Children also participated in the ritual by "selecting the smoothest and roundest stones" (51) and preparing a pile so that people would have rocks to choose from when the time came for the lottery stoning. Even though the tradition is violent and unnecessary, no one seems to protest how wrong and unnecessary this violent sacrifice is. Instead, Shirley Jackson sets up the story so that the atmosphere of the story is very sweet and there are even some jokes and laughter exchanged between people even though everyone is aware that someone is about to be sacrificed. However, the ritual continues to repeat itself every year because society is afraid to get rid of it, even though most of the customs have been changed or eliminated completely. Shirley Jackson states that, "I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my village, to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the needless violence and general inhumanity in their lives." Through “The Lottery” Jackson helps put into perspective how dangerous it can be when humanity blindly follows traditions, rituals and customs. “The Lottery” is an excellent example that shows what can happen when a society does not question customs and traditions, in this case a person is violently sacrificed because no one questions tradition.