented the people who wanted to save Jesus. This essay also, shows how social pressure played a big part in this terrible crime. Chris and the other children in the crowd were forced to watch the man burn. They were also forced to spit on this incandescent body. Chris religious aunt even fed into the heat of the moment and stoned the man and spat on him.
Chris Abani showed how mob crimes undergo little investigation and that social pressure leads to bad decisions.
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