Foreshadowing In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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“The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson, is a textbook example of a suspenseful, tense short story. The author of “The Lottery” creates a feeling of suspense and dread through the use of foreshadowing and withholding the true meaning of the lottery from the reader. The ending of the story is suggested at the very beginning, with the author describing the children of the town preparing for the massacre that will come. The author writes, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones" (Jackson 1). Picking up stones, of course, is a completely normal and innocent activity for children at this age, but the author’s use of the word "already" implies that he was already aware of what was to take place, and he was gathering rocks to