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Irony And Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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If readers were to pay close attention to the events in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, then they might be able to infer what will happen before they come to the end. In The Lottery, Jackson makes use of many different literary devices such as irony and symbolism to depict how corrupt human nature really is. The Lottery is an event that happens once every year on June 27th. The day is described as, "clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." The irony in that sentence is the day is described as beautiful when only hours later the town will participate in a brutal and disgusting murder. Many aspects of the lottery tradition were lost or faded slowly as time moved forward, but the lottery itself has stayed. Why would the townspeople who believe the lottery will assure a good corn crop allow certain parts of the tradition to be lost over the years? Is it because they get off and find enjoyment from a sick act of violence and do not actually care about the tradition itself? …show more content…

Tessie Hutchinson arrived late to the gathering in the town square which is telling for her fate at the end of the story. Mr. Summers even makes a comment saying, "Thought we were going to have to get on without you." What he says can also be interpreted as a sign that something is going to happen to her during the story. The schoolboys collecting stones foreshadows what the winner of the lottery is going to receive and how they will meet their death. The town's unease and nervousness for the lottery beginning is another tell-tale sign that something is not right about what is going to

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The Lottery Essay This story by Shirley Jackson is very well written and ends with irony. The story was about a village who had an annual lottery. All of the villagers gathered and took a piece of paper from a black box. Tessie is a lady whose husband won and she said it was not fair.

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Reading Level (Lexile): 1230. , Database: MasterFILE Premier This source is incredible for its incredible recognition of the irony and symbolism that is represented in “The Lottery”. The source really states that the “The Lottery” is the underpinning definition of post-World War 2. The date of the lottery and irony of the characters names that Shirley Jackson presents, all convey a meaning that is even more shocking than the conclusion of the story.

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We come to find that the lottery is not just some game, but in all reality, the “winner” will be stoned to death by the rest of the townspeople. Being that there are serious consequences of the lottery, the townspeople go with the flow because they do not want to be stoned also. At the end of the story the readers realize that the townspeople have not gathered for a game and the name was not drawn for a special prize or rewards. Tessie, the “winner”, shows up late to the lottery, claiming she forgot what day it was. What is even more surprisingly ironic about Tessie Hutchinson being the “winner” is that her and her husband have always protested the lottery.

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In the end, it is obvious that Tessie, the wife of the villager, Bill Hutchinson, is going to die at

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The idea that a small town would make such an event an annual tradition shows the depths to which superstition takes humanity. While the premise is not necessarily realistic, it is based on enough truths about human nature to resonate as a powerful tale. The central plot twist is not the only example of irony in "The Lottery." Another example is the fact that Tessie (who ends up "winning") almost missed the start of the lottery because she was at home washing her dishes.

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This action is seemingly innocent but once the stone come to use the reality dawns on the reader. The fabrication of Tessie fate rented on her late arrival that sets her apart (Shirley, 1990). The words crocked by Mr. Summers “thought we are going to have to get on without you” cloud the destiny of Tessie that fateful day. this is artistic symbolism used by the writer in the

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In “The Lottery”, there are many scenarios which turn out to be ironic. This includes the setting and actions of the characters in the story. This irony is done to shock and surprise the reader about how the story ends. At the beginning, the setting is described to be very welcoming, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day” (Jackson). This quote from “The Lottery” shows how the author used beautiful imagery to convey a positive mood and scenario to start off the story.

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“The Lottery” is an realism/horror story written by Shirley Jackson. The story is about some villagers of a small New England town who follow the tradition of making a lottery every year. When it comes, they like to celebrate it with the correct rules and the correct objects so they can feel more comfortable. Everyone need to take a slip of paper from a small black box, and the paper with a black dot in it means that the family is the winner, then they raffle again; Bill Hutchinson, who was the husband of the protagonist Tessie Hutchinson picked a paper with a black dot in it, that meant that Tessie was the winner of the lottery, then she starts complaining because the drawing was not conducted properly. At the end, the townspeople moved off to a cleared spot outside the town and they begin stoning her to death (Jackson).

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“The Lottery’s” opening lines read: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. ”(Jackson 309). From this line, one can conclude that Jackson is trying to portray the village as a quaint and nice place where townsfolk gather, and no harm occurs. However, this strays far from the truth. As the story continues, the gathering abruptly changes and ultimately leads the townspeople to commit violence and murder.

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The lottery was soon to start with the anticipation of all the families in the village. The villagers soon realized they were missing Tessie Hutchinson creating a sense of unease. Once Tessie finally arrives, Mr. Summers says “Thought we were gonna have to go on without you, Tessie. Mrs Hutchinson said, grinning, “Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?” (Jackson 141)

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The Symbolism of The Lottery One big symbol that the short story is discreet about is the black box that is repeated throughout the short story symbolizes fear to adults which could affect even the most innocent. The black box appears to be the only paraphernalia that is still being used in the tradition of having a lottery. Mr. Summers is the one who is running the lottery at the time. Mr. Summers is seen as a nice man, however, when he is introduced, he is seen with the black box. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses the black box as a symbol to convey an underlying message that when the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead a crumbling society.

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In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the author has demonstrated each symbol and the meaning that holds behind them. The black box is culturally known as a dark and evil color. It represents the fate of the people in town, and the three-legged stool is used as a support for the black box to lay on top of the object. Stoning is ancient.

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Full of plot twists, and turns, “The Lottery” relies on its characters to convey a sense of normalcy throughout a majority of the story. The villagers’ acceptance of rituals allows them to act normal while knowingly partaking in a deadly tradition. Jackson’s brilliant use of deceptiveness leaves readers blind sighted as one could never predict this story’s outcome. Jackson’s work is renowned because of its unpredictable shift in tone. June 27, may appear to be a pleasant summer day, but this prediction could not be further from the truth.

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She realizes that this is an unpleasurable and outdated tradition and should be forgotten only because she got chosen. However, if her family’s name wasn’t drawn, she would have blindly followed the ritual, thrilled to have escaped a gruesome, sacrificial death. As a reader it is easy to empathize for Tessie since she or others don’t have a voice in their community or are even able to look at the bigger picture and see that the lottery is unnecessary. Not only does the dramatic irony of the lottery allow the reader to understand Tessie’s view, it creates a similar feeling towards Bill Hutchinson. For example, “Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand.

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The Lottery The short story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson proposes an annual lottery drawing in a little village set in New England. However, unlike any usual lottery, the winner is stoned to death by their fellow townsmen, women and children included. The lottery seems to have been a custom around the area for over seventy years.

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