The Lottery

The village square, in “The Lottery,” in my opinion relates to small American towns today, increasing the horror of the lottery that take place there. The tradition of the lottery was a tradition in which “no one wanted to upset” (Jackson 406). Even though they did not know the origins of the lottery, the village people blindly followed the deadly tradition. Old Man Warner is like the tradition of the lottery, old. “…the back box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born” (406). Old Man Warner seems to take it upon himself to keep the tradition of the lottery going. Mr. Adams talks about others villages giving up the lottery, Old Man Warner snorts and says, “Pack of crazy fools” (408). The slips of paper, that replace the old wood pieces do to the growing community, represent the fate of each of the townspeople. Whoever chooses the slip of paper with the black spot on it is stoned to death. “…the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before with the heavy pencil in the coal-company office” (410). The black spot on the slip of paper is significant in the fact that the spot on the paper is black. The color black represents death, the fate of the person who ends up with the slip of paper with a black spot on it.