Journal#18

Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” vividly represented the dark side of the human nature. In the story. All the people were victims of a barbarian tradition which the village had to randomly choose one person who was going to be sacrificed, and others had to stone her/him to death. However, at the same time, all the victims were also criminals who were extremely sanguineous and were actually feeling pleased by this form of violence.
Although “ The Lottery” was just a piece of unrealistic literature, and the story was not going to happen in the modern society. However, it reflected the innermost violent desire in people’s hearts. In the story, everyone seemed to be amiable and kindhearted. Unfortunately, their hideous and vicious hearts were unveiled when things came to the matter of living and death. Survivors were grateful for not picking the paper with a black dot while people who had black doted paper appealed to say that the process was not fair. Both people who lived in the story and reality did not care about the justice and the morality as long as misfortunes did not betided them.
In reality, people were trying make friends with others and forming close relationships. However, the affable bonds among people cracked when people encountered deadly threats. Moreover, people tended to support the situation that benefited them and believe that was fair in despite of the fact that the “fairness” was actually the “unfairness” to others.
Shirley Jackson’s “ The Lottery” revealed the hypocrisies among people in the modern society through the tragedy in the story.