The Lottery: An Archetypal Horror Story

One can see by examining the symbolism of the setting and the irony of a welcoming setting Shirley Jackson's short story, The Lottery is not an archetypal horror story. Firstly, one can see that as the story continues, it progressively gets creepier, for an example, with the introduction of Mr.Graves, it may not be much but it is the beginning of a long slippery slope that leads to the stoning of Tessie Hutchinson. Throughout the story one would be greeted with the warm inviting descriptions, for example, “The morning of July 27th was clear and sunny with a fresh warmth of a full-summer day; The flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green”. That quote, for example, is but one, of some descriptions the shield the unexpected and off-putting ending.

This example of symbolism assists showing that The Lottery is not an archetypal horror story. Secondly, one could see that the irony of isolation in a comedy, just as there is irony in warmth and togetherness in a