How does the lottery relate to the annual ritual? the fact that the lottery only takes two hours indicates to the reader that it will be a fun event. every year, after the lottery, mr. summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done. shirley jackson’s “the lottery” was, and still is, a myth to stay alert and on guard against blind allegiance to evil in the name of cultural traditions. the lottery is symbolic of the mindless repetition of inhumane acts committed by people who refuse to think for themselves.