The Lottery by Shirley Jackson examines human nature through the depiction of a very violent town that could be everywhere at any time, which highlights the universality of such nature. In this town, people sacrifice a human life every year to get good corn crops as part of a tradition. This act shows that humans tend to be selfish and sacrifice others for their own sake. The ritual consists of stoning someone to death, and even children are involved in the act. This situation shows that human beings are capable of committing great atrocities and behaving cruelly. These kinds of traditions have been part of certain cultures for many centuries, which shows that, although unrealistic, we can see these cruel norms and valued nowadays.