Shirley Jackson's the Lottery Essay

In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson reveals that people follow traditions without knowing the reason or origin of the tradition. Religion and racism are two beliefs that people acquire from previous generations. Jackson’s purpose in writing The Lottery was to compel readers to think about why they follow their traditions. Most religious customs are not harmful, but the disturbing practice in the village draws the reader's attention. The theme that people follow traditions and beliefs of their ancestors

1. What is your reaction to the climax of the story- the stoning? Consider especially the behavior of Tessie Hutchinson’s husband and son. The conclusion of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is one of my favorite endings in a short story, for the reason that it is done very simply. Instead of a melodramatic situation where the victim’s family is wailing or upset, they are not given specific qualities with the exception of the youngest child. Because only Dave, the child, is mentioned in the ending

The Luck of The Draw: An Analysis of Jackson’s “The Lottery” “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, is a short story that goes on to tell about an annual lottery held by a small village in New England. “The Lottery” starts off happily with the talk of a “clear and sunny, with fresh warmth of a full summer day,” (Jackson 345) and then quickly unravels with a gruesome sequence of events. Each year villagers gather together to partake in the lottery, in which each person draws at random to determine who

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. Born in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1916, Shirley Hardie Jackson was born

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, every year a town has a lottery with the whole population included. Mr. Summers, the head of the organization, places everyone’s name in a jar, including children and family members. He will pull one name out and the person on the slip’s family will be drawn to have rocks thrown at them. This story might seem like a traditional piece of writing when reading it, but what message or specific choices might stick into people’s brains, and how can it be analyzed? Shirley

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” there are many themes and traditions from which to choose. There are many traditions that people continue to do that are harmless such as Easter egg hunts, Christmas trees, and church on Sunday, and of course there are also more harmful traditions such as war, sexism, and bigotry. Even though traditions make us who we are, it can be dangerous to blindly follow any tradition. The traditions in Shirley Jacksons “The Lottery” are many, but the fact that they continue

Griffin, Amy A. in his article “ The lottery” asserts that,” in shirley jackson’s “ The Lottery’’ A good harvest has always been vital to civilizations. After the fields have been prepared and the seeds sown, the farmer can only wait and hope that the proper balance of rain and sun will ensure a good harvest. From this hope spring ritual. Many ancient cultures believe that growing crops represented the life cycle, beginning with what one associates with the end death. Seeds buried,apparently without

How Did Shirley Jackson Keep Readers Interested Right to the Very End Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” has been described as "one of the most famous short stories in the history of American literature". Jackson tells the gripping story of a fictional small town which observes an annual ritual known as "the lottery". The seemingly peaceful town houses the dark tradition. Readers are kept on the edges of their seats. Shirley Jackson does this by creating a feeling of suspense through her

Who would not want to win a lottery? When you read the title of the short story “The Lottery”, you would think that it is about winning a large amount of money. Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” was published in 1948 and the short story has a very different way of playing lottery. In this short story, tradition plays a big role and you can ask yourself the question: Would you follow a tradition blindly or would you stand against the authority? The short story starts with an introduction

In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" there are many examples of traditions. For example, the town's lottery starts in late June and most of the townspeople start gathering around 10 o'clock by the post office and bank. During the gathering, the children come first, the men follow, and the women come last. The black box that is used is also a huge tradition according to this town. When the men's names were called they were to go up to the black box and draw out a piece of paper. After everyone