The lottery By: Shirley Jackson

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The Lottery: Shirley Jackson
In this short narrative, Jackson uses plot, setting, and symbolism along with man vs. society conflict to illustrate the theme of tradition. Tradition implies the practices that people engage in for the simple reason that they have always been there. The title of the story is a tradition in itself. It is a thought-provoking story that makes use of literary devices in the twist and turn of events bringing about an unexpected end. It is interesting to note the ambiguity presented by the author as regards to the reason behind the lottery in a society that blindly follows tradition.
In developing the theme of tradition, Jackson draws a well-developed plot that clearly illustrates the theme of tradition. The initial situation is the expression of an easy summer day when people begin to gather to hold a lottery for a prize that is not revealed at the beginning. Conflict sets in when Bill Hutchinson gets the lottery and his wife, Tess strongly disagrees with the results. The plot thickens when Bill’s family members draw timidly from the box, and the complication is in finding out who the winner of the lottery is. At the climax, Tess claims the lottery, and she becomes unhappy. There is suspense in Tess’ protests, and she is in dire desperation. In the denouement to resolve the suspense, the villagers stone Tess to death – the prize of the lottery. The lottery is an annual tradition the villager’s practice.

The villagers neither have the knowledge of how the tradition began nor the end of it. It is a natural force that drives people furiously against the winner, and no one can dissuade it.
Jackson’s story is dominated by symbolism, with the most rudimentary symbol being the lottery itself. The lottery is a representation of tradition, precisely, the kind that goes unquestioned. The destructive nature of traditions such as “the lottery” is harder to see when they exist in our societies compared to when other less familiar societies practice them. The method used to kill the winners of the lottery is also symbolic in the sense that many communities (even in history) execute lawbreakers through stoning. Stoning is connected to the tradition of the ancient Jews and Christians seen from stories like the stoning of martyrs. By choosing to execute by stoning, it is clear that the society, instead of an individual, plays the protagonist role. Halloween is also symbolic to the horror that comes with tradition given that no other Christian holidays is mentioned.
The story does not give a precise name to the village where the lottery is set; implying that the setting could be any village. The initial tranquility perceived from the setting contrasts sharply to the inherent brutality in the tradition. Children gather and pile up stones at the corner of the square like it is a normal thing to do. The charming little town does not connote such a barbaric custom from the initial scenes. The setting is ironical to the actual proceedings of the story.
In conclusion, the story is a dramatic story filled with situations of irony. The author hints as the story develops as much as it is seen from the conclusion that over time, the practice has lost meaning, even though the villagers acclaim meaning to it; the reason for conducting it at a specific time – the beginning of the year. The author skillfully incorporates setting and symbolism into the plot to convey the message that tradition should not be followed blindly.