Who Is The Scapegoat In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery '?

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Coulthard, A.R. "Jackson's THE LOTTERY." Explicator 48.3 (1990): 226. Literary Reference Center. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. This article tells how the villagers in the community show no love for thy neighbor but actually looks forward to the execution of one of their own. This goes to show that "The Lottery" is not an assault on mindless, cultural conformity. It is a grim, even nihilistic, parable of the evil inherent in human nature”(A.R. Coulthard pg.226). This is true because the villagers would rather kill of their so called friend and or family member just to follow a ritual they have no knowledge of. This article will be embedded into my research paper to show how heartlessness and lack of emotions that are presented because of the annual…show more content…
Nebeker shares her insights on many different claims that takes place in Shirley Jackson's short story “The Lottery”. While analyzing she brings to attention the use of scapegoat like traditions that is placed in the story. A scapegoat is one person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. In this short story the scapegoat is Mrs. Hutchinson who bares the blame for the ignorance of the people in the village and the tradition that is the lottery. Then she goes on to elaborate on the connection between the scapegoat (Mr. Hutchinson) and how the lottery is a brainwashing savage like ritual that has become “innate” to the village people over the years. She then goes on to tell about how the story shows incidental symbolism which is represented by the black box, the forgotten chant, and the ritual salute which was a whole reconstruction of the mechanics of the lottery. Nebeker then shows how symbolism is important; she states that in the fourth paragraph, Mr. Summers, who ironically runs the "coal" business, arrives with Mr. Graves, who is carrying the three-legged stool and the black box. “Although we have thought the box to be the major symbol, carefully reading the story disposes of that, while the box is mentioned three times in this paragraph”( Nebeker E. Helen pg. 101), the stool is talked about four times and with such strained repetition as to be particularly obvious. Afterwards,…show more content…
Shields, Patrick J. "Arbitrary Condemnation And Sanctioned Violence In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." Contemporary Justice Review 7.4 (2004): 411-419. Legal Collection. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. This article discusses the connection that Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” has with the unjust and, unfair nature of people in today's society. It explains the acceptance of cruel, sinful, manipulative, and evil acts that mankind has inherited over the years. Inheritances we have all had the chance to deal with through our different religion or culture. Which is significant to the question on do we feel our actions are as right to us as they are to the next person or culture and do we follow them just because that's what been branded in us or is it just wrong. The use of this article in my research paper will be to explain how the inheritances that where taught to us by our elders are not always justifies as being the right thing to do when it can lead to the judgment of
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