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Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

569 Words3 Pages

One of the most skillful and devastating aspects of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is that it constantly topples the reader’s expectations about what should happen next or even at all. This story is certainly suspense because it’s not until the very end until the reader knows what’s really in store for the “winner”. In the short story, The Lottery, Jackson states irony and betrayal mostly towards the end of the story because usually winning the lottery evokes a sense of luck but in this story it’s the total opposite. “Mr.Summers spoke frequently about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box.”
The tradition of the black box wasn’t so much as tradition anymore but more towards just the violence.This reveals how firmly settled the villagers are about the tradition and how threatening change is to them. They have no good reason to want to keep the black box as it barely looks like a box anymore. They take pride in their tradition and don’t really seem to care about the boxes appearance. …show more content…

The original box may have brought along the tradition, but it is lost now and all that remains is the violence and horror brought along into this village. This proves that Shirley Jackson has a twisted but skillful mind in her way of thinking because from the reader’s point of view we expect nothing bad of this story from referring to the title but in the end, she intrigues the reader by adding her own

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Tradition Depicted In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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The black box in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson represents tradition. The black box had been the same box when the lottery first began; it has since been passed down over the years. In the short story it’s described as falling apart and hardly black anymore after years of use. The tradition is to remember the ancestors who had been sacrificed and thus the townspeople keep the box and use it every year. Although, the black box can be interpreted to represent death.

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Decaying Tradition In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

468 Words | 2 Pages

The box is no longer black and it is stained so Mr. Summers tried speaking with the villagers about making a new black box but the villagers did not like the idea so much. The villagers were upset of the idea about making a new box because it was not only a tradition and the villagers also do not like to fool around with tradition, and the villagers loyalty of the tradition but, it also meant something to to the people that made the village. Jackson writes, “There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one

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The Black Box As Symbols In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

222 Words | 1 Pages

The short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson utilizes the black box as a symbol to imply an underlying message of how through the evolution of generations, rituals are starting to slowly diminish and new ones are starting to generate even though important concepts may stay the same. Mr. Summers, the conductor of the lottery, is concluding the lottery and informing the townspeople to start preparing themselves to throw the pebbles to Tessi Huchinson, who is the winner of the lottery. Jackson evokes how “although the villiagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to do stones.” (34). Jackson demostrates how as time passes the ritual is losing it values and originality, establishing how these new

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Shirley Jackson The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

871 Words | 4 Pages

When the twelve year old Nancy “[goes] forward switching her skirt, [taking] a slip daintily from the box,” the audience is struck by her innocence, making the subsequent death of her mother via the lottery outcome even more terrible and tragic. A still more effective example of Jackson’s appeals to pathos occurs at the end of the story, where “someone [gives] little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” to join the crowd in stoning his mother. This moment is incredibly poignant and elevates the disgust and pity that the audience feels as the nature of the lottery is revealed. Little Davy is too young understand what is happening, and it is reasonable to assume that the rest of the characters have long since lost touch with the purpose of the lottery, as the only explanation the audience is given for its continuation is Warner’s statement that “there’s always been a lottery.” This remarkably insufficient excuse in support of such a heinous crime secures the sympathy of the audience towards not only Tessie’s plight but also Jackson’s argument.

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The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

1000 Words | 4 Pages

In 1948, when the New Yorker published Shirley Jacksons piece, “The Lottery,” it sparked outrage among readers, but could arguably be known as one of her most famous pieces of writing. In this short story, Shirley Jackson used literally elements such as imagery, diction, and symbolism to foreshadow the negative and harsh ending of the story; the harsh ending that sparked such outrage by society in the 1940’s. One of the main ways Jackson foreshadows the ending and true meaning of her short story, “The Lottery,” is through symbolism. Jackson uses the color black throughout the story.

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Tradition Without Justification In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

1037 Words | 5 Pages

This box is used to draw names out of and has been used even before "Old Man Warner," the oldest man in town, was born. When Jackson introduces the box, she explains that it has much wear and tear and has faded to the point where it is not necessarily black anymore, and the actual wood color comes through (264). Jackson explains that the person who runs the lottery, Mr. Summers, persistently asks about making a new box, expressing, "Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box" (264). This black box symbolizes the unfounded devotion to the lottery tradition and demonstrates that people will think a certain way simply because it is how life has always been. However, some may have an alternative view of the symbolic meaning of the black box, interpreting this quote to demonstrate the idea of faith in a cause and that having faith means people do not necessarily need a reason to believe.

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The Negative Consequences Of Tradition In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

467 Words | 2 Pages

In her story "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson implies the negative consequences of blindly following tradition through the acceptance, by the villagers, of the tradition of the lottery. Jackson suggests that the people of the village are afraid to give up the little tradition they have, even if it is not good. Every year after the lottery, the conductor of the lottery, Mr. Summers suggests that they should build a new box but, “No one [likes] to upset even as much tradition as [is] represented by the box.” (Jackson, 1). The black box symbolizes ritual and tradition.

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Conformity In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

1060 Words | 5 Pages

Jackson gives an impression that the shabby, black box is a personal and constant reminder to the people so that they must remain faithful to the tradition of their forefathers and never ponder on the notion that those customs might be wrong or immoral. In addition, the villagers’ behavior towards the box embodies their assessment on the entire system of the lottery. They seem to be frightened by the lottery and the box, but they are even more petrified to alter or doubt one or the other. Pressures, traditions and longstanding beliefs may potentially guide that society to an extensive ignorance and sanctioned malevolence that is directly strengthened by

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Dehumanization In The Lottery By Shirley Hardie Jackson

1278 Words | 6 Pages

This mentality is exemplified by the villagers' refusal to replace the old black lottery box with a new one, despite its obvious need for replacement. The box symbolizes the dark side of tradition, a tradition that is kept alive despite the harm it causes. The black box is a powerful metaphor in the story, representing not only the dark side of tradition, but also death. It has borne witness to countless murders in the past, present, and future, and is the main instrument of murder in the lottery. The fact that the villagers continue to use it, despite its connection to death, highlights the hold that tradition can have on

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The Lottery Shirley Jackson Tradition Analysis

779 Words | 4 Pages

Following misunderstood traditions allows people to perform harmful actions because it is what they have been taught to do. In the short story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson reveals the tragic consequences of not being willing to stand up against traditions that serve no useful purpose in society. Through the use of symbolism, characterization and setting shows the way that even ordinary people pursue traditions that create tension and harmful outcomes to anyone involved. People will blindly follow tradition without questioning it or its outcome. A box that has been used since the lottery started is now on its last leg but when "Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, no one liked to even upset a tradition as was represented by the black

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Traditions And Symbols In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

167 Words | 1 Pages

Traditions that are outdated have a negative impact on people’s lives. Through analyzing the symbols in the short story it illustrates that traditions are not easy to change when society has accepted them as their way of life which can result in destruction. Mr. Summers displays the black wooden box in the centre of the crowd establishing to the villagers that it was time to proceed with their tradition being that “tradition... was represented by the black box” (Jackson). The author uses the black box as a symbol to define tradition which was a good analogy. Shirley Jackson also never reveals the outcome of the true purpose of the black box until the end of the story keeping her audience wondering what the significance is.

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Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

1845 Words | 8 Pages

The box is portrayed as so worn out, and with little reason to keep using it other than it uses original pieces. The villagers do not want to give up or even replace the box, as it’s what they are used to and do not like the idea of change. The images of this box being put together from old wooden pieces, decaying slowly over the years with nothing coming from discussions to replace it, help show how Jackson feels about change. The box needs to be changed out for a new one, since it’s so shabby, although the town wants to keep it because it’s what they’ve known for forever. Even after, “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box.

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The Importance Of Tradition In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

505 Words | 3 Pages

However, the townspeople just brush off the subject and nothing gets done. The reason why the villagers do not want to make a new box is because “no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. ”1 With that reason, readers can infer that the townspeople do not want to give up their tradition. If they are reluctant on changing

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Essay On The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

783 Words | 4 Pages

The black wooden box has been put in use even way before Old Man Warner was born and it represented the tradition itself. People of the village wanted to change the box but it upset the others because it was too important to the tradition. It has been passed down for generations and symbolizes the “good” the tradition brings to the village. This black wooden box is so important because it was stated that “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). The villagers hold such loyalty to this box because they were taught that this box symbolizes tradition and that with the lottery comes better living conditions.

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The Importance Of Literary Elements In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

809 Words | 4 Pages

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.”

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