Over the course of this story, I simultaneously became more captivated and horrified. I could feel the ominous cloud brooding over the community as the narrative continued and my mood changed with it. I could sense where the story was going, but I wanted to keep reading because I didn’t believe I could be right. I became deaf to the chatter in the study room as I read and instead heard the dialogue of the characters. To be honest, it is very rare that I am able to tune out others like this, so that alone speaks to how this story interested me.
I think that the part that makes this story intriguing is how cavalierly the characters act about such a cruel ritual. The kids play as the towns people gather, everyone wants to hurry through the lottery so they may continue with their daily tasks, the lottery official jokes with the community, and finally, when the victim is selected, the people expect her to accept her lot without a struggle. The town’s people are frustrated with her for protesting her death.
But in all of these actions there is an undertone of fear, a certain sort of denial. The people do not give the ritual their attention because it is too painful, too alarming. They do not tolerate the women’s protests because they are eager to push the punishment off on another. It reminds me of the Niemoller quote “First they came for the Jews.” Everyone else in the community was just so glad that they were not chosen that they were eager to administer the punishment on another. And there is also fear in the absoluteness of the tradition. It is a force no one feels they can question. When Mr. and Mrs. Adams test the waters and suggest that other cities don’t conduct lotteries they are immediately shut down, and venture no further.
By the end of the passage, I could relate to the community’s denial. I could feel the sense of fear and experienced the horror and confusion that the town’s people are so eager to dismiss. Jackson did such a great job of painting the people’s emotions through their dialogue that I felt a part of the story. I kind of wanted to stand in the back of the crowd and ignore the ritual as well.
When I realized how I was reacting it really made me question what I would do in that situation. I hope that I would stand up for the woman about to be stoned to death, but I’ve never been tested on that level, so I’m not entirely sure.
It is the literature that makes us take a second glance at ourselves that I think is truly great, and “The Lottery” certainly made me do so. I really enjoyed my experience reading this short story.
Leanne, to you I pose a question. If you were living in the town that "The Lottery" was set in, would you really stand up for the woman, or since it was a tradition that someone be stoned, would you go with it: mob mentality? From a strictly observant point of view, it's easy to say that you would be opposed to what occurring that is wrong, for example a Northern's view on slavery. However, say you were born to Southern plantation owners and you'd never experienced a way of life other than you were accustomed to. Wouldn't your mentality then be to just go with it?
ReplyDeleteHey Leanne,
ReplyDeleteYou said that you "could sense where the story was going but [you] wanted to keep reading because I didn’t believe I could be right." I was wondering did you end up being right? What did you think was going to happen in the end of the book. Did you predict the stoning, or something like it, from the context clues of the little boy picking the big stone, the ritual with the box, etc. Just curious.
Also, I am interested to see why you are struggling with your hypothetical decision to stick up for the woman getting stoned. Why do you think you would and why wouldn't you? Knowing you, you would stick up for her. I doubt you'd stand for a mob mentality. You're too good of a person & too much of an individual.
-Your Fav RA
It’s difficult to say what I would do. Just as Robert suggests, one might not act because he/she is socialized into the idea that the ritual is perfectly acceptable. But I think that the people in this story had some awareness of the ritual’s cruelty. Mr. and Mrs. Adams’ comment about the other towns prove this. I think this awareness would lead me to act.
ReplyDelete