The Criticism of Unexamined Traditions in the Works of Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne

In their respective works “The Lottery” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” authors Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne set their stories in small towns that are confronted with challenges to their traditions. In “The Lottery,” Jackson describes a barbaric stoning ritual that takes place following a lottery contest that is nonchalantly accepted by the citizens of a town. Hawthorne discusses the disruption that is caused in a community when a religious figure significantly alters his appearance. While Shirley speaks to the general conformity, Hawthorne provides a direct commentary on the restraints of the Puritan ideal and society in his works. Through the themes reflected up in their works, both authors criticize unquestioned conformity to tradition by illustrating the traditions in question, introducing a challenge to that tradition, and demonstrating the adverse effect when the traditions are continued.

In “The Lottery” and “ The Minister’s Black Veil,” both Jackson and Hawthorne set their stories in small towns that symbolize continuity with tradition. In describing her setting, Jackson introduces the townspeople as symbols of routine and ritual. For example, Jackson describes the hesitancy of the children to alter their routines once school has ended:

The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. (para. 2)

Through this description, the children represent the inheritance of tradition in the village. Further, Jackson describes the routine activities of the men who gather to discuss agricultural work and the women who arrive in the town square in “faded house dresses and sweaters” (para. 3). As Jackson reveals, the villagers are bound by customs, which is reflected in their daily activities.

The adherence of the villagers to ritual describes the conditions that enable the lottery to remain in practice in the village. In describing the manner in which the lottery is conducted, Jackson continues to describe the procedure similarly to other routine activities in the village. As she writes, “The lottery was conducted -- as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program -- by Mr. Summers who had time and energy to devote to civic activities” (para. 4). As this passage reveals, the lottery is a custom that is regarded on the same level as other regular community activities that take place in the town. Further, Jackson illustrates that identity of the town itself is inseparable from the tradition of the lottery.

Just as he did in The Birthmark, Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to describe the impact of conformity. However, as literary scholar J. Hillis Miller notes, Hawthorne describes the social conditions of a specific time and place through his symbols (Miller 18). According to Miller, Hawthorne’s story comments upon the social rigidity of New England Puritanism (18). Hawthorne’s description of the setting parallels his observations of Puritanism. For example, Hawthorne describes the importance of Church services to town life:

Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays. (872)

Similar to Jackson’s use of symbolism, Hawthorne presents the children of the community as the continuity of tradition. Further, he highlights that religious traditions form the identity of the town. After establishing the revered traditions, Jackson and Hawthorne introduce challenges to the customs. Jackson utilizes dialogue to discuss opposition to the lottery when Mr. Adams remarks that other villages intend to discontinue the lottery (Jackson para. 33). Yet, Old Man Warner responds, “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves…” (para. 34). One noteworthy feature of Old Man Warner’s response is that he dismisses the idea of ending the lottery without reflecting upon the actual merits of the lottery. Further, he demonstrates a general resistance to change that permeates the village. Jackson’s commentary on other attempts to discontinue the lottery serves the purpose of challenging the tradition and demonstrating the village’s blind defense of the tradition.

Similarly, Hawthorne challenges the traditions that are valued by his characters. However, Hawthorne focuses primarily on the impact that the disruption of tradition has on his characters. When town pastor Mr. Hooper decides to wear a veil to cover his face, altering the religious experiences of the townspeople, he is met with disapproval and resistance. Though Mr. Hooper is typically well received at weddings, he causes the bride and groom of a wedding discomfort when he proceeds over the ceremony wearing his veil (Hawthorne 876). Conveying the town’s intolerance of differences in expression, a town physician remarks:

But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary, even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor’s face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot (875). This passage expresses the extent to which Mr. Hooper has alienated himself from the community by departing from the religious traditions of the town.

Finally, Jackson and Hawthorne both highlight the consequences of blindly adhering to tradition. The consequence of continuing the lottery is clearly presented by Jackson when Mrs. Dunbar is brutally stoned after drawing a losing slip in the lottery. Further, Hawthorne creates a parallel between the hypocrisies of intolerance in Mr. Hooper’s town and the hypocrisies that existed in Puritan communities. Upon his deathbed, Mr. Hooper decries the poor treatment he received while wearing his veil (Hawthorne 881). Yet he asserts, “ ‘I look around me, and lo! on every visage a Black Veil!” (882). As Mr. Hooper’s final remarks convey, the rejection of nonconformity among the townspeople creates an atmosphere of superficiality where everyone conceals their true nature. Thus, choosing a method of visibly separating himself, Mr. Hooper believes that he is the only person who is honest in his expression.

In “The Lottery” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne address the consequences of conformity to tradition. Through symbolism, Jackson demonstrates that communal or individual identification with rituals can lead people to accept horrendous practices without scrutiny. Moreover, Hawthorne comments upon New England Puritanism in his works to demonstrate how the rigidity of religious practices can make communities blind to their hypocrisies. Both stories demonstrate the necessity of questioning established practices during any period of history.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Minister’s Black Veil, A Parable.” Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. n.d.

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” American Literature. n.d.

Miller, J. Hillis. “Literature and History: The Example of Hawthorne’s ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’.” Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 41.5 (1988): 15-31. JSTOR.