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Artistic Effect In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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In the same way that a painter uses aspects of visual arts to create a painting, a fiction writer uses elements of narrative to create an artistic effect in fiction. These elements are used to enhance and further develop stories. If all elements are strong, the piece will be powerful and entertaining. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a perfect example of how a seemingly civilized society can commit the worst of crimes without even knowing. The story is about a traditional lottery which takes place in an ordinary village every year. The so-called "winner" of the lottery is shockingly stoned to death at the end of the story. Firstly, through the use of characterization, Jackson shows that anyone can be responsible for violence. Secondly, by …show more content…

Jackson rids all suspicion through dialogue and leaves no clues that may spoil the ending of the story. A perfect example of how we are deceived can be found in the way that Tessie Hutchinson is introduced. As the villagers gather for the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson arrives late. Her arrival is described as ""Here comes your Missis, Hutchinson," and "Bill, she made it after all." Mrs. Hutchinson reached her husband, and Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, "Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie." Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, "Wouldn't have me leave …show more content…

From the very first sentence, Jackson misleads one to thinking the story is going to be something very different from what it actually is. Jackson mentions "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day" (Jackson 252). By using descriptive Words such as "Fresh warmth" and "sunny" which all indicate happiness and comfort, Jackson sets a pleasant tone. Jackson continues stress on the beauty of the day and the brilliance of nature. This provides the positive outlook and lets the reader relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting for the story. However, in reality, a horrific crime will later take place in this very average looking town. By creating a pleasant setting, Jackson shows how such a terrible crime can happen is such an ordinary place. Therefore, we can clearly see that violence can take place anywhere in this world. Another quote that demonstrates this point is when Jackson states, "The flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green" (Jackson 252). Once again, Jackson uses words such as "blossoming" and "richly green" that all point towards a happy, cheery kind of tone to make us think the story will be pleasant. Although, when the truth is revealed at the end of the story, the readers are horrified. Jackson uses the key element of setting to trick the reader and later prove to them that acts

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Usually there’s a winner in a lottery, but not in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. This story intrigued me by it's suspenseful nature and it's chaotic events. In small town America, they come together once a year to perform an annual tradition. Mrs. Jackson demonstrates literary devices such as foreshadowing, mood, and conflict in “The Lottery”. Foreshadowing is used quite a few times in “The Lottery”.

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The short story “The lottery” is about a small village that has an annual lottery in which the winner gets stoned to death. Many of the townspeople know this is inhumane, but they choose not to speak out because their name isn’t picked. Jackson uses direct characterization to describe all the characters in the village and uses symbolism throughout the story. Not to forget about the vivid description of the setting in the beginning of the short story. Shirley

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Using the the setting of men talking about their daily lives, Jackson conceals the horrific ending. Also Jackson describes the setting of the day to be pleasant and soothing. Shirley Jackson illustrates"The morning of June 27th, was clear and sunny" and indicates "flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green". Jackson describes the day as winsome and typical. Jackson also specifies the day the of the tradition was June 27th, which also induces the reader that the tradition is ordinary.

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In 1948, when the New Yorker published Shirley Jacksons piece, “The Lottery,” it sparked outrage among readers, but could arguably be known as one of her most famous pieces of writing. In this short story, Shirley Jackson used literally elements such as imagery, diction, and symbolism to foreshadow the negative and harsh ending of the story; the harsh ending that sparked such outrage by society in the 1940’s. One of the main ways Jackson foreshadows the ending and true meaning of her short story, “The Lottery,” is through symbolism. Jackson uses the color black throughout the story.

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The short story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the plot in the story that it only gives people an account of drawing lots to determine the winner who shall be stoned to death for harvest. However, we get a deep impression of the characters and their fate after reading the story. Jackson indicated a prevalent theme, the indirect of characterization and using symbolism and irony to modify this horror story. The Allegorical story of “ The Lottery” is often regarded as a satire of human behavior and social institutions, and exemplifies some of the central themes of Jackson’s fiction, including the victimization of the individual by society, the tendency of people to be cruel, and the presence of evil in everyday life.

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Perception defines the world around you. It affects every aspect of your being: your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc… In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch begins to understand just how impactful perception can be as she witnesses the deterioration of the dignity of Tom Robinson, a black man who is being tried for the rape of a white girl. In this intriguing read, Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of inaccurate allegations very effectively. More specifically, when inaccurate allegations that are solely based on perceptions are presented, the consequences can be significant, for others may suffer at great lengths.

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Why does an individual follow a blind tradition in hopes of achieving “sameness” with the public eye or society? One is unconsciously trained to follow mindless tradition without knowing what it’s deeper meaning is. “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, represents a long lost sacrifice ritual, now morphed into a blind tradition that people follow. A fictional village struggles with this concept, holding a voluntary “lottery” every year, where the “winner” is stoned to death. The villagers hold the lottery because they believe that the crops will be bountiful in the event that they do as such.

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1) This illustrates that its was a beautiful, peaceful, and happy day outside. It also sounds like a normal day and you, as a reader wouldn't expect anyone to get hurt or die in the

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Additionally, the black box Old Man Warner brings to the square holds more than the “original paraphernalia for the lottery”, which was lost long ago (Jackson, 1948). The box shows importance and unknown powers that gives the reader a hint that its use draws the supposedly winning lottery. Then there was Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson, a woman who was late to the sacred meeting, which set her apart from the other families gathered at the square on time. The fact she was late isolated the character and possibly foreshadowed her secluded fate (Marshall, 2014). The use of foreshadowing builds up an unforthcoming tension throughout the story, leaving the reader searching for relief.

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In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses characterization, symbolism and themes to develop the action of the short story. First of all, one of the literary devices is characterization, Characterization in

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Jackson talks about how perfect the day was. Jackson states, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summers day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (255). This is foreshowing a perfect day, but really, it’s not. It’s a tragic, sad day which we will soon come to find out. Another example would be when Jackson talks about how the kids start to pick out the best rocks.

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also it seemed like she was trying to avoid showing up to the lottery .Therefore it is obvious that she doesn’t even want to be there which hints that there is something dark behind the Lottery. Jackson’s use of foreshadowing in “The Lottery” contributed to the story by hinting that there is something much darker and eerier than we expect about this village and its tradition of the

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Another quote to suggest the crowd grew nervous was when Mr. Adams was called upon, “They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously”. She described what the characters were doing and not what their thoughts or intentions were. Shirley Jackson intensified the feeling when Tessie hysterically protested Bill’s “winning” selection, by withholding information until the last possible second, she builds the story’s suspense and creates a shocking, powerful conclusion. In conclusion, The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson builds up suspense by foreshadowing the horrible moment through the children who felt uneasy and collected rocks, creating a character that stands out from the crowd, Tessie Hutchinson, the person who saved her husband but could not save herself. More importantly, withholding the true nature of the story until the end, leading to the tragic death of Tessie

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While real life traditions are rarely so extreme, Jackson’s exaggerated fictional example emphasizes her point to great effect. By the end of the story, the audience is convinced that the town is wrong to uphold the lottery tradition, but Jackson is not really writing about a lottery; she is writing about how damaging it can

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This story still remains relevant in comparison to today. Simple towns people who speak to each other on a daily basis and joke around with each other all of the sudden turn around and kill one of their one. This story symbolized the change of heart within people when events go on. With various symbols, Shirley Jackson created the short story, The Lottery, to show society and what it has been and what it could be. One might even say that Jackson wanted to keep it in the mind of a ‘modern’ society that such things could happen again.

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