That's the point of it though. The point was that it was a "stupid tradiition" which is why it is discussed in the story that another town was thinking of stopping it, "They do say...that over in north village that they're talking about giving up the lottery." "Pack of crazy fools...Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know they'll be wanting to go back to living in the caves, nobody work any more, live that way for awhile." This one town was holding so tight on to the tradition that it seems anything that goes against is so perposterous that they compare it to going back in time.
We also find out that they're so suppersitious that they use the same box that had been used for years and years and years, and if it broke, they make one exactly like it. We find out that the lottery is to find out whom to sacrefice so that they'll have good crops, "Used to be a saying, 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon,'". They see the lottery as a way to keep their people fed and would even sacrifice a child if need be. It was one for the greater good. And if they don't do the lottery the town would suffer, "First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickenweed and acorns. There's always been a lottery," so as you see this town is stuck with the tradition because of their supersitious ways. Like I said, they thought it was for the greater good of the village that someone died.
Re: The Lottery
We also find out that they're so suppersitious that they use the same box that had been used for years and years and years, and if it broke, they make one exactly like it. We find out that the lottery is to find out whom to sacrefice so that they'll have good crops, "Used to be a saying, 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon,'". They see the lottery as a way to keep their people fed and would even sacrifice a child if need be. It was one for the greater good. And if they don't do the lottery the town would suffer, "First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickenweed and acorns. There's always been a lottery," so as you see this town is stuck with the tradition because of their supersitious ways. Like I said, they thought it was for the greater good of the village that someone died.
Jen//Hufflepuff