THEMES and important points of the story:
- Following the crowd can have disastrous consequences. Although some townspeople raise questions about the lottery, they all go along with it in the end. Thus, they become unthinking members of a herd, forfeiting their individuality and sending Tessie to her death.
- This shows how some religious practices that people belief in can indirectly lead to their own death, and still be considered as an ordinary thing.
People are reluctant to change outdated and irrelevant rituals. Although the lottery is a babaric ritual, people continue it because they say:"We always had a lottery as far back as I can remember. I see no reason to end it.” In that manner, the author is trying to say that that the government and the people of the nation do not change their laws in that matter simply beause they have been doing it all their lives however irrelevant it may be.
- The word lottery suggests that the villagers are going to draw for a prize.
- When Old Man Warner hears that the north village is considering ending the lottery, he says, "Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves." (The lottery is as savage and barbaric a ritual as any practiced by cave dwellers. He is criticising themselves without knowing it)
I agree with your second point, that "some religious practices... can lead to [the people's] own death, and still be considered as an ordinary thing". Shirley Jackson protrays the people as selfish people who do not care about others; selfish people who do not mind sacrificing other's lives for the sake of a good harvest.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I disagree with your point that "it can be considered as an ordinary thing". If you carefully analyze the text, you would see that the people are actually very nervous. The men were huddled together, the mothers were quiet and solemn, trying to quieten their children. The atmosphere was very tense in the first few scenes.
But what surprises me is that the people actually do not have a conscience; they actually are willing to stone others for their own personal greed. And even that tradition might not be fully actually real.
I also agree with your point that Old Man Warner is contradicting himself by saying that "the village up north" is barbaric; killing somebody just barbaric. Harming an innocent soul is savage, and not even humane.
"The village up north" is actually looking to the future, embracing the future, instead of what the village in The Lottery is doing; they are simply dwelling in the past.
-eliel(:
Hi Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteI like the way put your ideas in point form and subheadings to make it easier for the readers. You too said that the villagers are following the crowd. Are you sure they were following the crowd? They were following what their ancestors did. I hope you can reconsider this pointer. I also agree that the villagers become unthinking members of a herd, forfeiting their individuality and sending their fellow villager to her death.
This lottery is very cruel. They can actually stone someone who can be living with them for so many years to death just for good harvest. And even this superstition might not even be true. They become cold-blooded. They become inhume. They are just acting like barbarians...:(
That's all for now...
1I1 25
Hi Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteI like the way put your ideas in point form and subheadings to make it easier for the readers. You too said that the villagers are following the crowd. Are you sure they were following the crowd? They were following what their ancestors did. I hope you can reconsider this pointer. I also agree that the villagers become unthinking members of a herd, forfeiting their individuality and sending their fellow villager to her death.
This lottery is very cruel. They can actually stone someone who can be living with them for so many years to death just for good harvest. And even this superstition might not even be true. They become cold-blooded. They become inhume. They are just acting like barbarians...:(
That's all for now...
1I1 25
Nice views and ideas that are valuable to the readers.This lottery is cruel but we should play lottery just for entertainment and do not take it very seriously.
ReplyDeleteLottery