Use Of Frightening And Compelling Elements In The Lottery

Frightening and Compelling Elements in “The Lottery”

Imagine reading a short story and feeling a rush of adrenaline and anxiety flood in, compelling the reader to continue reading. This is exactly what “The Lottery” creates. “The Lottery”, a short story written by Shirley Jackson, follows a drawing (or lottery) in a small rural town. As more characters and their opinions/feelings, such as Tessie, a housewife with a sense of humor, are revealed, the true nature of the story is disclosed. Essentially, “The Lottery '' is a story about a town’s tradition of drawing names from a customary black box where whoever is chosen gets stoned by rocks until dead. Tessie, as mentioned earlier, is one of these victims. “The Lottery” is a frightening and compelling

According to the text, “The Lottery”, the narrator states, “Then the voices began to say, ‘It’s Hutchinson. It’s Bill.’ ‘Bill Hutchinson’s got it.’” The quote is important to the plot because it creates suspense leading to the climax. Continuing, the climax involves many twists. For example, Tessie, a funny and popular character, becomes the victim rather than the victor of the lottery, completely contradicting the wholesome beginning of the story. Next, the lack of resolution also creates a storyline that leaves the reader wondering about the characters’ future. Because the story suddenly cuts off, giving no insight into the succeeding events of the characters or lottery, the story leaves the reader on edge, uncertain for the future. In brief, readers are eager to continue reading because they want to know the outcome of the thrilling

According to the text, “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 - the villagers pronounced this name “Dellacroy”- eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square.” This quote creates questions by focusing on the children randomly creating rock piles and further foreshadows the later parts of the story. Furthermore, when Tessie has a fuss about her husband/family being chosen for the lottery, the reader may then realize that the lottery is not a “win millions and go home happy” situation. Also, only at the very end of the story, when rocks are thrown at Tessie, does the reader learn what the lottery truly is. This means, all the suspense is built up till the very end when the truth is revealed, and even when revealed, the reader still doesn’t know the future of the characters and the actual lottery ceremony. Ultimately, the readers will be drawn in, never receiving the anticipating closure for the ongoing suspense of the