Why do the townspeople in "The Lottery" seem so willing to kill their neighbors every year?
In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the reader learns that the lottery is an event, systematically solidified into society, and has been in place for decades. Every year, each village or town holds a ceremony, randomly choosing one inhabitant who is stoned to death by the townspeople. During the story the reader learns anyone in the town, old or young, is entered into the lottery. While the townspeople clearly view day of the lottery cautiously, none openly protest the proceedings except Mrs. Hutchinson who is chosen by the lottery. The final morbid scene in “The Lottery” shows the townspeople, from elderly to children, kill their friend and neighbor Mrs. Hutchison. And this begs the question: how and why are the townspeople so willing to kill one of their neighbors every year without much complaint? Although systemic change is hinted at, many of the townspeople (particularly the older ones) believe the lottery is necessary to maintain order in society, maintaining the lottery as a system in society.
Because the lottery system has been in place for so long, the villagers cannot imagine life without it, leading to them assuming the lottery is necessary. During the lottery, Mr. Adams gossips with Old Man Warner about a “village” where “they’re talking of giving up the lottery” (Jackson 297). Old Man Warner responds by scoffing at the idea of life without the lottery. “There’s always been a lottery” he says. Warner himself has been entered into the lottery 77 times, showing the reader the lottery has been in place for generations. Because the lottery has been normalized, the villagers do not really question the system. Additionally, the villagers have never experienced life without the lottery and cannot imagine an alternative.
The villagers believe the lottery is necessary to maintains order, which solidifies the lottery into the system. While tradition can be a powerful motivator to keep a system in place, citizen belief in the system leads to a stronger system. If the people believe the system helps the greater good, the people will protect the system from change. Old Man Warner defends the lottery saying, “Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more” (Jackson 297). Warner explains that without the lottery system to keep people in check, society will digress, and people will become lazy. They may believe that the lottery makes people value life more since they could die from the lottery. Placing higher value in life could lead to people working harder and appreciating others more. Having the people defend the system keeps the system solidified in society.
While the lottery system at first glance may seem like a barbaric and unrealistic idea, further investigation shows the system has deep roots in society. Since the lottery has been ingrained into society for generations, people have come to believe the lottery benefits the general society. During the lottery, the reader learns that there is some disagreement in the larger world. But because the lottery has genuine support from the townspeople, changing the system is more difficult.
-Kai Schwartz
He/they
I also wondered about why they didn't seem to think twice about killing one of their own neighbors. I think the theories you bring up are really good, especially the point you made about the villagers believing the lottery is necessary to maintain order. If something has been an annual tradition in your town for longer than you've been alive, it would seem really scary to decide to not do it. It could challenge everything else in your life that you see as normal. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting take and for some reason I did not consider this at all. Now that you mention it, it is a bit concerning that they are so okay with this. I agree with the idea that it's just the way things are for them and they believe that if they stray from the tradition things may go badly. I think this could tie in with the elders (or just that one "oldest" guy); if he's saying that this is how it needs to be, the younger people may just believe him.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting topic. I think that you've honed in on these little details and caught some really good points that make your argument make sense relative to the text. The main point that you make is a really good idea. This focuses on a subject that's different than the main point of the lottery that the reader may focus on. Very nice analysis.
ReplyDeleteI've always believed that a lot of stupid things are done in the name of tradition. Society's ability to self-perpetuate harm, simply because it's always been done, is astounding, and I think that Jackson was absolutely commenting on this in her story. Of course, as you mention, this can't happen unless you have people willingly buying into the system, and also those who vocally reaffirm it, like Old Man Warner. We have a shocking ability to get stuck in a hurtful system and see no way out of it because we have never known anything else, which is why this story is so impactful; it calls attention to that flaw of humanity by using a uniquely cruel example.
ReplyDeleteI find the idea of how the townspeople have normalized the lottery very interesting. It shows how people do not always define their morals by themselves but rather perceive their morals based off how other people do. Everyone in the lottery sees it as a normal thing so people do not question the lottery.
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