Essay on Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Evils of Society...

The Evils of Society Exposed in The Lottery In Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, what appears to be an ordinary day in a small town takes an evil turn when a woman is stoned to death after winning the town lottery. The lottery in this story reflects an old tradition of sacrificing a scapegoat in order to encourage the growth of crops. But this story is not about the past, for through the actions of the town, Jackson shows us many of the social ills that exist in our own lives. In today’s society we often have an all too-casual attitude toward misfortune; Jackson shows us this aspect of human nature through the town’s casual attitude toward the lottery. The men talk of rain, tractors and taxes and the women gossip—all the time†¦show more content†¦Many things in our own society parallel the villagers’ actions. What do most people do when they see a car accident? They fear it and then they look for carnage; we have to slow down and stare at an accident Not only do we electrocute criminals, we want to watch the executions live on television. Perhaps Jackson received the best example of this aspect of human nature; she claims that most of the letters she received about the lottery wanted to know where these lotteries were held, and whether they could go there and watch (Friedman 87). People were not shocked into examining their own lives. They wanted to know where they could go see a live stoning. Jackson also gives examples of hypocrisy, which runs rampant in today’s society. Tessie is perfectly willing to stone one of her neighbors, but when she is the one who is going to be stoned, she says, It isn’t fair, it isn’t right (Jackson 868). Likewise, Mr. and Mrs. Adams talk of stopping the lottery, yet when it comes time to stone Tessie, Mr. Adams is leading the pack. Also the men seem to be concerned that women have a man to draw for them: Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it and Don’t you have a grown boy to do it (Jackson 865). But in the end the men no longer care about the well being of the women; they must take the same chance at dying. The fact that Tessie is a woman doesn’t save her from dying. The Lottery also offers