Kirstin Lowery
Deathly Traditions
Tradition is found in many cultures and many of times is a blanket of security for all that
allows them to follow tradition purposelessly. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson highlights
tradition all throughout her story. In “The Lottery” an entire town gathers around for their
yearly tradition of a so called lottery. Several families choose slips of paper and these slips can
either be blank or have a black dot sketched onto them. If so, your family draws again and
whomever has the black dot ultimately is stoned to death. The story reveals unquestioned rules
and traditions that drive a society’s behavior and brings to light the way that a tradition, even a
bad one, can stay in sync for so long when those who follow it do so blindly. The author utilizes
