Tradition

In the Lottery, there was a blatant theme of tradition displayed by the village members. The tradition of gathering in June to have every member select a piece of paper and determine who would be stoned was a commitment that every individual made. As they gathered, every person knew where to be and what to do because they had done it for so many years as Old Man Warner explained. One tradition that my family has continued for years has been one around Thanksgiving. It may have not been as intense as stoning another member of the family, however after eating Thanksgiving dinner all 10 members of my family gather in the family room to uphold the tradition we do every year. We all line up with five people on each side facing each other and proceed to play rock, paper, scissors shoot. Whoever loses in that round has to clean the dishes while the others go to watch football. Although around my grandparents time, with my own parents they dealt cards to determine each other’s fate, the tradition has been going on for years now. Not once has one member of my family ask why we do this, or volunteer to help to do the dishes. It is always assumed that whoever loses will do the dishes. No one has ever argued against the method or suggested a new one because of the simple fact it is a tradition. After reading The Lottery I wondered why not one of the members of the younger generation fought against or argued with the tradition of their village. Although losing in a simple game and having to do the dishes pales in comparison to being stoned to death, it remains a tradition every Thanksgiving.