-
Essay / The Lottery: How Humans Mistreat Each Other Based on Their Cultural Beliefs
“The Lottery” is a short story in which Shirley Jackson, the author, presents an often unpublished view of the tradition. Jackson reveals the many evils committed by humanity. This story takes place in a small village, where residents participate in traditional cultures and practices. In this short story, the town holds an annual tradition in which an individual from the town is chosen at random to be stoned by their friends and family members. The atmosphere created by Jackson during his presentation shows that the absolute standard of lottery practice within the city is quite convincing and that it is a normal thing for city members. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe ultimate fate of all practices presented is marked by “death”, seen as the deliverer of many evils that people commit against each other. Although this story is not dominated by a lot of action, the characterization is well defined by how little action the characters involve. One of the most notable characterization tools in this short story is action. For example, Mrs. Delacroix is presented in the story as being a very driven and impatient woman. An example that justifies this is “so big she had to pick it up with both hands…”. Furthermore, the events of this short story seem as if Jackson is revealing the hypocrisy and wickedness of humankind. As the story goes, “They greeted each other and exchanged gossip…abusing each other without a hint of pity…”. It should be closely noted that this story depicts the greatest evil committed in a completely ordinary way, implying a hidden evil of man. This is clear evidence of how such presented evils occur in a merely friendly atmosphere, reflecting the masking nature of humans. Although the story is not treacherous until its end, Jackson seems to foreshadow this notion of mortality as highlighted by Mr. Summers. , who oversees the lottery, and his colleague Mr. Graves. Mr. Summers' photo makes him appear to be a very honored man as he coordinates various social activities. Mr. Summers' unassuming, yet very dangerous, nature is reported by Shirley: "Mr. Summers was very good at all this...with one hand resting casually on the black box, he seemed very proper and important as he spoke interminably to Mr. Graves and the Martins.” Many activities may seem normal by village standards, but they mimic high levels of human rights violations. The main characters describe the mood of the real events in this short story. For example, “Summers” symbolizes the vital theme of the story and the end result of all the events. Additionally, the name of Mr. Summer's colleague Mr. Graves, who happens to be his assistant, portends injustice to ordinary people. The imagery is clearly highlighted when the author gives the names of the main characters who illustrate the whole theme. Along with hypocrisy, “Lottery” presents the weakness of human nature. Considering that this act of lottery has been “usual” in this village for many years, no one seems to question its negative impacts on human well-being. As Jackson reflects, "There was always a lottery and no one was nervous about it...everyone just kept going..." reveals how self-righteous the people of the village were. According to Hyman, no one expressed fear or disgust, even though it deprives humans of their natural rights to survival. The kind of..