Should old traditions be stopped to fit in with modern society? The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about a tradition that a town practices. One object that is used in this lottery is a black box that is very worn out from age. ” … the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born … The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained.” (Jackson 1) The box represents the long time that this town has kept this tradition. In this lottery, families draw paper slips from it, a family gets chosen, and then the individual person gets picked. When you think of a lottery, it may give you ideas of money or happiness if you get chosen. In this case, the person who gets chosen gets stoned to death. In our community, we see this as an outrageous tradition.
However, we also have traditions that people may find questioning. For example, in many cultures, marriages are chosen by the parents and are arranged instead of the people deciding themselves. In America, this may seem wrong even though it’s normal for others. Another tradition in America is how we use fireworks and gather together when its the New Year. Other countries may think that this is weird. Some traditions can be kept, but how about the ones that go against what we believe in now?
