Analyzing Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery'

In "The Lottery," author Shirley Jackson establishes a great contrast between the normal cheeriness of everyday life with a deeply morose, corrupted practice. The shocking turn towards death startles readers, effectively causing them to question the function of tradition within a society. In Jackson's "The Lottery," the author uses emblematic characterization, discordant imagery, and morbid symbolism; illustrating that unquestioned tradition can lead to stubborn resistance to change and moral decay.

Jackson effectively employs a nonspecific, widely relatable method of characterization, as well as a few meaningful names, in order to allow the reader to empathize with the characters; proving that humanity can identify with the inability to

The audience can place itself in the shoes of the characters, imagining real people who resemble the same roles as the characters; this enables the desperate fear to come alive to the reader and emphasizes the lack of morality in this deep-rooted tradition. In contrast, the author uses purposeful names, specifically with Mr. Graves. His name plays on the morbidity of the tradition, in addition to foreshadowing the twisted, morose ending (Jackson). The Delacroix family presents an interesting hidden meaning. The term means "of the cross" in French, yet the way Jackson purposefully distorted the pronunciation symbolizes a twisted version of the Christian symbol. This correlates with the tradition, which may have originally been a reverent, necessary practice, but has now become an immoral habit. The scholarly essay retrieved on UKessays' online page reflects on the symbolic meaning of the name Delacroix, saying that "the church, usually seen as a positive influence, can sometimes turn on a person in the name of ritual and tradition" (UKessays). Additionally, the fact that Mr. Adams is the first to stone Mrs. Hutchinson is

The whole first paragraph creates a tone of peacefulness, joy, and well-being. It describes "the fresh warmth of a full-summer day," presenting the lottery as just another day (Jackson). Jackson furthers this image with details of blossoming flowers and the rich color of the grass, allowing the reader to vividly picture the scene, and perhaps enabling them to imagine this place in their own community. The author writes that "it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner," demonstrating the hardened hearts of the citizens (Jackson). To them, it has become just another day. The annual, depraved event has become so normal in their society that it blinds them to the blatant immorality festering among them. Jackson's juxtaposed imagery produces irony, emphasizing the fact that the lottery has corrupted their society almost unnoticedly. The townsmen's inability to accept change keeps them trapped in the idealism of the warmth and freshness of the summer day, blinding them to the obvious depravity in front of