Summary: In this short selection by Shirley Jackson, three hundred villagers gather around in the middle of their local postal office and bank in commencement of the lottery. A group of children are told to collect stones for their parents, as they wait for them to call back. Shortly the event then begins. The head of the household in each village family was brought forward.
Usually there’s a winner in a lottery, but not in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. This story intrigued me by it's suspenseful nature and it's chaotic events. In small town America, they come together once a year to perform an annual tradition. Mrs. Jackson demonstrates literary devices such as foreshadowing, mood, and conflict in “The Lottery”. Foreshadowing is used quite a few times in “The Lottery”.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (rpt. in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 11th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2012] 278-285) is quite ironic in its presentation. The nameless narrator in the story leads the reader into making an observation that supports the title; however, the story ends up in a turmoil that baffles the reader; leading to a change in ideas that were developed earlier. The story gives a false sense of harmony by its setting and how Jackson describes the preparation for the lottery, this leads to a misconception that the tradition is jovial.
In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, villagers hold a drawing annually to pick one person to stone to death as a tradition. Ironically, the townspeople called the event the lottery. When modern-day people hear of a lottery, they typically think of a way to get an abundance of money. The reader would think that is what Shirley Jackson meant when she wrote of a lottery until the villagers became increasingly nervous. In this case, the irony is that winning the lottery leads to death instead of gaining something.
“The Lottery” is a suspenseful but horrific short story by Shirley Jackson. Jackson masterfully crafts her spiral of terror she calls a short story using mystery to invoke suspense. Suspense can be found throughout the story, but during some parts of the story, such as in the beginning few paragraphs, routine activities and a nonchalant, casual atmosphere lull the reader into a misleading sense of serenity. However, as the story progresses, the mood of the story grows darker and darker until “The Lottery” ends in a ghastly, shocking resolution. To begin, the story starts with a peaceful, mundane setting: “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…
The short story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the plot in the story that it only gives people an account of drawing lots to determine the winner who shall be stoned to death for harvest. However, we get a deep impression of the characters and their fate after reading the story. Jackson indicated a prevalent theme, the indirect of characterization and using symbolism and irony to modify this horror story. The Allegorical story of “ The Lottery” is often regarded as a satire of human behavior and social institutions, and exemplifies some of the central themes of Jackson’s fiction, including the victimization of the individual by society, the tendency of people to be cruel, and the presence of evil in everyday life.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a presumably cheerful story but leads to a grotesque, unpredictable, and twisted ending. The main focus, with in “The Lottery”, is primarily about the sadistic ritual in which the townspeople of an agricultural town murder one of their fellow citizens in a raffle styled lottery. One may ask why this type of system is held in order to decide what person will be executed and then ask whether or not it is fair to the unfortunate winner of the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson even called out the lottery system, after her family was chosen for the next pick, yelling “It wasn’t fair!” (Jackson 45).
The beginning of the story was setting as an original and charming community; it seems like a traditional town, the people are kindly and friendly. However, the setting of this story is very ironic, the horrific purpose of the lottery is through the whole story until the end. Mrs. Jackson cleverly imparts, that a break from tradition would be foolish and it is what separates them from the barbaric and primitive times. “The Lottery” was published after World War 2. The most people cannot face the truth and hope run away the war and death.
Jackson uses the theme to convey the harsh tradition of the lottery and to demonstrate the powers of conformity, the inhumanity of society, and how inherited traditions can become evil. In Jackson’s story, the lottery is a tradition that towns from all over participate in and conform to the inhumane killing of innocent people. This tradition is not at all like your normal community gathering. In this tradition, every person, including children and elders
“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.
While real life traditions are rarely so extreme, Jackson’s exaggerated fictional example emphasizes her point to great effect. By the end of the story, the audience is convinced that the town is wrong to uphold the lottery tradition, but Jackson is not really writing about a lottery; she is writing about how damaging it can
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.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson It creates a sense of suspense and shock to everyone who reads it and is considered an all time great. In her story she develops this suspense by the use of irony, imagery, and foreshadowing to develop her theme. One device that Shirley uses in her story is the use of irony.
By incorporating dramatic irony into “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson is able to convey a sense of understanding and compassion towards the character. This first instance of dramatic irony is where Tessie is pleading to the town’s people that they were unfair to her husband. “People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly.
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.”
