Narrow Minded Behavior in “The Lottery”
...a village here” (79). The age of the box symbolizes the age of the tradition. The present box is made of pieces from the previous box, which is the same age of the town. The tradition is old and run down and the need for a new tradition is apparent. The condition of the box is another symbol of the Treadway 2 horrifying tradition. The narrator says, “The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained” (79). The lottery has been around for years and the need for something new in the lives of the townspeople is obvious. The same old box has been used for years. The town refusing to make a new box is a symbol of the refusal to make a new box. The narrator says, “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (79). This stanza conveys the ignorance of the townspeople. The people think that making a new box will even upset such a rich tradition. This tradition is nothing but horrifying, but these townspeople think as though it’s life. Through the use of symbolism, Jackson conveys the message of how isolation can act as a catalyst for narrow-minded behavior. Another element that the narrator uses to convey the message, is irony. The most obvious irony is the title of the genre. A lottery is typically thought of as something good because it usually involves winning something such as money or prizes. In this lottery, it is not what they win, but what is lost. The person chosen doesn’t win anything, but loses her life. Jackson writes the story in third person dramatic point of view to make the outcome of the story more ironic to the reader. The reader doesn’t know what anyone is thinking causing the end of the story to be a surprise. The actions of the people in the community are ironic given the outcome of the lottery. The community acts as though it’s Treadway 3 another typical day. The narrator says, “Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place in the back of the crowd. ‘Clean forgot what day it was,’ s...