Winning the Lottery Equals Death in Shirley Jackson, The Lottery

filled with excitement and eeriness, leaving the reader speechless. The Lottery , a short story written by famous writer Shirley Jackson, created an uproar on June 26, 1948, when it was published in the magazine The New Yorker (Ball). The gothic thriller, set in an unknown time and place, shares the tradition of a small town, a little larger than three hundred people, in which a drawing is held once a year. In this “Lottery,” each family’s husband draws a slip of paper from a black box. The husband…

One of the most shocking literary devices in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is the setting. “The Lottery” being set in any town of the United States of America points to how important the reoccurring theme is. By not placing the story in any specific place, Jackson leaves the readers to wonder and evaluate the general inhumanity that surrounds them. When it comes to saving oneself a person seems to easily harm someone else. Along with the setting Jackson uses a great deal of irony, motifs, and symbolism…

Shirley Jackson, born on December 14, 1916, devotes much of her life to the writing of short stories and novels. Some of these include The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Jackson's stories, inspiring and influential to most, are also controversial to some. Her most controversial story, published in 1948 in The New Yorker, is "The Lottery." The purpose for the writing of the story varies depending upon the reader, but some might say that it "expresses…

In most peoples minds, the word “lottery” signifies huge winnings, but for the townspeople in the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson the word brings forth fear and devastation. The lottery starts off as a seemingly innocent event which immediately turns into feared, mass chaos in the town. The symbols Jackson incorporates into the story contribute to the fact that everything in this town must be replaced and that some things we must let go of to start fresh with. Although, having said that, people…

"The Lottery" In "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson presents us with a shocking story guaranteed to outrage the reader. The author brings together the residents of a small village as they are gathered for an annual event referred to as the lottery. The families of the village are represented by their names on small pieces of paper, which are placed in a black box. The appointed townsperson oversees the drawing to determine who pulls the slip of paper that "wins" the drawing. The characters seem…

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.…

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…

To win a lottery should be an exciting and joyful thing, but in “The Lottery” created by Shirley Jackson, winning the lottery in the story would be the most unfortunate thing for everyone as it equals to death. “The Lottery” is a tradition to pick a scapegoat, it has been carried out in the village for a very long time and it is a part of life for everyone. No one wants to question the tradition as they believe that it would help them to having a great harvest. A Third person narrator tells the…

took part in the traditional lottery drawing and one villager was picked for the prize – a stoning. In 1948, Shirley Jackson published this short story known as “The Lottery,” in The New York Times. The story’s plot shocked readers all over America as they learned of the horror happening in such a quaint town. Jackson purposely set this tragic event in this innocent setting to emphasize humanity’s cruelty. Using her appalling short story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson alarms readers with the ironic…

The Lottery, a ritual that no one has ever thought to question, which represents any action, behavior, or idea that is passed down from one generation to the next that’s accepted and followed unquestioningly, no matter how illogical, strange, or cruel. “The oldest denizen of the town, Old Man Warner, points out that this is his seventy-seventh year participating in the ritual, called simply the lottery.”(Dubose 1) The “Lottery” is so much a part of the town’s culture, that the townspeople does not…