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Darwin

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In Charles Darwin's essay "Natural Selection" he defines natural selection as the "preservation of favorable variations and the rejections of injurious variations" (191). In other words, natural selection is the process by which nature, over the course of several generations, manipulates the physical characteristics and/or behavior of animals by carefully selecting and passing on the modifications that would allow the individual animal to thrive in their natural habitat; however small the modification, this trait variation in the species would enable the animal to better adapt to its surroundings and increase the chances of survival of the species. Those without the variation would be at a disadvantage and would, eventually, die out. Opposite natural selection is man-made selection in which humans select which traits get passed on to the next generation for their own good and/or purposes. The lottery in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is an example of man-made selection by which a select few control the society of the village. Man-made selections are limited and biased. "Man can act only on external and visible characters" (192) when selecting for his own good (193). Man-made selections are limited and biased because we lack the knowledge and capability to because we are selfish, creatures of habit. They are easily influenced by outside factors.The decisions and selections that man makes are man-made limited and biased because. It was more convenient for the people (in charge of running the lottery) to follow tradition than to break free from what had always been and create something new or get rid of it all together. The lottery had been going on for so long that it became part of the identity of the village. It was a tangible piece of the village's history and proof of their evolution as a people (i.e., the transition from the original wood chips used in the lottery to the papers with black dots currently used). It was such a long-standing "tradition" that both the villagers and the people in charge had forgotten the true meaning behind the lottery. So, instead, everyone cooperated and willingly participated even though they knew what was to come. The village's biggest advocate for the lottery was Old Man Warner. He participated seventy-seven times in the lottery. For him, the lottery was a necessary evil (process of elimination). "Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while... [f]irst thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns."(208). Old Man Warner believes that without the lottery life in the village would be chaotic and primitive.
Warner's disapproval of the other villages quitting the lottery was a way to keep the people of the village thinking that the lottery is necessary and serves a higher purpose. The officials did not contest his opinion, they merely just kept the lottery going as if he didn't say anything. [Man-made selection, as Darwin states, is for the benefit of man.] The lottery is a way for the officials to ensure the survival of those they think are beneficial to the village and the extinction of those who oppose them. Old Man Warner, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves are the people keeping the tradition of the lottery alive in the village, they alone have the power to get rid of anyone opposing the lottery. Tessie Hutchinson represents a problem for them because she questions the legitimacy of the lottery possibly creating doubt in the minds of the other villagers. She might have 'won' the lottery because she was the only person disrupting the society of the village. She shows disregard for the lottery by thinking that making sure her dishes are clean is more important than arriving on time for the lottery like everyone else. When it is shown that Mr. Hutchinson has the paper with the black dot she immediately says "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!" (209). She continues to disrespect the tradition by repeatedly saying that it isn't fair and by trying to change the rules of the lottery to better her chances of survival. The officials benefit from getting rid of her because she poses a threat to the society and the lottery because there is the possibility of an uprising if the villagers were to start thinking that the lottery is rigged. The villagers would then want changes made to the lottery to ensure fairness or get rid of the lottery altogether. Darwin’s thoughts on natural and man-made selection can be applied to the many aspects of Jackson’s “The Lottery” like how due to man being able to act only on external and visible characters the officials kept the lottery going because it was the only thing they knew and they thought it was necessary to their lives so the thought of changing the status quo was ridiculous. The possibility of the lottery being rigged for the purpose of controlling the society shows Darwin’s thoughts on how man-made selection is for the benefit of man. Especially how the officials of the lottery thinking that Tessie Hutchinson ‘winning’ the lottery is beneficial for the society because of how she poses a threat to the balance of the society.

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