The Lottery

I was not surprised by this story. I was suspicious from the beginning and knew there had to be something bad that was going to happen. At first the story bored me but after the first page I was hooked. I think the reason that the beginning is so hard to get into is because Jackson described every little detail. It seemed a little overdone.
As the story developed I tried to decide what this whole lottery was about and why it was so significant that the entire town had to gather for it. This is why the story is so good because it has you constantly wondering. Jackson makes the lottery seem like a great thing that should be continued because of tradition. As a reader you soon learn that tradition isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes traditions are kept going simply because it is a tradition. People in these situations never look at it with the idea that maybe as the world around us changes that we should change also. This is a huge thing to think about especially coming from a college where tradition is so prevalent.
I think I almost knew from the beginning what the stones would be used for but there was still an element of disgust when it was confirmed. I think it is a little strange that the entire town was so nonchalant about the situation. No one seemed to think that killing someone through a lottery was wrong. Even the children sat around excited to see who would be the lucky person to be stoned that day. I was left with the feeling of anger and sadness after reading this story. And also the fact that they believed the other towns that were doing away with the lottery were in the wrong was horrendous. How could these people actually believe that killing someone through a lottery is alright? It's an interesting story because it made me completely re-evaluate the term tradition.