Institutionalized Customs in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"
Religious sacrifice has a long tradition in the world community. For example, many sacrifices are made to God in The Bible, not the least of which is the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, to save the world from its sins. In addition, we have long heard of various other religions and communities offering sacrifices to their gods to stave off various threats, such as a drought or a bad harvest. Therefore, the idea of sacrificing one for the good of many is not an unusual occurrence. However, current thought tends to view skeptically the idea that human sacrifice can serve any beneficial purpose. Thus, it is easy for the reader to see the apparent absurdity of the community's action in "The Lottery."
However, Jackson does not reveal the true "prize" of the lottery until the end of the story to prevent the reader from merely dismissing the entire story as absurd. In fact, she draws the reader in with her depiction of a small, close-knit community in which each member of the community knows one another and apparently actively ensures that everyone is faring well. She refers to the community as a "village" of about three hundred people to ensure the reader's understanding that each of these people know each other, and know each other well. We are lulled in to the vision of small-town innocence. Jackson reinforces the picture of small-town congeniality and innocence by next introducing guileless, restless children on summer vacation. For most readers, memories of summer vacations are rife with nostalgia for a time when we were young, unspoiled and innocent. We read the gathering of the stones as probably introductory to some harmless childish prank. Only later do we come to understand the corruption of innocence those stones represent.
But certainly the most insidious and troubling aspect of "The Lottery" is the adults' failure to question their own actions...