Foreshadowing The Lottery

In many stories, the author purposely has their book narrated from a certain perspective in order to focus on and emphasize certain aspects of the tale. “The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson, is an example of how the point of view at which a story is told from holds big importance of how it unfolds. “The Lottery” is recounted from a third person ordinary angle, which helps build the twist ending, creating foreshadowing, and helping the reader recognize the theme of the possibility of evil within the narrative. By narrating the story through the lens of a third person ordinary narrator, Shirley Jackson is able to create a dark and suspenseful tale. The twist ending in “The Lottery” is made possible because of the point of view the story

Throughout the story, the reader is given some normal and some odd details, like when the children were placing stones in a pile at the square, or when Mrs. Hutchinson complains when her family wins: “‘It wasn’t fair,’ Tessie said” (6). In addition, it is described that the villagers “kept their distance, leaving a space between them and the stool” (1). Since the tale is told in the third person ordinary perspective, it is naturally easier to foreshadow because the narrator describes only what he perceives in the story, which means lots of seemingly useless details are given when really they are actually foreshadows. All the foreshadowing makes the reader feel a bit anxious and unsure about what’s happening as the story progresses. In brief, because of the point of view “The Lottery” is told in, Shirley Jackson is able to implement lots of foreshadowing to create a sense of suspense and darkness in the

The setting is highlighted and purposely described as happy and positive in the beginning, as the village is “clear and sunny” and “the flowers were blossoming and the grass was richly green” (1). This causes the reader to possibly think something good may happen; after all it is a beautiful day. However when the reader learns in the end about the darkness that exists in the story, the reader is shocked and then remembers that in the beginning, the story had a seemingly pleasant setting and now suddenly the villagers are stoning the ‘winner’, Tessie. The reader connects the dots and realizes the theme: the possibility of evil in seemingly blissful settings. With the third person ordinary point of view, the reader is forced to make conclusions using just the observations of the narrator and not the thoughts of characters, which makes the reader think more deeply and eventually come to the realization of the