The Old Man and the Sea

Taggart 1

Paige Taggart

Mrs. Mercer

American Literature

28 September 2017

Short Story Analysis Paper

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a story about tradition and the continuation of traditions that are outdated. A small town's people are entered into a drawing to be stoned and sacrificed to their belief that it will help crops grow. The drawing is names written on paper put into a box that’s said to be older than the oldest man alive. The town’s people have mixed feeling about if the tradition is really something to be done or not.

Old objects may trick a person into believing something because it seems wise. The tradition is so old they don't even want to change the box and this shows us that people can latch onto anything and go along with. The original box was made when the first villagers settled and made again to be the box it is now with pieces from the original. The box is not only no longer completely black but faded and stained, being so old the ritual can't be remembered and change has been made. (1-2) People are acting like this box is sacred and of course works because it's old. The town people did not want to upset or corrupt the magic of the box by making a new sturdy one.

No one really feels sorry or nervous because they are used to it and know there's a good chance it won't be them. Tessie Hutchinson was stoned with no problem because it was how things were ran. Harry and Bobby Jones, Bobby martin and dickie Delacroix were making sure that they had the nicest rocks and as many as they could find. There was square dancing, teen clubs, and Halloween programs taking place during the drawing. (1) Someone is about to be killed and everyone is just standing around just waiting talking about rainfall and other gossip.  Death should not be something that is going to be celebrated.