How Is Irony Used In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

As the infamous serial killer, Richard Ramirez, once stated, “We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill, but most people are afraid to use it. The ones who aren’t afraid, control life itself.” Although Ramirez was referring to a single person who may have the desire and intention to kill others, his quote still holds true for Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery. The people of the town hold an annual ritual of each picking a scrap of paper from a box, which ultimately chooses a sacrifice to ensure good crop for that year. The subtle darkness within the story becomes more prevalent with Jackson’s use of symbols and instances of irony. In the end, it is obvious that Tessie, the wife of the villager, Bill Hutchinson, is going to die at

After the black box is set on its three-legged stool to prepare it for the ceremony, Jackson describes its appearance, “The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained.” With the description of the black box telling how worn it is, it can be concluded that the box has been used for many years in the town; this also means that the tradition is an old one, and many sacrifices have been made in the past. The black box is also one of the only items that has been used consistently every year. The story even explains how old the box is and how they had to make the “new” box they use today, “There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here (Jackson, 904).” With the “new” box having parts from the old box, the black box symbolizes how the people cannot part with tradition. The act of killing is so embedded into their yearly ritual, and the black box is representative of this repetitive order. Not to mention, the dark and dreary color of the box, along with its worn appearance, also symbolize the evil acts that its contents lead to. Although seemingly just a box, the black box is an important symbol for

Firstly, the lottery symbolizes human nature. Du Bose emphasizes the lack of empathy and legitimate concern that most humans have by stating, “No one in the village shows any concern for justice and kindness except Tessie — and she, too, starts to complain about the lottery only when she realizes that it is going to directly affect her own family.” The lottery portrays humans’ natural desire to be selfish. Everyone in the story only cares for themselves or their close families. Even before being chosen, Tessie is willing to put her relatives at risk of being chosen just so she can save herself. Additionally, the lottery’s dark symbolism pertains to the irony used frequently in the story. In real, modern time, lotteries are mainly seen as positive, with a possibility of winning a large cash prize if someone is chosen. Jackson plays with this irony by making the chosen person of the lottery in her story as good as dead. Furthermore, the lottery also mixes innocence with the eventual act of a sinister death. After the Hutchinson family is chosen and one individual member must be the sacrifice, the youngest member of the family, Dave, is presented first to pick a piece of paper from the box, “Mr. Graves took the hand of the little boy, who came willingly with him up to the box. "Take a paper out of the box, Davy." Mr. Summers said. Davy put his hand into the box and laughed (Jackson, 907).”