Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" conveys the need to examine traditions

In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery", a small town convenes for a lottery. The town does this every year because it is a tradition. Each adult in the town picks a paper from a black box. The paper with the black dot on it represents the "winner" of the lottery. However, by the end of the story the reader learns that the "winner" of the lottery is stoned to death by the other residents of the town. The towns people do not see the cruelty or the idiocy of this traditional and annual practice. In fact, some residents think that the town will struggle if it abandons this crazy tradition. The lesson of the story is that traditions must be examined from time to time. In some cases, traditions must be replaced with new practices.


The symbolism of the story is strong. It can be applied to so many things: theology, politics, family practices, workplace routines, medical practices, laws and so many other things. Sometimes dismissing a tradition can lead to improvement. Being open minded to change can  improve a situation. Sometimes we are surprised at how much  better something can be.


This does not mean that all traditions are bad. Sometimes traditions provide structure and guidance. Sometimes tradition can give meaning and direction to people and communities. All traditions should not be rejected. Some should be continued because they have born good fruit and helped people for decades and even centuries in some cases. However, in some cases traditions need to be replaced or at least improved upon.


It's always good to try and improve things. Our knowledge and technology is always improving. In the past, people thought the world was flat. We now know that it is round. The first cars were much
more primitive than the vehicles today. Our understanding of travel has improved. Paper maps have been improved upon by map quest and GPS devices. Through blood work, doctors can determine a lot about a person's health. MRI's and other forms of x rays can help doctors determine what injuries athletes have. Injuries are much more accurately diagnosed today. In a word, knowledge and technology has improved in many areas. When knowledge and technology improve this can lead to changes in traditions or customs. It does not always need to lead to change, but it can.

One wonders what the future holds. How will society change in the future? Will technology continue to improve?