The Lottery

Most of us obey every day without a thought. People follow company dress code, state and federal laws and the assumed rules of courtesy. Those who do disobey are usually frowned upon or possibly even reprimanded. But has it even occurred to you that in some cases, disobedience may be the better course to choose? In her speech "Group Minds," Doris Lessing discusses these dangers of obedience, which are demonstrated in Shirley Jackson's short story "…

…yet another example of Doris Lessing's idea that, as a member of a group, we are faced with "a group mind, intensely resistant to change" (335). I can promise you, my own personal submission to that group mind is not among my proudest memories. I would much rather be one of Old Man Warner's "crazy fools" than suffer through something that could be better purely because I have allowed myself to yield to the "group mind."