Carl Jung describes archetypes as “complexes of experience that come upon us like fate” (30), and this can be experienced through rituals such as the annual lottery, which was conducted like a square dance or club meeting. In The Lottery, Jackson utilizes archetypes to build on themes such as the scapegoating that takes place when Tessi Hutchinson is stoned to death. Jackson uses a variety of symbols to express the dangers of following rituals blindly, illustrating how evil practices or ideas are accepted without rationale simply because they are considered tradition. Similar to the other three hundred members of the village, Old Man Warner only reason for murdering someone once a year is because it has always taken place. He has seen seventy-seven lotteries that were upheld ceremoniously and is outraged about talks of ending the ritual – “Nothing but trouble in that… pack of young fools” (6). Old Man Warner, the oldest man in the town also symbolizes the tradition that is present in the short story.
The fact that the community refused to do something as simple as creating a new box because, “No one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (2) exemplifies the villagers fear of breaking traditions. Each head of the household draws a slip of paper from the ancient box, which epitomizes all of the evil and cruel actions that have taken place, as well as the killings that will continue until the tradition is stopped. The black box used in the lottery is a significant symbol of tradition in the short story. The villagers therefore feel compelled to continue this horrifying tradition (44). They endure it almost as automatons – “actors” anxious to return to their mundane, workaday lives… But why do villagers cling to tradition when they no longer find meaning in the ritual? Carl Jung posits that even if one does not understand the meaning, the experience provides the “individual a place and a meaning the life of the generations” (188). But as time passed, the villagers began to take the ritual lightly. Griffin describes the evolution of the inhumane ritual, explaining: “At one point in the village’s history, the lottery represented a grave experience, and all who participated understood the profound meaning of the tradition. The theme of tradition in The Lottery explores why practices such as the stoning ritual of the lottery are accepted by the village simply because “there’s always been a lottery” (6). Jackson uses a variety of literary elements such as symbolism and archetype to express these themes, creating an exceptionally compelling story. Lastly, the subject of violence and the human capacity for evil is exposed as The Lottery questions the villagers inherent need to collectively murder someone each year. A similar archetypal situation of death and rebirth is also illustrated in the short story.
Jackson also uses the “scapegoat” archetype as a theme when Terri Hutchinson is sacrificed to erase the rest of the villages’ sins. The foremost theme in The Lottery is tradition, stressing the need to question senseless rituals instead of blindly following them. Appallingly, the winner of the lottery proceeds to be stoned to death by their friends and family. The short story revolves around an annual lottery that a village holds to ensure that “lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (6). Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is an alarming parable that explores the concept of senseless violence whilst featuring many other prominent themes.
0 kommentar(er)
