An interesting pattern to note in Jackson's "The Lottery" is the nonchalant attitudes of the townspeople that accompanies the drawing of the lottery. In the first paragraph we see that the lottery is held at ten in the morning so that it will be over "in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner." The village men speak of such ordinary concerns as tractors and taxes. The lottery is compared to something as mundane as square dances at the top of the fourth paragraph. Mrs. Hutchinson even almost forgets what day it is, showing up just in time to meet her fate. The box is left to deteriorate between lotteries; forgotten somewhere like a barn or the post office. It is very odd that there is all this calmness surrounding ritual murder. There is a sense that people can get used to anything for no other reason than it is tradition.
The example of the box is representative because it embodies or is central to the themes of the story. The box is kept because of tradition but no one knows why anymore. It is ordinary in a ritual that is anything but everyday. The box has been in use since before anyone can remember, its origins are hinted to in rumors and stories. Maybe it was made of part of the old box, so no one wants to replace it, it may be a link to the past. How odd that something with as significant a purpose as the black box be allowed to fall apart and be forgotten in a barn or a grocery store until the night before it is needed. People only keep the box around because it is tradition to have it, not because it fits any purpose. The box and the murder may be the only parts of the tradition that are retained.
The central theme of this story is revealed through the tools and trappings of the lottery. People keep something that is barely suitable to the task just because it is how they have always done it. Parts of the ritual are ignored haphazardly, oaths and chants forgotten, paper replacing pieces of wood but who draws the paper is strictly discussed and no one but the loser of the lottery bats an eye at a brutal murder. The people are calm because this is a tradition, the box is kept because of tradition, Mrs. Delacroix, with whom Tessie had a pleasant conversation when she arrived, picks up the biggest rock that she can to bash her friend with all in blind observation of tradition.
Classmates,
In accordance with the directions given to us we ask that you locate evidence from the text that is not adequately explained by our working thesis and make explicit the mismatch between our thesis and the evidence that you have selected. All criticism is appreciated. We reserve the right to use your post in our presentation, so be prepared to discuss what you write here in class on Friday.
-Alyssa and Greg
Instructions for online forum and in-class presentations:
Your explanation for the forum would consist of at least three paragraphs or parts that will try to accomplish the following.
In your introduction, start by noting an interesting pattern or tendency you have found in the short story. (do 1 on 10 (locating 10 (many) examples that share a trait) in order to discover the pattern). Explain what attracted you to it- why you find it potentially significant and worth looking at. This paragraph would end with a tentative theory (working thesis) about what this pattern or tendency might reveal or accomplish.
Zoom in on your representative example, some smaller part of the larger pattern and argue for its representativeness and usefulness in coming to a better understanding of your subject
Do 10 on 1 (the phrase means 10 observations and implications about one representative piece of evidence (where 10 is an arbitrary number meaning many))-analyze your representative example-sharing with your readers your observations (what you notice) and your tentative conclusions (answers to the So What? question).
Your prompt for other students would be:
1. Locate evidence from the text that is not adequately explained by the tentative conclusions (or working thesis)
2. Make explicit the apparent mismatch between the thesis and selected evidence
Having closely examined these complicating pieces of evidence (and their explanations) that you have received from other students, you need to again ask “SO WHAT?” about the apparent mismatches between your working thesis and the selected evidence and reformulate your claim (revise your working thesis) in a way that it would accommodate the evidence that didn’t fit.
Your in-class presentation would be a recapitulation of this process of thinking about the short story.
Note: SO WHAT? Is a shorthand for these:
1. What does the observation imply?
2. Why does this observation matter?
3. Where does this observation get us?
4. How can we begin to theorize the significance of the observation?
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i think the story is saying that tradions should not be upheld for the sake of upholding tradition. Just because "there's always been a lottery" does not mean there alwyas should be a lottery. the lesson applies to all that just because you have always done something that does not mean it is the right thing to do or that you should continue to do it.
ReplyDeleteI think you're posting is very accurate. I agree with the irony that Mrs. Hutchinson was the last to arrive and then she was the one that "won" the lottery.
ReplyDeleteI found Mrs. Hutchinson's nonchalant attitude very interesting. She was the only one that the story described in detail that made jokes. I agree that others discussed normal daily concerns (tractors & taxes), but the story mentions reservations by others in the crowd. For example, the men did not stand near the stones; Mrs Dunbar regretfully draws for her family; the Watson boy nervously admits he's drawing for him and his mom. All the while, Mrs. Hutchinson laughs with Mrs. Delacroix and makes the crowd laugh as her husband is going up to draw from the lottery.
I too found it interesting that the stoning ritual is still continued while parts of the ritual were given up. At the end it says that some in the crowd question the ritual. However, it goes on to say "although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost he original black box, they remembered to use stones." The husband's emotions are left out, as though he accepts his wife's fate: he holds up his wife's ticket.
Also, most interesting to me is that the logic behind the stoning ritual is never revealed. old man Warner, says that the other towns that are leaving the ritual in the past is "nothing but trouble." However, he never justifies his reasoning. No one discusses why this ritual should continue.
Alesha Bergeron
I also find your post accurate. I feel that although the townspeople are questioning their traditions, they are still afraid of change.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if it was because the lottery was not such an inconvenience as the other towns. The other towns have so many people that the lottery took two days. Here, as you mentioned, everyone is home by noon. I think the other towns were willing to give up the ritual because of the inconvenience, while the small town in the story resists change. The elder of the town even complains that the young people did not know how to think of the ritual correctly. I feel that this small town wants to cling to the old and familiar, however gruesome it might be.
I also found it interesting that Mrs. Hutchinson does not seem to object the lottery until her name is chosen. This shows that the people are blind to what this practice entails until their fate is sealed. Although she protests, the whole town bears down upon her. Her husband is even seemingly unmoved.
The ritual's purpose is never explained. There can be many reasons we could think of, but the story never gives a clue as to why, other than tradition. I think the story speaks of the dangers in participating in rituals that are not only harmful, but have no purpose to the individuals.
Morganne Glascock
I find it quite ironic that "winning" the lottery is actually losing in life. To keep a tradition so brutal and inhumane seems quite absurd. It seems as though it is almost done out of fear of change. To keep a tradition that is so wrong in such a nonchalant manner just because it is a tradition is wrong and I believe that's what the writer wants to point out. The moment when Mrs. Hutchinson screams out, "It isn't fair, it isn't right," seems to be a point at which the artists wants to point out all traditions shouldn't be kept just for the sake of tradition.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with your posting and the four comments before me, so I'll include some different points.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't any indication to suggest a reason why this ritual began, but from a reader's point of view, I think Shirley Jackson is attempting to call attention to the ghastly reality of stoning rituals around the world, for example punishment by stoning to death in the middle east. [Unrelated to story, but the movie "The Stoning of Soraya M. 2008" shows how "okay" most people are with the stoning]
In the first paragraph she talks about the day as "clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day" with flowers "blossoming". As the story progresses, it becomes more obvious that there is a twist. We clearly see this when Tessie claims that it wasn't a fair draw and requested a redo.
At one point when the Hutchinson household were drawing again, someone called out "I hope it's not Nancy," the young daughter. The reader starts to feel this sense of impending doom.
Jackson approaches this topic in almost a satirical writing style as to show the folly in thinking of the older people of the village. Old Man Warner complains about the newer generation wanting change and how he has been through 77 lottery drawings. I agree he represents an older, stubborn generation that blindly follows tradition.
The other adults can be said to represent a shift in thinking [evident in Tessie's outcries and the adult's talk of cancelling the lottery] while the younger children may represent a promise or hope for the future.
Joseph Tran
I believe the theme you have stated is the accurate one, this story definitely focuses on the blind acceptance of tradition. The villagers acceptance of this ritual has become part of their town. The townspeople almost seem anti-change even though there is no valid reason to continue with this persecution. Old Man Warner believes doing away with the lottery would return the villagers to primiative times. These people kill someone without a second thought just because it’s how things have always been done. No one stops to question the reasoning behind their tradition, the fact that it’s been done forever is all the justification they need.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most interesting things is how at the beginning of the story, Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. Hutchinson share a friendly moment before Mrs. Hutchinson goes to be with her family. However, in the end Mrs. Delacroix tells her to "be a good sport," and once Tessie is chosen to die, she picks up a stone so big it requires both hands and hurries to stone her "friend." I think this is prime example of following tradition blindly, Mrs. Delacroix was willing to be a part of the death of her friend with no remorse, only thankful it wasn't herself.
I thought your analysis was very insightful and well thoughtout. I agree with your evidence, but feel that althought the lottery participants were nonchalant about taking Mrs. Hutchinson's life they were not blase about the ceremony itself. It's treated almost like a religious experience and the participants are very reverent.
ReplyDeleteAn example of this is on the last paragraph of page 390, "The villagers kept their distance, leaving space between themselves and the stool". Also, in the same paragraph, Mr. Summers asks for some men to give him a hand and there was hesitation. It is also evident once the drawing begins that the heads of families are trepedatious about taking a slip of paper from the box.
Lastly, when it is made known that Mr. Hutchinson's family would be required to draw people become concerned about the outcome of individuals. A girl in the crowd says "I hope it isn't Nancy" and the crowd breathes a sigh of relief when little Dave's paper is blank. The people are obviously aware that what they're doing holds a consequence and react to it. Thus I don't think they are entirely nonchalant about the lottery, but rather accustom to it, like many of us are of attend a church service.
Well-done analysis of the story, I must say! The main observation I drew from reading this story was indeed how people can accept traditions simply because they are traditions, for no other reason than that. In addition to what you both observed, however, I thought it very interesting that the only people in the village who think it is unfair are those who receive the paper with the pencil spot. I think Jackson was trying to make a point about "man's inhumanity to man," so to say. No one wants to be stoned, as is obvious by the many sighs of relief, but whoever happens to have bad luck in choosing their piece of paper receives no sympathy whatsoever from anyone else. This shows how selfish humanity can be. Of course this ties into the fact that the village was blindly sustaining a tradition, but it goes even further in its exploration of just how non-empathetic human beings can act. Indeed, they are blind followers of this strange tradition's protocol to the fullest extent, not only in their actions but also in their mindsets. Their inhumanity is made all the worse because, as Trapper pointed out, they do indeed know the consequences of the ceremony, but any of them rise up in rebellion of it only if they are the unlucky ones.
ReplyDeleteI feel that your main theme of the story is very spot on. Everyone is blindly following a tradition that seems to have no logical outcome. Killing one person every year in a village of three hundred people is not cutting down on the population size or doing anything else for that matter. I also find it ironic that the villagers are all for killing one of their own with the lottery system unless their head of household "wins." This is shown by Mrs. Hutchinson who forgot that it was June 26th and got carried away doing the dishes. When she learns that her husband has picked the wrong slip of paper she says that he didn't receive enough time to pick a slip. In all actuality the entire system is up to chance. Also I think its funny how Mrs. Hutchinson's friends are so quick to kill her. For example, Mrs. Delacroix tell's Mrs. Hutchinson to "be a good sport" which she only says because her family wasn't picked. So as long as a villager's family doesn't "win" the lottery, they are fine blindly following some ridiculous tradition.
ReplyDeleteGood Job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashlyn on how ironic it is that "winning" the lottery is actually losing your life. And the irony of Mrs Hutchinson being the last to arrive, but the one "chosen" to be sacrificed is quite interesting.
But I wonder if maybe "The Lottery" was written as maybe a warning to people about rituals and traditions? Do we completely understand WHY we do certain things? You can definitely take from this story that change can be a good thing. We don't always need to do things the same as the past. We need to learn from each generation, and sometimes take a stand and stop things going on. Why didn't anyone in the story "The Lottery" stop this barbaric ritual? Why didn't any stop and actually THINK about what they were doing? That is what is so strange to me about this story...the nonchalant attitudes about sacrificing a member of the community and doing it with NO real reason other than "thats how it has always been". Mrs Hutchinson was upset when she was the "chosen" one. If this was a religious or ritual well respected and followed, why isn't she honored and even happy to be the one to get to die for her town? I am sort of just rambling, but this story has me so perplexed. I have read it at least 20 times, and every time I read it, I ask myself the same question: WHY?
Great job y'all!
Sarah A. Kirksey
PS. My gmail account is under my middle name, because it is the second g-mail account I have! I couldn't use my original account, and it wouldn't let me sign up under my first name! If you ever see Annaliese, know it is me!
I do agree with you on the central theme. You do a great job of explaining your findings. I just wanted to add that the most disturbing part to me is after the execution of Tessie, the townspeople go back home and continue their lives as if nothing happened when Ms. Summers said "Well, now guess we better get started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work." How can stoning a fellow villager to death not affect these people? It is just all about traditions! Also, The children aren't excused from the stoning. They also have to partake in the drawing of the slips and if they hold a black spot, one of them would be stoned to death themselves. This is extremely sad, knowing that these young kids watch death year and year again. Another interesting part was when Nancy and her brother laugh when they draw the blank slips because the only two people remaining are their parents. Why would they laugh when they know that their father or mother will draw the black spot and die? Finally, when it comes down to the mother and father, the mother pulls the black spot but the husband does not plead for his wife, does not plead to switch places, to take him instead of her so she could look after the children; he shows no sympathy and becomes one of the executioners. The village just seems to be brainwashed into this tradition without fully acknowledging what was truly going on.
ReplyDeleteYall did great :)
Sincerely,
Lauren St Pierre
I also agree with your analysis of the story and I think Jackson does an excellent job of exposing societies tendency to just follow along, even though what is occurring may not be right.
ReplyDeleteThis tradition holds no real meaning for the villagers other than the simple fact that it is tradition. Even Old Man Warner, who is apparently the oldest of the villagers, doesn't completely understand the lottery, objects to getting rid of it. For me Warner was one of the most interesting characters. On page 394 he says "Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery." At first I thought that he found the ritual exhausting but after we learn the fate of the "winner" of the lottery it seems that Warner knows he is lucky to have made it seventy-seven years. He is also the only character who seems to not appreciate the disregard the rest of the town has for the lottery. On page 393 he says "Bad enough to see young Joe Summers up there joking with everybody." This seems to suggest that he realizes that the lottery is something more significant then how the rest of the townspeople treat it.
I can't find anything that I took from the story that would contradict what y'all said. I would like to build on Joseph's analysis of Old Man Warner who represents a generation of "this is how we've always done it". He even states on page 393 bottom paragragh," There's always been a lottery". This seems reason enough for him to continue the lottery.
ReplyDeleteTradtions that serve no purpose or hinder society can only continue if it is successfully passed from generation to generation. Youths must make the effort to abandon such ideas or risk being consumed the same as the elders. I believe the author intends to enlighten the reader and encourage him to "think outside the box".
John-Cody Canal
I completely agree with your analysis of the story. I do believe that this story helps us all take a look within to see if we fall victim to these type of beliefs, rituals and traditions. I noticed a few other things in the story that seemed strange or at least "telling" as far as the townspeople. In the beginning they mention three men that come up to the gathering and one is Dickie Delacroix. Delacroix translates to "of the cross" (thanks catholic studies), however the author is sure to point out that the people of the town mispronounce this name, Dellacroy. How interesting that at the end of the story it is Mrs. Delacroix that has "selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands" and then turns to another lady to hurry her in the festivities. Also, Old Man Warner, who is experiencing this festival of "luck" is the one to insist that the "lottery" be continued. If I had had his luck I'd be the first person to vote for discontinuing this tradition so I could enjoy the next years of my life and know I would not have to suffer such a fate. Lastly, in the very last lines of the story you see Mrs. Graves standing in the front row as Mrs. Hutchinson protest. How fitting is it that as Mrs. Hutchinson meets her death Mrs. Graves is right there to lay her to rest, metaphorically. This story was quite disturbing, in a light- hearted way. I really enjoyed your interpretation of it and I hope my thoughts help in your presentation.
ReplyDeleteFrancheska
Great job analyzing the story!
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you two wrote about the story. I think the fact that these villagers keep this tradition and allow it to continue is because it is "tradition." Just because something is a tradition does not mean it must continue, especially one so violent and basically is a murder. The way these people act like this tradition is something normal is disturbing. The people treat this as if it were a silly game. When the old man keeps saying how he was in the lottery for his 77th year, you would think he was complaining that he didn't get picked for so long. Now knowing the end result, you find that he was actually bragging about not being chosen. Perhaps there is something more significant to the lottery than we know. It was, however, a big twist to find out that being the "chosen one" in the lottery meant being killed.
-Wendy DeLatte