Below is my personal response essay on “The Lottery.” Enjoy!

Written in the 1948 by Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” is a popular short story that received much hate after first published. It is now one of the most well-known short stories in literature. In the story, the village yearly participates in a “lottery.” The lottery was a tradition where they practiced human sacrifice, believing that it would help their harvest. However, the village was blindly following a silly tradition that resulted in unnecessary deaths.

The villagers had no good reason to continue the lottery. When Mr. Adams tells Old Man Warner that another village is giving up the lottery, Old Man Warner replies, “Pack of crazy fools. Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them... There’s always been a lottery.” He never mentions a valid reason – he simply says, “There’s always been a lottery.” Especially with the terrible consequences of the lottery, they should find a strong reason to continue it. If there is no reason, why hold it at all? One real-life comparison is the Salem Witch Trials. The Puritans accused so many people, and, like the villagers in “The Lottery,” they did not have an acceptable reason. No one seemed to realize how awful what they were doing was. If the villagers in “The Lottery” took time to think critically about why they hold the lottery, they would realize what a terrible thing it is.

One thing that shocks me is that the villagers could have refused to participate in the lottery, but no one stood up against it. Surely there were people in the crowd who wanted to attempt to stop the lottery but were not brave enough. If one person stood up for what was right, the rest might be brave enough to do so as well. I was especially surprised that Tessie’s family did not stand up for her. The other villagers expected her family to turn against her as well: “The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.” The deaths of innocent people could be prevented if they did not hold the lottery. It is surprising how many people are just waiting for someone to take the first step.

In “The Lottery,” the village was mindlessly following a forgotten tradition that caused many innocent people to die. Though they did not have an acceptable reason to continue the lottery, they still practiced it. Furthermore, no one stood up against the lottery. It was possible to at least make an effort to stop the lottery, but no one did. “The Lottery” teaches us to think critically and that we should stand up for what is right. The villagers should have thought more carefully about the tradition they were practicing.