In this essay we will take a look at and analyze “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson in stipulations related to Durkheim’s ideologies. I will try to make various links from the story to Durkheim’s functionalism. A few of the points where I will try to make connections are on mechanical society and what kind of suicide is more prevalent with in it, social facts, solidarity, and religion. Social facts are external, and that means that social facts are customs and laws that surround us were already here when we were born and they will be here when we die. Durkheim was very interested in social facts. Durkheim states that social facts are external and constraining and we can see evidence of this it the story, as pointed to in the quote from Old Man Warner, “ There’s always been a lottery,” he said petulantly. “This quote from Old Man Warner tells us that the lottery in itself tells us that this is a social fact. Also the quote in the story, ”The people had done the lottery so many times that they only half listed to the directions…” tells us that The Lottery tradition is a social fact. We can see that these social facts are constraining, and that we choose behavior that conforms to the social facts that surround us. I doubt anyone in the story really wants to take the chance of getting stoned to death, yet everyone does participate in the lottery because of the social facts around him or her, and because of the pressure to conform. Lets take a look at Durkeim’s views on solidarity and how they apply to the story. Solidarity is shown from the disdain that Old Man Warner has for the other communities that do not have a lottery system. When Old Man Warner made the comments: “Pack of crazy fools,” he said. “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll...
