Old Man Warner, the oldest citizen of this dystopian town is a prime example of people who blindly follow tradition. Shirley Jackson explains in her short story that he participated in seventy-seven “Lotteries” (Jackson 256). Warner has become accustomed to the "Lottery" and sincerely believes in keeping the city civilized. This is dangerous because a lot of things could have changed in seventy-seven years, such as changes in society's outlook or the increase in knowledge. It's ironic that Old Man Warner worries that the town will become uncivilized if they stop participating in the "Lottery", even though that is precisely what makes their town barbaric. Warner says: "Next time they want to go back to living in caves, no one works anymore... They used to say: 'Lottery in June, the corn will soon be heavy.' Next thing you know, we’d all be eating chickweed and stewed acorns…” (Jackson 256). Warner believes that if they do not participate in the lottery, this year's crop yield will be low. Jackson shows how inappropriate this ritual was at the time and also how the people of the village blindly follow this ritual for such an irrational and poorly thought out reason. On the other hand, Tessie Hutchinson is another of the main characters of The Lottery, although her character is almost the opposite of that of Old Man Warner. Although Tessie did not speak out against the lottery, she repeatedly complained about the fairness of the lottery before being stoned shortly afterward. In a critical analysis of the story, Don D'Ammassa states: "The story is a clear indictment against the pressures of conformity. Not only do the townspeople refuse to question the validity of the ceremony, they immediately redefine the winner/loser as an outsider, no.