Lottery ¨ Its Social Order and Male Superiority Issue
... As is the case in Shirley Jacksonˇ¦s short story ˇ§The Lottery.ˇ¨ ˇ§The Lotteryˇ¨ describes a townˇ¦s people who gathered on an ordinary summer day to perform a sacrificial ceremony dubbed the lottery. It is a ceremony held by the richest male in the village where the male heads of households and male heads of families chooses tickets from a black box. ... Hutchinson, who unconsciously violates her role as a subordinate being, wins the lottery and is subsequently stoned to death. It is apparent in Jacksonˇ¦s story that the lottery in this village is used as a way to maintain social order and reaffirm male superiority. Throughout the story the role the men plays in society as providers further stresses the male dominance theme. Just as the lottery begins, the issue of productivity is mentioned when Mr. ... ˇ¨ The importance of productivity is acknowledged again as Old Man Warner sternly criticizes those who decided to forgo the lottery, he scolds: ˇ§Next thing you know, theyˇ¦ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while.ˇ¨ The male supremacy in relation to productivity is more apparent as the end of the lottery draws near and the townˇ¦s people are wondering who won, ˇ§Suddenly, all the women began to speak at once, saying, ˇ§Who is it?ˇ¨ ˇ§Whoˇ¦s got it?ˇ¨ ˇ§Is it the Dunbars?ˇ¨ ˇ§Is it the Watsons?ˇ¨ The only two family names mentioned were Dunbar and Watson.