Shirley Jackson The Lottery Analysis

Repressing Challenges to Order The rigid structure of society reinforces order and promotes conformity of all classes, but an individual contradicting established customs poses a threat. Shirley Jackson, the author of The Lottery, conveys that rebellious impulses of humans are repressed by society to maintain a rigid social order. The lottery enforces an unfair distinction in class status between men and women. Women are subordinate in the social power structure of the village, as shown …

…is given pebbles to stone his mother, learning what to do before understanding why he does it. In the same way, schoolchildren are impressed with connotations of historical figures without even knowing why. This is comparable to Hitler's Youth, where Hitler bred Nazis and anti-Semitists from children. Although institutions may not go as far as Hitler, thinking on one's own mind has become rare in society's subtle goal to repress individuality and challenges to order.