The Lottery is such a complex work that even the author, Shirley Jackson couldn't explain it when questioned of its meaning. Division of Labor and Capitalism are huge themes in this story. And there is also the position that man is not yet so advanced that he still won't hesitate to perform acts of violence if it is acceptable to the general populace. There is the "monkey see monkey do" complex, which is also illustrated. And I could go on for hours about gender roles and power. However, I choose to attack the most obvious theme in The Lottery which is social conformity, because I think that it is a relevant topic, even by today's standards. In The Lottery each individual that could work (men) were suppose to do so with fervency and vigor. …
