Shirley Jackson develops several themes through "The Lottery," that lead a reader to question both human nature and the impact that society can have on an individual's thoughts and actions. Identify one theme in the story. Explain the significance of the black box or stones as they relate to that theme? How does your theme affect the characters in the story?

Answer and Explanation:

Among the themes developed in the short story "The Lottery", by author Shirley Jackson, one that we can discuss is the power of ritual and tradition. The inhabitants of a village take part in a lottery every single year, on the 27th of June, when one of them is chosen to be killed by the others. At a certain point, the oldest man in the village talks of the lottery somehow affecting the harvesting of crops. It seems that it all started as a sacrificial ritual, but that is not very clear. What is clear is that the villagers keep on with the tradition of the lottery simply because that is the way things have been done since the village was first founded. Some are even questioning the existence of the lottery, saying other places have extinguished it. The old man replies that they are fools, who want to live like animals, like caveman. He seems to regard the lottery as a sign of their being civilized.

The lottery and its meaning are represented by the black box where the slips of paper to be drawn are kept. The black box is forgotten for the whole year, only having some importance when the date of the draw comes near. Just like the tradition itself, the box is old, ugly, and perceived as something they have to put up with. Even though it's splintered, the villagers refuse to build a new one - which symbolizes their reluctance in accepting new values, new rituals.

The characters are all affected by this ritual, either by being killed, or by being killers. They get to live all year long without worrying about it until, all of a sudden, it seems, it is June again. Time goes by so fast, and then it is the day when they shall kill or be killed. However, on this particular day, the most affected one is Mrs. Hutchinson, who ends up being chosen to die. Her own friends do not question it - they reach for the stones and throw them at her so that they can be over with it before noon. They do not stop to consider the atrocity of their actions. They act matter-of-factly, the violence of the ritual being forgotten, their focus solely being the tradition behind their actions.