Themes and message

Tradition and conformity

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson explores the theme of tradition and conformity through the process of the lottery, a long-standing practice in the village and other communities. The theme of tradition is further suggested by the fact that the ballot box is very old, and the villagers are against replacing it: “no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (p. 27, ll. 2-3). The villagers’ attitude reveals their respectful and even fearful attitude towards the traditions of the lottery.

All villagers seem to agree to the lottery, as they willingly gather in the village square and patiently go through the process of drawing slips of paper from the box. This suggests that the lottery is accepted as a “...