History has proven that there is strength within numbers. In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," the tradition of the lottery is blindly followed without any of the townspeople contesting the lottery. Because of the lush vegetation, the fact that some towns are refraining from the lottery, and the loss of the rituals, the lottery is an archaic and only endures due to the fact that a group of people still blindly follow this tradition. In addition, the lottery is crude and needs to be rethought.
To understand the pointlessness of the lottery, the past must be known. In past generations, the lottery was annually held to ensure a good harvest by sacrificing some one from the town. Although not bluntly labeled as a human sacrifice by Jackson, the lottery is easily seen to be just that. A good example is when Old Man Warner says "lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (340). This plays on the beliefs of archaic civilizations that believed sacrifices would yield wishes and prays. By doing this, the townspeople expect a good harvest, but it is obvious that the reasoning behind the lottery has been completely lost and forgotten. As it was stated in the opening of the story, "the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was green" (335). If the grass was green and the flowers were blossoming so wonderfully, what is the purpose of the lottery this year? In actuality, there is no point of proceeding in the lottery this year. The main reason for the lottery is to bring about lush vegetation for good crops, but the vegetation is plentiful. Therefore, there is no need to sacrifice some one to accomplish this goal. This fact brings up a glaring beacon that hints toward the blindness of the townspeople. .
If the mere fact mentioned earlier does not show the blind compliance of the unchanging community, the statement from Mr. Adams that "some places have already quit lotteries" indicates the outdated nature of the lottery (340).
