l level from the actions or thoughts of any of the characters. These “little lessons” within the general lesson teach the reader the main lesson of the story. “Despite the timelessness of fables, who remembers the lessons of the past? “ The Fox and the Grapes” teaches us about envy, “The Lion and the Mouse’s” message of compassion. Who knows about “Little Red Riding Hood”’s message, the passage from girl- to womanhood. We need to be able to point to someone else’s story and say, ‘Ah, yes, I know that feeling. I identify.’ These specific lessons speak of personal truths even though cloaked in symbols.” In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the villagers follow tradition without even knowing why the tradition exists. This blind following of the past traditions leads the reader to discover a universal truth. “Tradition is the guide of the ignorant.” In paragraph thirty-two, lines seven and eight, Old Man Warner states,”’ There’s always been a lottery’ he said petulantly.” In this statement, the reader sees the most ignorant of all excuses for doing anything. This, however, seems normal for the community. In paragraph six, lines three through nine, the reader discovers ‘”That much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded, Mr. Summers had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used for generations.’” While reading, the reader starts to understand the lottery tradition from which many rules and regulations disappeared for convenience reasons. This leads the reader to believe that the villagers do not truly understand the origins of the lottery. In paragraph twenty-nine, lines one through three, Mrs. Jackson states ‘”The people had done the lottery so many times that they only half listed to the di...
