Read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson:
HERE
First published in the June 26 issue of The New Yorker in 1948, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” was met with many controversies; from hate mails to cancelled subscription, the story even got banned in the Union of South Africa. Although it might sound like the people were overreacting, these initial receptions make sense as the story unravels its shocking twist. The story itself tackles themes of mob mentality and blind tradition as it shows an annual tradition in a fictional town in which the people get chosen randomly through the lottery. Described as one of the most popular short stories in the history of American literature, “The Lottery” not only shows the horrible effect of mob mentality, but also exposes human’s hypocrisy in the midst of it.
The story only reveals its true theme at the end where the lottery turns out to be a part of a stoning ritual and the poor Mrs. Hutchinson, or Tessie, was chosen to be the target. It is very eerie to see a group of people would easily participate in such violent behaviour out of nowhere, moreover without feeling any remorse as the lottery itself has been held since forever ("There's always been a lottery" (5)). However, this phenomenon is not uncommon in real world with its cause rooted in a psychological behaviour called groupthink.
Groupthink is a phenomenon in which a group of people desire to reach conformity and group consensus above else which results in poor or irrational decision making. In “The Lottery”, although not explicitly mentioned, the townspeople justify the violence of the tradition as they believe that it will bring prosperity to their land. This is seen in The Old Man Warner’s statement: “… ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.’” (5). They even called out other towns that have already quit the tradition. To the townspeople, stoning someone to death is not only normal because it has always been that way, but also justified because everyone does it and everyone believes that it brings fortune.
Interestingly, the townspeople also show some hints of hypocrisy when practicing the lottery. The Old Man Warner, who has gone through the lottery seventy-seven times, refers to the other towns that has abolished the lottery as "pack of crazing fools" (5). He believes that abolishing the lottery will lead to trouble and make them go back to live primitively. The Old Man Warner portrays the typical older generation who are sceptical to the younger generations and cannot accept changes. Ironically, stoning to death is an act that dated back to the ancient Greek and has been considered as a part of the primitive society.
Another example of hypocrisy is seen in Tessie Hutchinson. Tessie is unfortunate to be selected to get stoned and she rebels from it, stating that it is unfair before she eventually gets stoned. However, she only protests after she finds her fate. She comes late to the lottery, but she does not show any rejection when it starts, she even jokes around with Mr. Summers and other townspeople. Only when she finally gets stoned that she realizes that, quoting her words, "it isn't fair, it isn't right" (an even darker twist is that this is most likely her last words, although the story does not actually explain if she really dies). Had she not been selected, she probably would not have complained about the lottery because she is not the one who is in danger. This shows that no one actually wants to be sacrificed and no one realizes the danger of said ritual until they get chosen.
To conclude, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson explores the darkness of mob mentality, showing that said psychological phenomenon can result in violence and hypocrisy. The twist ending of the story reveals how people are willing to do anything in the name of tradition, even if it means hurting each other. Characters such as Old Man Warner and Tessie symbolize how human can be very hypocritical when facing the ritual. Eventually, it all comes down to the pressure of preserving a tradition and being in a community. With this story, Jackson reveals that humans are willing to do anything just to conform to their community, and sometimes, it can result to many bad things, including doom.
REFERENCE
NBC News. 2010. Where is stoning legal, and how is it done?. [online] Available at: <https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna38146472> [Accessed 31 May 2022].
Schmidt, A., 2022. groupthink | psychology. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/science/groupthink> [Accessed 31 May 2022].
The New Yorker, 1948. "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. [online] (June 28, 1948). Available at: <https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery> [Accessed 23 May 2022].
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