Sticking to customs and traditions is good but when they are followed blindly, problems begin. Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery” is a short story set in Vermont during the 1940s. This short story is about a lottery that occurs on June twenty- seventh every year in a village of about 300 people. This lottery is unusual because the winner is stoned to death by the people of the village. Tessie Hutchinson, a wife and mother of two, enjoys the lottery until she draws the slip with a black dot, which indicates she has “won” the lottery. The villagers then stone her to death. In the short story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson utilizes symbolism and irony to illustrate customs and traditions.
In “The Lottery” symbolism is used to illustrate customs
…show more content…
and traditions. The date the lottery takes place is one of the symbols within the story. The date is symbolic because ancient rituals took place around this date. By doing this, Shirley Jackson draws similarities to those ancient rituals. The lottery in this village takes place on “The morning of June 27th…” (Jackson 655). This date is “…near the summer solstice, one of the two days in a year when the earth is farthest from the sun. Many prehistoric rituals took place on the summer solstice, so by setting the lottery at this time, Jackson draws similarities to such ancient rituals” (Mazzeno,2452). We can further see how tradition is preserved in the story by keeping the lottery on June twenty-seventh; around the same time similar ancient rituals took place. Another symbol in “ The Lottery” is the black box from which the villagers draw slips of paper to see who wins. Just as people are not willing to give up the old black box, they are not willing to give the lottery. For example, “Mr. Summers frequently spoke to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition in the as was represented by the black box” (Jackson 656). The reader is told, “The box is very old and in bad shape, but when it is suggested that the people make a new box, the subject is “allowed to fade off without anything being done”(Timko,2). This shows us how they did not like to change their tradition. The box symbolizes how they felt about the actual lottery itself. Even though the box is “…old and shabby, the villagers are unwilling or unable to replace it, just as they are unwilling to stop participating in the lottery” (Mclure,1277). We can see how the villagers not giving up the black box is symbolic of how they do not want to give up the lottery. Symbols throughout the story illustrate how the village stuck with old traditions whether it is the date of when the lottery is held or the villagers not wanting to make a new box. Customs and traditions are not only shown through the use of symbolism but also through the use of irony. In “The Lottery” customs and traditions are shown through the use of irony.
Shirley Jackson creates a peaceful mood by writing “…clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson 657). Although Jackson portrays a peaceful and joyful sense nearly throughout whole the story, what actually occurs is the opposite. What makes this story ironic is “…that the story takes place in tranquil and peaceful setting because what actually occurs is brutal and violent” (Timko 2). The way “The Lottery” is written, it “ seems like a festive event but is not” (Mclure, 1276). This also shows customs and traditions because the villager are so used to the lottery that “…the villagers regard the lottery as just another everyday matter to be dealt with…” (Timko 2). Another example of irony is when Mr. Summers said, “ All right folks…Let’s Finish quickly” (Jackson 5). This is ironic because it the villagers are about to kill someone and they are taking an easy approach to it. The same people who are about to stone Tessie Hutchinson to death are the people she was joking around with earlier. The people of the village can get it over with the stoning easily because they are used to it, as it is part of their tradition. The reader can see “The former, the ironic nature of the entire ceremony itself, with its fatal results…” (Timko 2). Shows the village takes the lottery easily even though it such a cruel ritual. The use of irony throughout the story helps show us how accustom the villagers are to the lottery
tradition. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson illustrates customs and tradition through the use of symbolism and irony. The lottery tradition is so old that the people in village do not “… really remember how the whole business of the lottery began, but many insist it must continue” (Timko 1). Instead they follow it blindly and kill innocent lives each year. Customs and traditions are meant to be followed but there is no point in following them if the meaning of them is not known.
In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the theme of the story is dramatically illustrated by Jackson’s unique tone. Once a year the villagers gather together in the central square for the lottery. The villagers await the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box. Within the black box are folded slips of paper, one piece having a black dot on it. All the villagers then draw a piece of paper out of the box. Whoever gets the paper with the black dot wins. Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery! Everyone then closes in on her and stones her to death. Tessie Hutchinson believes it is not fair because she was picked. The villagers do not know why the lottery continues to exist. All they know is that it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. In “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays three main themes including tradition, treason, and violence.
Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery', is a story that is filled with symbolism. The author uses symbolism to help her represent human nature as tainted, no matter how pure one thinks of himself or herself, or how pure their environment may seem to be. The story is very effective in raising many questions about the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. 'The Lottery' clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind?s evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. She shows how coldness and lack of compassion in people can exhibit in situations regarding tradition and values. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of 'The Lottery,' the objects, the peoples actions, and even in the time and the names of the lucky contestants.
"The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice. The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens. On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate. Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice. Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about. Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting. Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.
for summer break, letting the reader infer that the time of year is early summer.
Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", is a story that is very colorful with symbolism and underlying themes. Centrally, there is a heavy emphasis on following blind traditions no matter what the consequences are, and Utopia and perfect society seem to be the goal of the community where the story is set. Harold Bloom argues that Jackson Hit a universal nerve and suggests that the shock effect achieved by Jason "depends upon tapping into the universal fear of arbitrary condemnation and of sanctioned violence (Bloom, 9). In response to readers being upset, Jackson responded that "she wanted to graphically dramatize the 'pointless violence' in people's lives to reveal the general inhumanity to man (Friedman, 64). "The Lottery", is about blind obedience
The plot as a whole in “The Lottery” is filled with ironic twists. The whole idea of a lottery is to win something, and the reader is led to believe that the winner will receive some prize, when in actuality they will be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers. The villagers act very nonchalant upon arriving at the lottery; which makes it seem as if it is just another uneventful day in a small town. Considering the seriousness of the consequences of the lottery, the villagers do not make a big deal about it. Under the same note it is ironic that many of the original traditions of the lottery, such as the recital and the salute, had long been forgotten. All that the villagers seemed to remember was the ruthless killing of a random person. It also seems strange that they let the equipment for the lottery, the black box, get into such a poor condition.
In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" symbols are used to enhance and stress the theme of the story. A symbol is a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings. (Kirszner & Mendell 330) The theme of the story is how coldness and lack of compassion can be exhibited in people in situations regarding tradition and values. That people will do incredibly evil and cruel things just for the sake of keeping a routine. Three of the main symbols that Shirley uses in the story is the setting, black box, and the actual characters names. They all tie together to form an intriguing story that clearly shows the terrible potential if society forgets the basis of tradition. The story also shows many similarities between the culture of the village, and the culture of Nazi Germany. How blind obedience to superiors can cause considerable damage to not only a community, but the entire world. Symbolism plays a large role in "The Lottery" to set the theme of the story and make the reader question traditions.
“The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, is a provoking piece of literature about a town that continues a tradition of stoning, despite not know why the ritual started in the first place. As Jackson sets the scene, the villagers seem ordinary; but seeing that winning the lottery is fatal, the villagers are then viewed as murders by the reader. Disagreeing with the results of the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson is exposed to an external conflict between herself and the town. Annually on June 27th, the villagers gather to participate in the lottery. Every head of household, archetypally male, draws for the fate of their family, but Tessie protests as she receives her prize of a stoning after winning the lottery. Jackson uses different symbols – symbolic characters, symbolic acts, and allegories – to develop a central theme: the
In almost every story, one can find symbolism throughout the text to help the reader better understand what the writer wants the reader to takeout from his/her story. Symbolism is something that must be analyzed and explored to experience a deeper meaning to the story. Sometimes, symbolism throughout a story may not be noticeable when first read, but going back to analyze the text can add a deeper meaning to words and can also help to enhance the meaning behind the story line. In some instances, symbolism can leave a reader to ponder what the writer is trying to express with the symbolism used in the story; for symbolism can be interpreted differently and can have many layers of meaning to it. Some good examples of short stories that use symbolism to extend the meaning behind the story line are “The Lottery,” “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” and “The Jury of Her Peers”.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a chilling tale of a harsh ritualistic gathering conducted by people of a small village. The word lottery would typically remind someone of a drawing to win a cash prize. A better comparison to the story would be the lottery used to select troops for the Vietnam War; a lottery of death. Another would be the human sacrifices the Aztecs willingly made long ago.
box. We do not always enjoy change, even if it might prove beneficial to us.
The short story “ The Lottery ” the author Shirley Jackson uses symbolism and imagery to develop a theme the brings forth the evil and inhumane nature of tradition and the danger of when it’s carried out with ignorance.
In Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery," what appears to be an ordinary day in a small town takes an evil turn when a woman is stoned to death after "winning" the town lottery. The lottery in this story reflects an old tradition of sacrificing a scapegoat in order to encourage the growth of crops. But this story is not about the past, for through the actions of the town, Jackson shows us many of the social ills that exist in our own lives.
A main element of writing of The Lottery by Ms. Jackson is symbolism. The symbolism that winning the lottery is always good for the winner and provides some sort of benefit or prize. As well as an annual event that celebrates a bountiful harvest, a celebration by the town’s people with no discernable idea of what it means or what is about to occur. Participation is a ritual and mandatory for all community members where all are eager to play from community to household to individual. Few people seem to object to the tradition, few question the ritualistic stoning of the “winner” the cruelest of the cruelest ways to die and ways for anyone to kill another human being. A person must be within a few feet to really make their rock count, they must look at and acknowledge the individual and throw the stone with purpose and forethought without any hesitation or remorse. A barbaric ritual, at best. That people can do this to each other, year after
Shirley Jackson’s story The Lottery is about a function held in a village during 1948 that depicts the appearance tradition holds in society, and how following it may lead individuals to undertake in an immoral practice. In this village, tradition is constantly becoming increasingly insignificant; however, the impacts of the ceremony remain the same. The Lottery begins in a very cheerful tone though as the story develops Jackson uses irony to display the contrast from the tone at the beginning compared to the tone at the end.