Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", raises many questions in the back of a reader's mind towards the gruesome yet blind rituals of human kind. "The Lottery" clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning human kind's evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. Having said that it shows tradition, symbolism and settings. How could people live a life like that? Ms. Jackson shows how cold-hearted and lack of compassion in people can be when affected by traditions and rituals. .
In "The Lottery" tradition was exposed. Jackson gave a very cheerful theme; that every morning on June 27 it was clear and sunny, the people of the village would gather at the square and would stuff their pockets with stones. Every year the village would place a wooden black box and place their names inside of it. In the story, 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" (265). The people in the village never wanted to break the tradition. The significance of the wooden black box is that someone will draw a person's name and that person will be stoned to death.
In "The Lottery" symbolism was exposed. Symbolism in the story also supports the theme. The lottery can be used as an example of today's society. In our country, stoning is not used, but execution is. The very names of the characters in the story, for example are Mr. Summers, Tessie Hutchinson and Mr. Graves. Even tough Mrs. Delacroix seems to be a friend to Mrs. Hutchinson it is she who is shown to pick up a huge rock and persuades people to stone Tessie to death. The names of all the characters in "The Lottery" support the idea that everybody hides their evil nature by way of not expressing it. When the black box is introduced it changes the mood and atmosphere to the story and the people. The reason being that the box is what holds the key between life and death for each and every one of the people in the village.
He is also the winner to a sizable lottery winning. Although he won the lottery he still wasn't happy with his life. ... That being said, personality disorders are "long-standing, inflexible ways of behaving that are not so much severe mental disorders as dysfunctional styles of living". ...
Not only did the Mafia make it's money through the illegal distribution of liquor, but the gangsters also operated lotteries and took their cut from many of the poker games that occurred. ... The people of today see the Italian mafia as a dysfunctional family from New Jersey that they get to see every night at 9 on HBO. ...
For instance, gambling addicts should not frequent betting or lottery Pg. 3 establishments, ecstasy addicts must discontinue attending at raves, heroin or cocaine addicts must consciously choose places where drugs are not condoned and avoid frequenting known locations where drugs are used. ... Typically, family members will adopt characteristics in order to cope with the chaos, unpredictability and possible violence in their dysfunctional home environment. ...
Affirmative Action: Justified or Unwarranted? Abstract Jack and Diane are both applying for a job in the advertising division of a leading national magazine. Both of these applicants graduated from very reputable colleges. Diane achieved a solid B average while Jack was rated slightly higher. Both ranked in the top one-third of their graduating class. ...