Religious Tradition in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay -- jackson

Religious Tradition in Shirley Jacksons The draftingWhile The Lottery is a fictitious story it can be argued that it mirrors the attitude of American burnish in how it addresses religious tradition in its major holidays and celebrations. Two of the magnanimousgest holidays in the United States argon Christmas and Easter. Both of which are derived from Christian beliefs. Even though The Lottery is apparently a pagan ritual, violent and horrific, it is appropriate, only by the occurrence that the participants no perennial remember, or seem to care, what the current intent of the ritual or the significance of its traditions. When we are introduced to the lottery, we see the traditions that are currently observed. These admit the townspeople gathering in the square, the children gathering rocks and making piles of them. A desolate box is the current receptacle for the lots to be drawn The overlord paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box outright resting on the stool had been put to use plain before white-haired Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born. (Jackson 367). The story belies the villagers respect for tradition. The lottery ex officio was said to have spoken ?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.? (Jackson 367) We know that the black box was not the original vessel for the lottery. many an(prenominal) changes and omissions from lotteries past also, speak of the villagers? apathy for tradition.Some changes were out of necessity, ?slips of paper substituted for the chips of timber that were used for generations? (Jackson 367) due to the fact that the population size of the village had magnanimous from the original lottery. This made the use of the wood chips unpractical.Other changes took place, it would seem, just to fall in the lottery go faster.?there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the offi cial of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off punctually each year some people believed that he was supposed to notch among the people, but years and years ago this part of the ritual had been allowed to lapse. there had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use addressing each individual who came up to draw from the box, but this also had changed with time, un... ...Christ making it the most recognize and important holiday in the Christian religion. But it does have its traditions that are a far cry from the original intent. It should come as no surprise to find that the Easter Bunny was not present and distributing multi-colored tempered eggs to the twelve apostles two-thousand years ago.Most holidays and celebrations in American socialisation have beginnings based on religious tradition, those same traditions are a lot forgotten or replaced by ones that have no relevance to the original intent. The erosio n of tradition in ?The Lottery? mirrors that of our own society in the fact that customs change to suit society. The younger generations in ?The Lottery? took pleasure in the act of stoning someone to death. It no longer mattered that there had been a good reason for if, if indeed there had been a good reason. In our society, Christmas and Easter are used by big business to sell products and greeting cards. Tradition is only preserved if it benefits those who lend oneself it. Works CitedJackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Bridges Literature Across Cultures. Gilbert H. Muller, John A. Williams. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994. p 849-854.