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Literary element in the lottery
Literary element in the lottery
Literary element in the lottery
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary element in the lottery
Literary element in the lottery
Literary element in the lottery
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” uses stones as a symbol to convey an underlying message that even though people practice certain traditions, it may be harmful to others. For instance the text stated “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” ( p. 34) . when Tessie Hutchinson was about to get stoned. This affirms that Tessie and all the people in the village know that the lottery is erroneous, and isn’t right but don't do anything to stop it or question it, from happening again. Another form where we could see the villagers not questioning their harmful tradition would have to be in page 25 where it states “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example” (p. 25) when the children
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is known as one of the most controversial short stories ever written. It depicts a small fictional town, and weaves details of small-town life into the annual tradition of “the lottery”. The lottery is a barbaric ritual in which a villager is selected at random to be stoned to death by the other villagers. A controversial story that attacks human nature in this way would make a good film, right? Although many people have tried, it wouldn’t.
Shirley Jackson a very popular author well known for her short story called “The lottery” which always leaves the reader thinking. “The Lottery” was published on June 28, 1948 which is just weeks after it was written. Some other pieces written by Jackson are “The Haunting of Hill House”, “We have always lived in the castle” as well as “Life among the savages”. Jackson tends to write about horror and mystery and has many other pieces with supernatural themes. Many pieces written by Jackson have a small-town setting that end with horror.
‘The Lottery’ is a story about tradition and sacrifice. However, even though the NY times article is about sacrifice, they are for different things. Such as money vs. good luck. ‘The Lottery’ talks about this small, peaceful village that have no problems and has mainly positive dialogue. But this village has this really weird tradition.
This story represents the dark side of Humanity. According to the title, you would think it was a convivial function that would benefit the people in the community, but the true purport of the lottery turns out to be a starkly sinister and unthinkable act in today's society with the triumpher getting stoned. This ritual had been observed for virtually a century if not longer. Evidence of this fact is conspicuous according to old man Admonitor who had managed to be fortuitous enough to survive through seventy-seven lotteries, a fact that he was proud of and rightly so.
“The Lottery” is a short story by Shirley Jackson. The story commences with a vivid description of the summer day in the town, giving us the idea that the day will be good. When the lottery begins, families begin to draw slips of paper from the black box. Finally, when Bill Hutchinson withdrew the slip of paper with the black dot, his wife Tessie starts yelling that it wasn 't fair. When the second drawing was held only among the Hutchinson’s family, Tessie gets the same piece of paper with the dot and is stoned to death.
In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson demonstrates through the impatient citizens at the lottery that people quickly complete a required event they participate in reluctantly to avoid thinking about the mandatory activities. At the mandatory lottery, the residents of a small village come together and randomly choose someone to be stoned to death. During the lottery selection process, one villager, Mrs. Dunbar, tells her son, “I wish they’d hurry” (4). The stressful lottery seems to be moving slowly; therefore, Mrs. Dunbar wants it to move quicker. She is waiting for the result of the lottery and wants the process to move faster, so she will not have to worry if she or a family member will be murdered.
“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).
Romanticism demonstrated a new vision of artists and writers. Fascinating new principles were used in these works, making the pieces more modern, intriguing, and ambiguous. The Romantic characteristics: Interest in the Common Man, Celebration of the Individual, Strong Feelings, Senses and Emotions, Awe of Nature, the Supernatural Realm, and Importance of Imagination, are open to different perceptions by everyone. Nathaniel Hawthorne utilized a variety of these characteristics in his short story, “Young Goodman Brown.”
“The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson is a very suspenseful, yet very shocking short story. This story is set in a small village, on a hot summers day in June. Flowers are blooming, and the towns people are gathering for the lottery, which is a tradition the town does every year. As the reader reads the first paragraph they think this is a happy story. The title also says, “The Lottery” which is a word often used for winning something or receiving a prize.
Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery: Through the Looking Glass of Feminism Shirley Jackson is greatly renowned for her controversial short story “The Lottery”. This American female author was admired by many for her innovative methodology regarding American Gothic literature.
In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing when the children are collecting stones from the river and putting them into piles. It hints that something bad is going to happen because it is unusual for boys to be grabbing stones and randomly put them into a pile. For example, while the towns people were getting ready for the lottery the narrator states, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example,selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix, eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys.” (Jackson). This quotation shows that the boys in the village are finding the smoothest and roundest stones and putting them into a big pile.
Human nature can be characterized as being positive, capable of altruism and goodness which sets humankind apart from savage animals; however, human nature possesses a dark side, namely cruelty, and it is capable of barbarism like any beast. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, cruelty is part of human nature, and the participants of the lottery demonstrate human cruelty through violence towards one another; markedly, by exhibiting desensitization to violence and the acceptance of violence resulting in internal dysfunction which is perpetuated yearly. Participants of the lottery belong to a close-knit community, and every year the community hosts an enigmatic lottery draw. The conclusion of the lottery draw is only mysterious until the outcome
Its human nature to turn a blind eye to injustice inflicted into others. In the ‘’The Lottery’’ by Shirley Jackson, the author tells a complex story about how a simple lottery took place in a small town changing the lives, and fates of its inhabitants. Jackson main focus in the story is Feminism Criticism to illustrated the misogynistic views in ‘’The Lottery’’. In the story, the author uses the treatment of the females characters against its male counter parts to illustrate how women are view as second-class citizens, and how disrespected, and stereotypical they are. An example of this is showed in the very beginning of the story, where Jackson writes ‘’ against the raids of the other boys.
The short story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson is full of literary elements. The old and innocent, small town atmosphere creates the perfect stage for this ironic tale. Several literary elements are evident throughout the composition but three specific elements stand out the most. Jackson’s unique ability to use tone and style, symbolism, and theme are what makes this story so fascinating. Tone and style are critical literary elements in “The Lottery.”