The Lottery Shirley Jackson Tradition Analysis

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Furthermore, Shirley Jackson also demonstrates the idea in her story that over time, with a completely different atmosphere, after several decades of transition, and no mindful participation, a tradition often takes on a whole different meaning and is celebrated for a different purpose than what was originally intended. The author demonstrates this idea when she writes, “So much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded” (Jackson, 2). In the previous quote the author makes it clear that, due to the passing of the ritual over several generations and none of the original participants still being around to witness it, most of The Lottery’s original characteristics have either been purposely abandoned or unknowingly forgotten due to the tradition …show more content…
Moreover, Jackson’s depiction of The Lottery’s change in purpose is also very present in modern holidays and traditions, one of which is Halloween. According to Damira Pon, Halloween, in its earliest traces, was celebrated in the Celtic culture as a sort of New Year’s tradition, where the “souls of the deceased would be available” (Damira, 1). The Celtics would light fires and perform dances in order to keep the deceased people’s souls away from the crops and their homes (Damira, 1). But, over time, the tradition became more diluted after several generations had been celebrating it, and also due to the Romans conquering the Celtics. In addition, after the Irish, the former Celtics, came to the Americas, the Halloween lost most of its original meaning and purpose. Today, most of America blindly celebrates the holiday without thinking of its original significance in regards to the dead souls’ being resurrected. Halloween, much like the ritual in, “The Lottery,” has lost touch with its original purpose and meaning due to the passage of time, the mindless adherence to the tradition, and through geographical and generational
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