All may not be what it seems in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery." Throughout the story, there are many recurring themes, ranging from the townspeople's inability to make connections to Jackson's demonstration of how easily humans will engage in behavior that would otherwise be frowned upon once we give them an excuse. The most important of these themes is the loyalty of the townspeople to various objects and rituals in their lives. The townspeople are extremely loyal to their lottery tradition. The second most prominent theme is the lack of connections within the community. As the Lottery begins, some of the fragile community ties are evident, it becomes apparent how easily they are broken. The last and most important theme is the ease and wholeheartedness with which the town members participate in a murder that they have reclassified as a sacrifice. These themes are the most important within the Lottery because they are all mentioned several times. The black box of the lottery represents the city's loyalty to traditions. Despite the condition of the black box, which breaks and deteriorates every year, residents take no action to replace it. For example, “Summers started talking about a new box again, but each year the subject was allowed to fade into the background without anything being done” (Jackson par 5). While on the other hand, they have done away with some other traditions, such as where the official formally addresses each person who shoots and wood chips, they cling tightly to the black box. The townspeople see the black box as a way to hold on to the past because it is supposedly made with parts from the original box (Jackson par. 5). The main tradition they cling to is the lottery middle of paper...killing an individual is necessary to ensure a prosperous harvest is not only discouraging but also a frightening idea. This is behavior that is considered barbaric and belongs to the past. The Lottery is a very surprising story with many themes that are all important. The ones discussed previously are those that occurred more than others and also seem to add more to the meaning and interpretation of the story. Works Cited Coulthard, AR “Jackson’s THE LOTTERY.” Explainer 48.3 (1990): 226. Academic research completed. Internet. March 2, 2014. Griffin, Amy A. “Jackson’s The Lottery.” Explainer 58.1 (1999): 44. Academic research completed. Internet. March 2, 2014.Jackson, Shirley. ""The Lottery"" Interactive edition of literature. 12th ed. Np: Longman, 2011 Yarmove, Jay A. “Jackson’s The Lottery.” Explainer 52.4 (1994): 242. Academic research completed. Internet. March 2. 2014.