Answer:
This practice maintains social stability through tradition and ritual.
Explanation:
"The Lottery" is a short story by author Shirley Jackson. The inhabitants of a rural village have a lottery every year. The final person to have his or her name drawn is murdered by the other villagers, stoned to death.
No one knows why they still keep the lottery going. Some characters even mention that other places don't do it anymore. And there is only a hint as to why they do it - it seems to be some sort of human sacrifice for a good harvest. Why maintain it? After so many years, shouldn't people know that such things are just superstitions?
Well, that is the whole point. The lottery is maintained simply because it is a tradition. The ritual of gathering everyone and drawing a name is something they all learned from a young age. They also learned not to question it. In a way, this helps maintain social stability. The sense of respect they have for the lottery, as if it is something sacred, is helpful when it comes to create structure. Stability comes from structure, which comes from respect.
