IndexThe Lottery and Course ThemesThe Main Theme of the LotteryWorks CitedThe Lottery and Course ThemesThe Lottery, written by Shirley Jackson, was written in the year 1948 The story is very similar to that of The Hunger Games, a modern film that most people have seen. In this story the author tells a tradition of the village located in New England. The tradition is not like what most people assume, rather it is quite evil in nature. Every year the citizens gather to draw lots on slips of paper to see who will be sacrificed to death. Over the years, some formalities of this lottery have changed, however, many things have remained the same. Including the idea that citizens remain in the dark about when and why this custom began. This story displays within it both the themes of coming of age and the themes of the disenchanted American dream. The American dream does not only extend to America, but is above all a thought or a desire. In The Lottery, children relate to these themes of coming of age, and disenchanted America dreams more than adults. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The children in this story are not exempt from the process, nor the consequences of being chosen. There is absolutely no maturation to this madness. In most cultures and traditions, age defines a lot, however, this villager does not even allow the innocence of a child not to suffer such tragedies. At the beginning Jackson explains how the children must choose the stones that will be thrown on the chosen ones. The children are also informed about the honors of such traditions in their lands. While he does not specify when these stories are told, audiences can assume that, to some extent, the telling of this tradition signifies their coming of age. I state this because once this horrible fate is revealed to them, they lose their previous thought that the world is a just place. They learn the truth about what adulthood entails, which in this case could very likely be death. The American Dream is about equal opportunity for a fair life and the ability to achieve success. However, these mechanisms shown in this story are equal in nature. They fail to enable a successful life. Which, then, directly showcases a disenchanted dream. The choice of a name determines the fate of the young, the elderly, the married and the unmarried, no one is exempt from this irrational consequence. Coming of age and the disenchanted dream of America are linked in this story, because once a child reaches the age where he learns these traditions, he is no longer granted the American dream of success and equality. These young people learn that even if they follow all the rules and regulations of the city, they can be chosen during the lottery and face death. To a certain extent, I have the feeling that citizens almost lose hope in situations like this. I mean, thinking logically, why would one want to grow old and start a family, knowing full well that all of this can be taken away from them. This is not equality in any way, shape or form. Equality would only include those who have committed serious harm or crime in the city. Why should an innocent person be sentenced to death through no fault of his own, but just because of bad luck? Once these children reach this unidentified age, they come of age. In most cultures, this is a celebratory age and holidays andcelebrations end, however, these New England children are not afforded such events. Life isn't fair, and neither are many of the rules we have to follow. However, these rules are set in stone and we must learn to live with them. Although the author does not provide any actual reasoning for such horrible traditions, we can assume that there was some reason given to these practices. This story shows how not everyone's coming of age is a fun and exciting part of life, yet most people are granted a disenchanted American dream. Because this dream is long dead, as equality and opportunity no longer consistently exist. The main theme of the lottery "Winning a lottery may prove unlucky," the famous James Cook once said. The infamous Shirley Jackson certainly turns Cook's words into action in her short story "The Lottery." Composed after the Second World War, it investigates thoughts such as communal violence, individual vulnerability and the dangers of subsequent tradition indiscriminately. Set in an anecdotal town in mid-20th century New England, the story begins as a simple tale about a community's annual lottery. Eventually, it develops into a horrific story with the public stoning of the lottery winner. Told from an objective point of view, in the third person, the plot proceeds essentially through dialogue but is also full of tones and symbolism that enhance the theme. Shirley Jackson discovers in her story the risks of aimlessly following traditions as it can lead to serious harm. Every year the town lottery comes full circle with a savage murder, an unusual custom that demonstrates how dangerous tradition can be when people aimlessly follow it. Before we realize what kind of lottery they are running, the townspeople and their arrangements seem harmless, even curious: they have appointed a rather shameful man to lead the lottery, and the children run here and there picking up stones in the town square. Shirley also describes how children, men, and women engage in "normal" types of actions; “the men [exchanged] jokes,” the women “exchanged gossip as they went to join their husbands.” Those sentences present a tone that seems to demonstrate that nothing particularly disturbing will happen to indicate the tradition of this custom with a relaxed person. Jackson similarly communicates that the lottery will take place "On the morning of June 27th", with a "clear and sunny day with the fresh warmth of an entire summer day", deluding the reader into thinking that it is a positive occasion including a happy and joyful atmosphere. a sort of lively tone. As the reader proceeds, one may discover that the lottery presents itself as a sort of town festival or celebration. Tradition is endemic in communities, it is a method of connecting families and ages. Jackson, in any case, makes openings in the respect that people have for tradition. She writes that villagers generally don't think much about the purpose of the lottery, but still try to protect the tradition. Symbolically, in "The Lottery" the lottery box is an important attribute to characterize the theme. The box is a symbol for citizens as it is one of the main associations with the lottery cause. “The original lottery paraphernalia was lost long ago,” it has been in use for as long as anyone can remember, but it is not the first box. Rather, they accept that some of the "pieces from the original lottery box" may have been used to create "the new box", but this is not certain. That is, 31(1), 124-134.