Analysis Of The Book ' The Lottery Jackson '

There is a great deal of tension about the ritual that surrounds the Lottery traditions in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery.” Out of fear and superstition, the lottery ceremony continues to exist. In short, the lottery is more of a tradition rather than a ritual at the point we witness in the story, but out of respect and fear for tradition, the towns folks are more than willing to commit an act of mass violence, simply for the sake of a tradition.

The short story “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson, takes place on the morning of June 27th. People gathered each year for the lottery; the lottery took less than two hours. People gathered in small groups to talk as well as exchange gossip. Soon Mr. Summers brought out the black box that contained slips of paper that had the family's’ names. On the back of the slip, there is a black dot and that is used to choose the family. All the families were wondering the same question, “Who has the slip of paper with the black dot?” The Hutchinson family was the chosen family; they returned the slip along with drew one more time. When each family member got a slip they had to hold the slip. Everyone said “blank” except for Tessie, the wife. Tessie, the mother, was the chosen one. The villagers then proceeded to take rocks from a pile prepared before the ceremony and threw them at Tessie.“‘It isn’t fair,’ she said as the first stone hit her side.

The first literary element of this story is the point of view, and how the writer uses a third-person narrative style to tell this story. This gives the writer the ability to give details, but not make any real judgments. When you read the story you feel as if you are there watching what is happening, looking over the shoulders of the crowd, but not able to know what the people are thinking. In this story we get an example of how the writer is detached in a way. We don’t get to know what the characters are feeling just what their actions are telling us, like when they choose to whisper instead of talking at normal volume, or how nervous they seem as the lottery progresses. This writing style leaves little if any room to get attached to a character. This however is a smart move by Jackson, because if the story was told from a villager’s point of view it could have been far less effective. When we read we just read about the events of the lottery unfolding. This narrative point of view adds to the shock factor when we find out

In Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery”, multiple different aspects of gothic literature are shown. In a small town, where many families met annually, the “lottery” takes place, conducted by Mr. Summers. Families gather around together, and the men of the household draw out slips of paper from a black box once their name is called. One piece of paper has a black symbol on it, which no one wants to get. It is clear in this story that there is a bleak setting, tortured characters, and dark events.

Shirley Jackson received very little literary criticism throughout her life. The reason why is very controversial. The most accurate reason is most likely because Shirley Jackson’s works were so different, filling in many different genres and types of stories. “Despite her popularity--several of her novels were best-sellers--her work received relatively little critical attention. Some critics claim the lack of critical attention paid to Jackson is due to her versatility--in her lifetime she published novels, short stories, plays, children's books, television scripts and humorous sketches of domestic life.” ("Shirley Jackson."(Online)). Other critics blame it on the fact that Shirley was a woman and the men that lived during her time wouldn’t

While America classical writing is often known for being dark and abstract, it often illustrates a deep message of truth that relates to the existing world. Through the mid to late 1900s Shirley Jackson and Kurt Vonnegut published a number of fictional pieces in the United States. During this time, each addressed the existing struggle between the individual and society. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” are two stories that depict the oppression an individual faces when pitted to society. Jackson’s piece in particular points to the danger of blind following, while Vonnegut’s work addresses the danger in total equality. Through a number of means, both authors illustrate the danger in submissively

Robert E. Howard once said “Barbarism is the natural state of mankind.” Illustrating that the evil cruel brutish state is but the traditional ancient way of humans. For centuries societies have fought to withhold powerful positions over opposing enemies, no matter the cost or actions needed. This is because a supreme civilization is a perfect civilization. Excellent examples that prove this is famous historic societies such as the Mongols, the Spartans, the Aztecs, the Celts. Each of these nations are known for being powerful as well as equally terrifying, this being due to their barbaric traditions. Proving Howard right, man has always had evil tendencies. Shirley Jackson, author of the short story “The Lottery,” agrees with the belief that

How would you feel if you lived in a country where you could not speak your mind? Imagine your friend speaking out saying whatever the government is doing is wrong. And the next day your friend is killed because of his or her actions. In some countries like North Korea this will actually happen to someone. The government has too much power. There should be something that can mediate what the government can and cannot do. In Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery”, the author is trying to explain to the reader about society and more importantly government, and how much power they have on everyone’s life. To be more specific the author is trying to explain the government oppression

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a story that highlights the qualities of a society, created by the author, that tip the scale between right and wrong. The beginning of the story appeared to be harmless and innocent given the title and the enlightening introduction. At the end of the story, the reader is made aware of the dark reality of the town’s annual ritual. Overall the story contained vivid details and an unexpected turn of events. The theme represented in the story are the negative consequences of ignorantly continuing a tradition. The part of the story that sets up the plot is its theme, which is supported by the author’s effective use

When I think of the lottery, I think of a game basically where they choose one number and something or something gets chosen.

If everyone else was doing something, would you? Or maybe if someone needed to be stood up for, would you have their back? In The Lottery, people do follow other people blindly. And the consequences are devastating. But in First They Came, not having someone’s back might get you in the same position…

Deliberate authorial choices become crucial in getting the readers attention in a said literary work. Authors spend their whole career developing these techniques to create a style that is their own. Shirley Jackson displays her talent to the reader in her writing of a pessimistic short story that she is most famous for. Her famous short story “The Lottery” is one to keep the reader interested not only in the content but in the way she presents it and the emotional toll that it has on the readers. The story follows a town which partakes in a ritualistic lottery. Each household draws from a black box and whomever draws the black circle wins. The family who wins draws again and the winner of the family gets stoned. Jackson presents an pessimistic story which reveals all the story’s meaning at the end. It is through her deceiving style, her deliberate technical choices, Shirley Jackson first lulls her reader then shocks them as she reveals a story that takes a look at following blindly and the danger of misinterpreting religion and traditions, that is a result of evil hiding in the ordinary elements of life.

Shirley Jackson was a short story writer and novelist; however, she was also a loner and introvert. Shirley was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, CA. Jackson and her family moved East when she was 17, were she attended Rochester University. After doing a year, she dropped out of school, stayed at home for a year and began practicing on her writing. Jackson entered Syracuse University in 1937, where she met her future husband, Stanley Edgar Hyman who was at the time also attending Syracuse University, and was an aspiring literary critic. Both Jackson and Hyman graduated in 1940, and moved to New York’s Greenwich Village.

villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as

Hey Sheri, I do believe as well that this can be a motivator as well and open our eyes to a lot of things. We often allow things to happen just because of it being the norm to us, so we don't think twice about it. I believe a lot of town’s people don't care about the lottery continuing once they have gone through so many without being chosen. I feel that Max Warner brags about the lottery because it helps him prepare him if he is chosen to be stoned one year. This story helps understand that fact that being blind to a situation isn’t always the