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Chris Florio
Professor Fung-Ross
English 102
January 7, 2022
The Mob Mentality
In the youth of individuals, they will hear this phrase once in their life, “If your friends

jumped off a cliff, would you jump with them!?” This is to express the danger of going along

with a decision in a group. In the short story, “The Lottery” the townspeople stone one person

per year as so that they may yield good crops, this is an old tradition that is not really questioned.

Different generations of people have experienced the lottery, each with their own feelings about

it. “The Lottery" demonstrates the dangers of mob mentality rooted in celebrating tradition.

The circumstances surrounding the lottery represent how modern society carries

on traditions. In the beginning of the story the narrator explains how the tradition of the lottery is

not only held in this town but others as well. It is established that depending on a town’s

population the lottery can go on for two days if needed. In the real-world, people have created

many traditions to be followed. Whether it is based on religious, social, or cultural practices.

Upholding tradition ensures that members of a group will have little individuality and seek

guidance within the rules of tradition. For example, within religious groups, it is often frowned

upon or even shameful to live with one’s significant other outside of marriage. This is despite the

realities of modern society where most cannot afford to live on their own, and living with a

romantic partner makes financial sense to do. The older generations of these groups may look

down on unwed people living with their partner due to their tradition, not taking into account the

financial demands of current society. This causes those in the community that do not share the

same beliefs to feel as if they are not accepted as a part of the group. Societally, women tend to
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be given less power. This can be seen in the story as Tessie Hutchinson’s complaints about the

unfair situations surrounding the lottery are dismissed as she is scolded publicly. Given the time

period, it is safe to say this is because she is a woman who has spoken out of turn, something not

taken lightly during the mid-19th century or earlier. “The Lottery” also makes it a point that other

towns have decided to stop holding the lottery and have found maybe another alternative. This

reinforces the idea that change can be made, and that tradition does not have to be an absolute

factor in a society.

The biggest symbol of tradition and its effects on society is the black box that the town

uses for the lottery. The black box represents the rigidness of the townspeople’s mindset since it

has been used and maintained through the annual tradition. “The Black Box grew shabbier each

year; by now it was no longer complete black but splintered badly along one side to show the

original wood color:-". (Jackson 351) Some traditions can age poorly in a community or family;

the world keeps moving on and developing and looking into new ideals. If an old tradition is not

thought about or reflected on current society may question it or find it to be outdated. As for the

structure of the box, it is rumored to be made up of pieces of previous boxes. This is

representative of the influence of the older generation on younger generations, as traditions

thrive from the remembrance of an older generation. This can be compared to the philosophical

paradox of, “The Ship of Theseus”. This paradox is to consider if all parts of a ship are replaced

over time, would that be considered the same ship? Similarly, the black box that the townspeople

believe must be the only thing to be used as tradition do not even realize that eventually the box

will not be the same box anymore. Traditions function in the same way, they are rebranded as the

times change allowing people to believe that their core ideals are evolutionary while keeping

their tradition. In reality, those same people never left their tradition, they put a new ethos on top
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for show but they will always stay rooted in their tradition. The position of Mr. Summer, who is

the lottery official in the town, is that of the leader of the town’s tradition. It is described how

some history with the ritual of the box was lost or forgotten and that Mr. Summer was easily able

to change a detail of the ritual to make his job easier. This is shows how those who are unaware

of the history can be manipulated by those in power. Ironically, people that follow a tradition get

less consistent each time it is performed, they are not willing to put in the work because maybe

they grow tired and bored of the tradition but they still feel obligated to continue forward. This

obligation may come from the constant barrage and reminder that a tradition is coming up or a

staple in our society. A subtle detail in the story is how the black box is always kept in different

places around town, such as the post office, grocery store and the homes of other citizens. “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” The aging of the box and how no

one wants to change it represents how it may be uncomfortable to make major societal change.

Tradition is a core part of a community’s identity that no matter how ridiculous or outdated it is a

majority of a community will never want it to change or leave.

With the group mentality of keeping tradition, Pagan idealisms reside in the short story,

as well representing tradition in religions and its effects on people. The reason for people to

celebrate the lottery during the summer is for good crops in the fall. This a focus on fertility and

good fortune as the Pagans have focused on as the article, “The Elements of Paganism as

Reflected in Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’” explains, “Pagan culture and belief are culture and

belief which was believed in ancient time before religion was known. So, this culture and belief

had been practiced for centuries so that they had been rooted in the people's lives.” People who

believe that a tradition is their own may be derived from another culture not of their own. This
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toxic thinking that communities and certain cultures are original in their tradition as it enables

people to wash over the importance of other cultures and traditions. Paganism in the story

demonstrates how religion in communities can harm people within their community or people

outside of it.

The story also advocates the idea of normalizing violence through annual or daily

traditions, in current society people have access to all the same knowledge and news outlets.

“The lottery was conducted—as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program”

The article “Sacred Violence” goes into detail of violence in society and how it is justified. – “it

is a way to "release pent aggression" that would otherwise boil over into infighting and rivalries.

This ritualized violence allows the villagers to live in peace for the rest of the year, and explains

why there is no mention in the text of "jails….or sheriff’” The ones in charge of the lottery have

created a toxic system of goading the citizens into releasing all negative emotions on lottery day.

Just how in society we are only supposed to be in a certain mood or things must go perfectly on

days of celebration. The townspeople are unsettled by the process of the tradition but when

someone is picked, they all are more than happy to stone the individual. It is easier to commit

acts of violence when one knows that they are not directly at fault or if they have a scapegoat to

relieve themselves of guilt. Those in power will downplay or rationalize the actions that will

harm their society or people to take the blame off them.

Outside the power structure that leads the town the seniority within the town will always

influence and control the majority in a group. The character that symbolizes an older generation

is Old Man Warner. He is a reminder to the town of their history; he is disgruntled over the fact

parts of the world are changing and that there are even people in his own community that are

thinking differently. His resentment stems from his place of security in his old age, he wears his
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experiences of going through the tradition like a badge of honor and wants people to respect him.

In close-knit communities or families, the elders perpetuate their traditions with their children.

Passing this on to the younger generations, they uphold the structures of their society while

relinquishing responsibility for the effects it may have. This position of power trickles down to

the youngest generation in the community as time passes. The young adults and children have no

say in the lottery, and are the most willing and carefree to participate. They view the lottery in

this way because they look up to their elders and were taught that this is the way of life, this

perpetuates the vicious cycle of tradition in a community.

“The Lottery" demonstrates the dangers of mob mentality rooted in celebrating tradition.

Though most traditions are harmless in comparison to the lottery. There are many elements of

influence in tradition that people see daily that subconsciously alter their way of thinking. If

celebrated collectively as one group there will be no change or growth in the people and no

justice for those who do not celebrate normal tradition.

Work cited Page

BAILEY, T.

SACRED VIOLENCE IN SHIRLEY JACKSON'S THE LOTTERY - ProQuest

In-text: (Bailey, 2014)

Your Bibliography: Bailey, T., 2014. SACRED VIOLENCE IN SHIRLEY JACKSON'S THE

LOTTERY - ProQuest. [online] Proquest.com. Available at:

<https://www.proquest.com/docview/1614409009/D55D3ADDB05D45C7PQ/4?

accountid=10764> [Accessed 7 January 2022].

SYAM, E. AND SYAMSIDAR, R.

The Elements of Paganism as Reflected in Shirley - ProQuest

In-text: (Syam and Syamsidar, 2018)

Your Bibliography: Syam, E. and Syamsidar, R., 2018. The Elements of Paganism as Reflected

in Shirley - ProQuest. [online] Proquest.com. Available at:

<https://www.proquest.com/docview/2559501420/D029317C7FD34215PQ/2?

accountid=10764> [Accessed 7 January 2022].