Introduction
Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery story employs irony to warn about the dangers of blind traditions and community cruelty. The text forms a sense of normalcy and routine, showing a regular village where people gather together and celebrate different events. However, the revelation of the lottery’s nature serves as a huge contrast, revealing the hidden problem in the idyllic community described by the author.
Irony and Theme
The irony in the story lies in the discrepancy between the lottery of communal events and the nature of rituals. Jackson shows villagers try to maintain traditions and a sense of unity, but their engagement in brutal and destructive acts creates contradictions. How the author conveys the theme relates to the danger of blindness of traditions that question morality.
Even though formal loyalty, trust, and security are fundamental in the described community, these aspects are usually replaced by disloyalty, distrust, and insecurity. In this case, the main tradition to unite people becomes the most significant source of harm that arises from cruelty and violence. The lottery, as a communal activity, is a destructive force in reality that rips social norms apart and promotes negative communication.
Psychological Approach
The Lottery explores such psychological aspects as emotions and cognition. The village is one of the standard representations of emotional dissonance, where conflicting beliefs create tension and cause violent outcomes (Ningningand Bing 4). People in the village compartmentalize their everyday lives from the brutality of the competition. Pleasant conversations and children playing together outside create a sense of normality. Nevertheless, such individuals as Mrs. Hutchinson exemplify the internal conflict where she lacks connection to the rituals’ significance. Her participation in crowns reveals the power of influence of social norms, but her inner feelings make life complex.
Throughout the years, people started normalizing the violence associated with the lottery. The jokes related to this topic became regular, and psychological manipulation was not punished. All these factors affect mental well-being, and individuals should hide their real emotions not to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Therefore, this aspect comes within the village and causes the threat of village survival due to the poor desire for change.
Cultural Approach
The cultural approach in The Lottery shows the influence of tradition on the creation and support of cultural norms. The resistance to change is highlighted in the story and shows the potential danger to the citizens. For instance, Jackson stated that there is a loss of the traditional meaning of the lottery. People are participating without knowing the reason from the historical context. However, people do not contradict the fact, and the harm continues to destroy morality (Smith 229). Villagers consider the lottery to unite the community and make it unique. Therefore, the culture establishes the lottery as a non-negotiable tradition that cannot be questioned or changed and comes within the ruining of the village.
The Lottery challenges the concept of cultural relativism, stating that cultural practices should be respected. The story questions whether communities should support the violence of traditions. It requires a critical examination rather than a simple acceptance because many societies have a blind following of rules and cannot understand that there is more harm than support from surrounding individuals.
Historical Approach
There was a massive transformation of the historical roots of the lottery. Initially, there was a black box that changed form and meaning (Jackson). Readers can review and reflect on the community’s evolution of traditions and rituals. It is essential to understand why the traditions lost their historical root, but citizens of the village do not question the absence of morality. Even though there are people who want changes, the crowd contradicts them.
For example, Mr. Summers discusses needing a new box, but others do not need any changes (Jackson). The black box is not only a container for slips of paper but shows the village’s history. However, people need to pay more attention to the fact that the box is always different, which creates a break from the past.
The historical approach allows readers to observe the irony that appeared over time. People’s suggestion to make a new box expresses the need for change, which contradicts historical roots. However, the original meaning was lost, and villagers did not want to accept this fact. Therefore, the threat to citizens continues because moral harm does not stop. The issue is coming without threatening village survival as most people do not have a passion for change even though they might feel different inside.
Use of Irony to Uncover Existential Crisis
The irony in The Lottery contradicts the cheerful setting and gruesome reality. For instance, a sunny and clear morning is not comparable to the unease caused by participation in the lottery. The use of irony makes the reader question the authenticity of social norms and understand the consequences of blind conformity, which is the direct cause of the existential crisis and misunderstandings among villagers.
Conclusion
In summary, Shirley Jackson used the term irony accurately and clearly in The Lottery story by warning people about blind adherence to traditions. The greatest threat to the village comes from within, as the commitment is low and the breakdown in foundational value appears. The psychological, cultural, and historical approaches deepen the understanding of the story’s themes and show the main implication of unquestioned traditions.
Works Cited
Ningning, Ding, and Bing, Liu. “Chinese Public Sector Employees’ Age, Emotional Dissonance, Work Meaningfulness, And Perceived Stress”. Social Behavior and Personality, vol. 47, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-13.
Shirley, Jackson. The Lottery. The New Yorker, 1948.
Smith, David J. “Introduction To The Special Issue On National Cultural Autonomy In Diverse Political Communities: Practices, Challenges, And Perspectives”. Nationalities Papers, vol. 48, no. 2, 2020, pp. 224-234.