The Meaning Of Evil In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

When we think of the word evil, people can associate it with a variety of things because of the many meanings it has. One can think of evil as describing someone who’s abusing power while others think of an event that is morally bad or wrong. I think we can only elusively grasp the concept of evil as a whole because its meaning is shaped by our own experiences and our own judgement. So, what happens when this judgement is warped by our upbringings, society, or tradition? What about when we are told by a leader that what we do isn’t actually evil? After all, leaders and teachers and guardians are expected to use their knowledge to lead society forward on the right path. They are looked up to and as a result can manipulate peoples’ minds†¦show more content†¦Jackson also explains how over the years certain parts of the lottery had been done away with. For example, there was no longer a chant performed and a ritual salute was no longer given to each person by the person in charge of the lottery. Then the lottery begins. First Mr. Summers, who was in charge of the lottery, as well as all of the communitys other activities, begins by making sure everyone was present and if they weren’t, they had someone representing them. After that he reads off the family names and the head of families (the men) go up first, collect a paper from the black box and keep it closed until every family has collected theirs. So, one by one the men go up and collect their paper. Meanwhile this is happening some citizens talk to Old Man Warner about how some towns are talking about giving up the lottery why a select few have already quit. Old Man Warner is appalled by the mere suggestion and equates stopping the lottery with going back to living in caves. No one continues the discussion after that. When all the men have gone up, Mr. Summers instructs them to open their paper. For a moment there was silence then everyone speaking at once; â€Å"Who is it? Who’s got it? Is it the Dunbars? Is it the Watsons?† (Jackson 298). It was Bill Hutchinson whose paper had a little black dot. A second later, Tessie, Bill’s wife, complains that he wasn’t given enough time that the draw was unfair; of course, everyone knows she’sShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small New England town. The town’s people have performed the lottery for more than seventy years. Shirley Jackson gives â€Å"The Lottery† a whole different meaning . The lottery is used for a public stoning, opposing to the very first thing that approaches to a reader s mind when they think of the lottery; a big amount of money . 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