Exploring Shirley Jackson's Unsettling Fiction: A Focus on 'The Lottery'

Shirley Jackson is an American author of novels and short stories. She has received many honors for the best American short stories and fictional novels. She was born in San Francisco during 1940 and attended college in New York. She met her husband during college and they resided in a small New England town. Jackson was not only bi-coastal but she also experienced small town life. This allowed her to compare, contrast, and examine the current state of American life. Most of her work is macabre and odd, it features common settings and characters. Her pairing of ordinary characters and odd themes led to the success of her short story "The Lottery."

The reaction to Jackson 's short story was strong. It was one of the most banned literary work in America ("Background Information"). Today, it is a classic American short story. "The Lottery" is set in a small American town. The type of town where everyone knows each others name and everyone is a law-abiding citizen. All town members gather to draw a ticket in a yearly lottery. Before the drawing, children gather stones for use after the lottery. The story is simple, it is over quick but the ending

Characters of "The Lottery" carry on a horrifying tradition without question. One character explains why they carry on the tradition of the lottery. He is an old man who has participated in the ritual for 77 years. He believes that trouble comes when you end the lottery. They honor the tradition to ensure the success of the community. He explains "Lottery in June, corn heavy soon..." ("The Lottery Part 2 of 1."). The community participates in fear of the consequences of ending the lottery. This example of superstition provides the viewer understanding of why people continue outdated traditions. People take part in outdated rituals out of fear of abandoning it. Jackson expands the idea by having the characters pass on the tradition to