All may not be as it seems in Shirley Jackson's short story “The Lottery”. Within the story there are many recurring themes, ranging from the citizens' inability to form bonds to Jackson's demonstration of how easily humans will engage in behavior that would otherwise be frowned upon once given an excuse. The most important of these themes is the loyalty that citizens have towards the various objects and rituals of their lives. Citizens maintain the utmost loyalty to their lottery tradition. The second most obvious theme is the lack of connections within the community. At the beginning of the Lottery some of the fragile community bonds are evident and it becomes obvious how easily they break. The last and most important of the themes is the readiness and without reservation with which the members of the city participate in a murder that they have reclassified as a sacrifice. These themes are the most important within the Lottery because they are all alluded to on more than one occasion. The black box of the lottery represents the country's loyalty to traditions. Despite the state of the black box, which chips and becomes more and more worn out every year, citizens take no steps to replace it. For example, “Summers started talking about a new box again, but every year the topic could fade away without anything being done” (Jackson par 5). While on the other hand they have eliminated some other traditions, such as the official formally addressing each person who pulled and the wood chips, they cling tightly to the black box. The citizens see the black box as a way to hold on to the past because it is supposedly made from pieces of the original box (Jackson par. 5). The main tradition they are holding on to is the Lottery i... middle of paper... killing an individual is necessary to ensure a prosperous harvest is not only daunting but also a scary idea. This is behavior considered barbaric and belongs to times long gone. The Lottery is a truly amazing story with many themes, all of them important. The ones addressed above are the ones that have occurred more than others and also seem to bring more insight into the meaning and interpretation of the story. Works Cited Coulthard, AR "Jackson's THE LOTTERY". Explicator 48.3 (1990): 226. Academic research completed. Network. March 2, 2014.Griffin, Amy A. “Jackson's The Lottery.” Explicator 58.1 (1999): 44. Academic research completed. Network. March 2, 2014.Jackson, Shirley. ""The Lottery"" Interactive literary edition. 12th ed. Np: Longman, 2011Yarmove, Jay A. “Jackson's The Lottery.” Explicator 52.4 (1994): 242. Academic research completed. Network. March 2. 2014.