Commentary on The Lottery Essay

The Lottery

The Lottery, written in 1948 by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about a small village that holds an annual drawing of the lottery. To most the lottery is perceived as positive if won. In Jacksons story the winner of the lottery is stoned to death as a sacrifice a good season of crops. The winner of the lottery is more than likely the rest of the village, and the loser being the one who was sacrificed. The Lottery can have multiple themes, but an interesting theme to focus and analyze would be tradition. Old Man Warner, Tessie Hutchinson, and Mr. Summers are characters in this story who express the traditions and customs in The Lottery.

Old Man Warner, being given the name old man, is the oldest member of the town. The Original Paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born (3) lets the reader know the Old Man Warner was the eldest, also making it obvious that he also had survived and lived through seventy-seven lotteries. Mr. Warners view on tradition was strict and stubborn. He strongly believed in keeping the tradition alive. When he heard that some towns had given up the lottery he was not too pleased with this idea, Pack of crazy fools, he said. Listening to the young folks, nothings good enough for them. (7) was his response. Even during the lottery when the school girls were speaking amongst themselves Mr. Warner stated his feelings on how things were already changing when he said, Its not the way it used to be. People aint the way they used to be (10).

Mr. Summers is a married man with no children who owns his own coal business. He makes time to volunteer for the community and he is in charge of the towns annual tradition of the lottery. He prepares the papers the night before and initiates the reading of the names. Mr. Summers holds the tradition of the lottery, yet he attempts to make changes to it. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anythings being done (3). Before using pieces of paper the lottery use to use wood chips, Mr. Summers was successful in making such a change. His argument stated, Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny but not that the population was more than three hundred and likely to keep on growing it was necessary to use something that would fit more easily into the black box (3). Mr. Summers may have been the one in charge of preparing and holding the lottery but the towns citizens had a lot of say in what was changed when it came to the little details about the customs of the annual lottery.

Tessie Hutchinson was not a winner of the lottery some would say. At the beginning of the lottery she was energetic and in a pleasant mood, appearing to have to problem taking part in the days events which is evident as soon as she arrived to the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulder and slid into place in the back of the crowd. Clean forgot what day it was she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to he, and they both laughed softly (4). She began to argue the way the tradition was handled by Mr. Summers and the rest of the villagers when it was her familys name that was drawn from the box. Showing how quickly and easily someone can be willing to go against tradition given a certain situation. Tessie Hutchinson Shouted to Mr. Summers, you didnt give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasnt fair (8). When it was Tessies families turn to draw from the black box to see which member of the Hutchinson family was going to be sacrificed, knowing that once married her daughter could not draw with her family; she tried to convince Mr. Summers to include her married daughter to lessen her chances of being chosen. Theres Don and Eva, Mrs. Hutchinson yelled. Make them take their chance. Daughters draw with their Husbands families, Tessie, you know that as well as anyone else (8). The tradition of the lottery was held so strong on the towns members, even Tessies own children and Husband did not take her side when she tried to plea for her life.

In Conclusion tradition plays an important role in the lottery or else there might not even be one. To the People of the town it was so natural to have a lottery no one ever questioned it even if they did not have a good turnout of crops following that year, they still continued on with the tradition. They never ask why, they just know it is something they have to do. Mr. Warner is one character that does not like to change tradition or put a stop to it at any means, he is set with keeping things exactly the way they are. Mr. Summers holds the towns tradition but attempts and at times makes slight changes to the lottery that someone with common sense knows there needs to be a change, like using paper in place of wood chips. Tessie appears to go along with the tradition just as any other member of the community. When she is displeased with the results of the lottery she has no hesitation in arguing the way things were done and the rules of the lottery. All these characters play an important role in tradition but each one holds their own value of how important tradition really is.