![]() The villagers do not appear to believe that the choice of the marked slip of paper is fated, ordained, or spiritual in any way. Now that these significant objects have vanished, the lottery is upheld simply because of the villagers’ belief in tradition-not a belief in any higher power. Even the original ritual has been forgotten, and the first black box is long gone, so the lottery no longer seems like a religious ceremony made significant by sacred objects. ![]() The lottery, in itself, is clearly pointless: an individual is killed after being randomly selected. ![]() The discussion of this traditional practice, and the suggestion in the story that other villages are breaking from it by disbanding the lottery, demonstrates the persuasive power of ritual and tradition for humans. The villagers in the story perform the lottery every year primarily because they always have-it’s just the way things are done. ![]()
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