Dramatic Irony In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (rpt. in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 11th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2012] 278-285) is quite ironic in its presentation. The nameless narrator in the story leads the reader into making an observation that supports the title; however, the story ends up in a turmoil that baffles the reader; leading to a change in ideas that were developed earlier. The story gives a false sense of harmony by its setting and how Jackson describes the preparation for the lottery, this leads to a misconception that the tradition is jovial.
Dramatic irony is the contrast between what the reader knows to be true and what the character knows to be true (Arp 360). The dramatic irony employed by Jackson tells us that even though there was no particular reason as to why the villagers carry out their tradition, they still know how to do it. They blinding follow the tradition without questioning whether it’s ethical or not. The title also has element of irony in it. A reader can judge what the story might be like, or what the ending might be like. However, in “The Lottery,” the title itself contradicts the ending.
The most innocent part of the story was when the children were gathering the stones for the event. It seems so

The situational irony used in the setting gives us a false sense of tranquility (Arp 360). Sunny day symbolizes happiness in a way, but the use of sunny day in this particular story was quite the opposite. Warmth symbolizes satisfaction and yet, the way it’s used in the story leads to a conclusion that those people were irrational, especially Old Man Warner who seemed to be annoyed by the villagers who dropped this horrific act of