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The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson

Decent Essays

“The Lottery”
Would it feel good to the win the lottery? When people win the lottery, they are filled with excitement and joy, but this lottery is one that people would rather have no chance of winning. In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” the members of a small town gather each year to hold a special event to see what “lucky” towns member will win the annual lottery. Each year the families of the town meet in the square and the head of each household draws a slip of paper to determine which family wins the “lottery.” The Hutchinson family has chosen the winning slip of paper and then the family draws amongst themselves to find the sole winner of the lottery. The short story, “The Lottery” begins with a beautiful day and all of the town members joking and laughing, but the actual dark meaning slowly starts to be revealed. “The Lottery” uses a joyful tone to show how people can become accustomed to a particular lifestyle, along with irony, the use of hidden symbols and foreshadowing to hint at the outcome of the story.
The short story “The Lottery” uses a cheerful mood throughout the story even when everyone in the town knows that a terrible outcome is imminent. As the story begins, children are playing and gathering rocks while the adults start to gather at the town square. The day is beautiful, and the town’s people are laughing and joking with each other. The story describes the perfect day by setting a joyous mood, “The morning of June 27th was clear and

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