The Use of Selective Exposition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

When writing, authors use various writing techniques and devices to better their story. From onomatopoeia, and similes, to mood and setting, these devices are what make the stories we read astounding. Atmosphere specifically is imperative to a great writing piece as it is prevalent throughout the entire story. From the first three words to the last three words, the reader is focused on the mood they are interpreting from the storyline. In “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the mood is what makes the story so amazing and helps us understand the theme.

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, the small village, at first, seems to be lovely, full of tradition, with the townspeople fulfilling their civic duties, but instead this story is bursting with contrast. The expectations that the reader has are increasingly altered. The title of this short story raises hope, for in our society the term “lottery” typically is associated with winning money or other perceived “good” things. Most people associate winning a lottery with luck, yet Jackson twists this notion around and the luck in this village is with each of the losers.

When a loving, caring, family oriented, women come in conflict with the horrible, despicable, inhumane lottery in a situation in which the town goes together, the results may be a terrible end in a young life. In “The Lottery” written by, Shirley Jackson, the main character Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson’s and the town folk are the main characters of this story. In “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson uses the use of characterization to portray the main ideas of the story. Shirley Jackson also uses the use of plot structure and the point of view in which the story is being told. The Lottery is a way to make a sacrifice for a good harvest in the upcoming season.

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a story littered with warnings and subtext about the dangers a submissive society can pose. While the opening is deceptively cheery and light Jackson uses an array of symbols and ominous syntax to help create the apprehensive and grim tone the story ends with. Her portrayal of the town folk as blindly following tradition represents the world during World War II when people’s failure to not mindlessly accept and heed authority lead to disastrous consequences. . Shirley Jackson uses a large array of techniques to help convey the idea that recklessly following and accepting traditions and orders can lead to disastrous consequences.

In her story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson manages to catch the readers’ attention and ultimately shock them with an unexpected ending; all of which help her emphasize her critique toward the dark side of human nature and the evil that resides, sometimes, in those who we less expect it from. Jackson uses symbolism throughout the story that helps her set the mood and also makes the readers wonder and analyze the senseless violence and cruelty in their own lives.

Shirley Jackson takes great care in creating a setting for the story, The Lottery. She gives the reader a sense of comfort and stability from the very beginning. It begins, "clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." The setting throughout The Lottery creates a sense of peacefulness and tranquility, while portraying a typical town on a normal summer day.

Shirley Jackson is to be considered one of the best authors of the 1900’s. Her style of writing reeled in readers from all different ages. She can be creepy, hilarious, and inspiring to the eyes that see her words. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery, she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wanting to continue reading beyond the final word. She uses literary devices to shape her story to grab her readers attention all throughout the story. By using these literary devices, Shirley Jackson shows off her dark and twisted side as well as her fantastic writing style to emphasize why she is one of the writers of her generation.

The tradition known as “The Lottery” is an old one that almost every village would do, but by the time that the story is set in most of them had stopped doing the lottery already. Nobody in the village knew why they would do this tradition or what it meant at all. They would just stone people each time someone won for no particular reason except that its “The Lottery.” The black box used in the lottery itself was also not even the original one which shows you that the villagers didn't even know the real meaning to the tradition.

participants. The only insight the reader has into the characters is the sparse dialogue; the

In today’s society we perceive the lottery as being a great fortune brought down upon you by Lady Luck. It is a serendipitous event, even if the person has done nothing to earn it. One would never see the lottery as an unfortunate occasion that occurred in your life because it is supposed to bring prosperity into your life. Also, one would not dare to think that winning the lottery would bring such repercussions as injury or death. In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the author could have used Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson as the town’s scapegoat due to their reluctance to change traditions, her horrible work ethic, and minority status as a woman.

Shirley Jackson has written many short stories throughout her career as a writer and continuous to be one of the most brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth century. “The Lottery” remains to be one of the greatest known and most widely discussed work among literary critics. Jackson was inspired to write this story while she was walking down the Prospect hill with her baby, once she went back home it just took her about three hours to write “The Lottery” and it only took about three weeks to be published in The New York Times. This story exposes how a small town of only three hundred habitants has a yearly custom of a “lottery” that tremendously shocks the reader when he or she finds out what the price is. Jackson got a lot of criticism

Born on December 14, 1916, in San Francisco, California, Shirley Jackson was an American author whose novels and short stories are still relevant today. Jackson grew up in California and moved East with her family when she was 17 years old. She began her college career at the University of Rochester, withdrew for one year to practice her writing skills at home, and then enrolled at Syracuse University in New York. She graduated from Syracuse in 1940. Jackson wrote many widely acclaimed novels and short stories that focused on the supernatural, including the best-selling novel “The Haunting of Hill House”. She is also the author of the well-known short story, “The Lottery”, which was first published in The New Yorker in 1948 and is still required reading in many high schools in the United States. One of the main themes of “The Lottery” is the danger of following tradition blindly. This theme can be seen in the story’s characters and plot as well as in the symbolism used by Jackson in the story.

The spectacle referenced in the title of the short story "The Lottery" refers to an unquestioned ritual that takes place in a small farming town in New England each year which requires all members of the community to draw sheets of paper to determine a winner. Unfortunately, the person who is deemed the winner of the lottery must be stoned to death due to a misguided and ancient belief that this will encourage a plentiful harvest. The story commences on a morning in late June with the local residents of this village exhibiting a nervous, yet excited mood. Children gather stones as the adult townsfolk assemble for their annual event. Old Man

The purpose of the lottery is hidden throughout most of the story, but at the end it’s revealed that it’s how they select a citizen to be stoned to death by the other villagers. The ending is shocking because the opening to the story depicts it as a peaceful, quiet village. The first of the above passages is the introduction to the story, where it is describing the setting, and the second is from the middle of the story when one of the characters, Mrs. Hutchinson, arrives to the town square as the lottery is starting. In these passages the author uses language and point of view to show, in a way that will impact the reader, how cruel and inhuman practices can become frighteningly normal when people follow the ways and traditions of society without

The traditions and the ritual of “The Lottery” in Shirley Jackson’s story seems to be just as old as the town itself, specifically since most of the residents don't recall any of the old rituals, even old man Warner, who is “celebrating” his 77th lottery. By the means of this, they are old fashioned in some ways and fixed in traditions of superstitions that seemed to involve human sacrifice. The village lottery culminates in a violent murder each year. A bizarre that suggests how dangerous rituals can be when people follow it blindly. Before we know what kind of lottery they are conducting, the villagers and their preparations seem harmless. They have selected a relatively pathetic man to run the lottery, and children run around gathering stones in the town square.