Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"

This video gives the perfect breakdown of the famous short story by Shirley Jackson. I remember first reading this story in grade school. It didn't hit me so hard at the time but did awaken questions.  Why? 

Why? was to become my battle cry when reading stories of senseless and/or cruel human behavior. Why do humans treat other humans with such cruelty at certain times, sometimes justified by laws supposedly enacted for the greater good? 

As an adult it still boggles my mind when I think of a civilization which appears to have advanced so far beyond the primitive, yet unable to rid itself of human illnesses such as greed, hate, prejudice, and tyrannical rule. It is as if the human race, for all its genius and innovation, has a flawed gene built into its DNA code which threatens the organism's progress. The old "two steps forward one step back" formula always seems to be in play when it comes to advancements in humanity. 

It just can't seem to get out of its own way. Is human civilization destined for self-destruction, or as in the Lottery, is it doomed to fearfully tread a dark road of isolationist tribal traditions? 

In the year 2024, with the brotherhood and bonding of humanity as close as ever due to a recent worldwide pandemic, why does it appear some peoples and nations continue down the dark path of cruel treatment toward fellow beings?  Is it the thought of having power over others, or perhaps the fear of others having power of them. Is it the supposed DNA flaw which brings human illnesses of greed, hate, prejudice, and tyrannical rule to the forefront, or was man never meant to be more than a primitive animal, living in wolfpacks and fighting amongst themselves and other packs for a measly patch of territory.

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" gives a great example of a community living comfortably with a cruel tradition of killing one member for the "greater good" of the community. Why? Perhaps to appease the Deities of Harvest found in most agricultural cultures of the past. Or maybe to ward off evil spirits of unexplained calamities in nature, like earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, and such. It seems when communities of men have no answers for failed crops, plague, or natural disasters, it turns to looking for someone or something to point the finger of blame. And should that finger point toward an evil spirit or aggrieved almighty deity, fearful superstition can overtake a community, thus instigating cruel and unusual treatment of a member(s). A sacrifice, for the greater good.

"The Lottery"

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 27th. But in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner. cont'd

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