“The Lottery”: Superstition and Ritual in Modern Society

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” features a primitive ritual, but showing it in a modern setting says a lot about human nature and society. First of all, even though it is modern times, the people in the story are still very superstitious. When Old Man Warner recites the old saying, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon,” it draws attention to how superstitious the townsfolk are (Jackson 220). The reader may see this as old-fashioned superstition, but modern society has plenty of these kinds of sayings and superstitions that are still practiced even though they don’t make sense. Groundhog Day is one example. It may seem silly because it is not as violent as the stoning in the lottery, but it is still a nonsensical practice that modern society engages in.

Another detail Shirley Jackson examines includes that says a lot about modern society is the way the villagers ignore how cruel and violent the ritual is, simply because it is has been in practice for such a long time. This is similar to the way modern society ignores the suffering of people in very poor countries. Children starve and suffer every day, and the rest of the world could help fix this, but they do not. A big reason for this is that it has always been this way. Most people know it isn’t right, but because it is has been happening for so long, it is easier to ignore.

Shirley Jackson says a lot about human nature and modern society in “The Lottery.” Jackson understands that superstition and tradition play a big role in how much society is willing to endure or ignore—even very cruel and nonsensical things. While the stoning may be an extreme example, it is not that far off from the way many people behave in today’s society.

Work Cited

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Perrine's Story and Structure. Ed.Thomas R. Arp, Greg Johnson and Laurence Perrine. 13th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 220-28. Print.