The lottery
Shirley Jacksons, in her story “The Lottery” talks about how in this small village of three hundred people on June 27th, a lottery takes place. This lottery played by this village is a really different type of lottery that people play in the current year. Usually when people hear lottery they think of money, prizes, and good things coming their way. The last thing they expect is for it to be something that will kill you at the end if you ended up being the winner of it. Shirley Jackson used contrast, dialogue, and symbolism in order to show how important tradition is to the people in this small village and how they follow it blindly without questioning it.
In this lottery, everyone plays. It does not matter how old or what gender
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the person is. Only one person is chosen at the end. The winning ticket is a small piece of paper with a black dot in the middle. The way they choose the winner is by having every person in the community who is the head of the household come up to a black wooden box and grab a ticket in the first round. In the second round the family of the person who picks the winning ticket has to go next to the black wooden box and grab a ticket, whoever chooses the winning ticket is the person who would win the lottery. After the winner is announce everyone in the community stones this person to death. The way Jackson keeps her readers interested in the story is by using contrast. One way is by the title. The tittle “The Lottery” usually always means that the story will have a good ending. Jackson also starts the beginning of the story talking about how beautiful the day was and how the whole village wanted this lottery to be over so everyone could go back and keep going with their day, making the readers believe this is a typical story of a person winning a lottery. Jackson starts talking about the black wooden box where they stirred up the tickets inside for people to pick their ticket. This box was a very old box and was also no longer just black, it splintered badly along one side that showed the original wood color of it. The box was very important to the people in the village because there was a story behind it, which made it a part of the tradition. The story behind it said that it was made of pieces of the box that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make the village. This was the reason why the Mr. Summer who was the man who ran the local business, and the lottery wanted to get rid of it. The people in the village respected the box, but at the same time they were scared of it. People did not really care about the box any other time of the year. Once the lottery was over, the box was put away anywhere in the town. Jackson talks about this box a lot, which is giving the reader a suggestion that this box might have a bigger meaning then just being the box that is used for the lottery. This also makes the reader want to keep reading to see what’s going to happen with this box, or if this box is able to do more than just hold the tickets. Jackson writes about how the people in the village seem harmless, children are running around and playing. The people are joking around and they all seem like this is a good event. By using this type of dialogue, Jackson makes the reader believe the story has a good ending, because nobody seems worried or scared of the lottery. A woman in the community named Mrs.
Hutchinson came late to the lottery because she said she had forgotten what day it was. “Though my old man was out back stacking wood, and then I look out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came running,” Mrs. Hutchison said to Mrs. Delacroix who was already there. Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, “Though we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie.” Mrs. Hutchison said, grinning, “Wouldn’t have leave them dishes in the sink, would you, Joe?” and soft laughter. (Jackson) Mrs. Hutchinson’s husband was the one who got the first ticket, meaning one person of his family was going to be the winner of the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson had three kids, the total of five people in her family. They all had to pick a ticket and Mrs. Hutchinson picked the ticket that had the circle in the middle, making her the person chosen to get stoned to death by everyone else in the village. In the moment Mrs. Hutchison was chosen, she stopped being a mother, a wife, and a friend. They all participated in her killing, even her kids and husband. Showing once again how this “lottery” became so important to this village that it did not matter who was getting stoned to death. Everyone participated without hesitation. It could be anyone’s friend, daughter/son or even their
parents. Stones were also a part of the tradition of the lottery. They play a huge part at the end of the lottery. On a short film of the story shows little kids started collecting stones since even before the lottery would start. They would put stones in their pockets or next to them and be able to be ready for whenever the person was chosen. (The lottery) that shows that the whole village grew up with this lottery being played, because the kids knew what was going to happen and they were getting prepared without their parents even telling them too. Jackson mentions how the black box hasn’t been thrown away because it has been the same box for a long time and also because the story behind it. The black box represents tradition to the people and it also shows how loyal they all are to this tradition that has been taking place in the village for as long as they can all remember. They might see the problem with it or not agree, but they will keep doing it just for the simple reason that’s what they have been told since very young. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.” Mr. Summer said. (Jackson) This is a phrase that was said by the villagers. The meaning behind this phrase was that many believed if they did not do this lottery, they would not have a good year. In “The Lottery” on paragraph seven, it says “he was supposed to walk among the people, but years ago this of the ritual had been allowed to lapse.” (Jackson) This means that they all believe their following this “ritual” that has been done for many years and nobody has ever stopped and questioned why are certain things are not being done the same way as before. Nobody has stopped and said it should not be done since is not even happening the way the ritual should be. If it is a ritual, it should be done right. But this village is just doing it for the simple reason that they are used to do it, and it has become a common event that happens every year. Is 2015, and there is a lot of countries that do the same thing as the people in this village. For example, in Mexico, the tradition consists of eating twelve grapes at midnight on December 31st because is believed it wards away witches and general evil. This tradition is very old, but yet people are still doing it. They might not really know what it really means, but they still do it because that’s what they grew up knowing and told to do. In conclusion, Jackson is trying to make people see how everyone should take some time to learn more about their traditions and not just follow them blindly. The story also suggests that people should not believe everything they are told, because it is not always the best thing to do or the whole truth. People should learn more about their culture and rituals. What are the meanings behind them, and not just continue tradition just for the simple reason that’s what they are told.
Shirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story “The Lottery” (Hicks). “The Lottery” was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elements. There are some important elements of the story that develop the theme of the story: narrator and its point of view, symbolism, and main conflict. The story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, argues practicing a tradition without understanding the meaning of the practice is meaningless and dangerous.
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.
“ The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson, shows the corruption in a village whose people treat life with insignificance. Through the use of literary devices, Jackson portrays how practices in traditions can be barbaric;ultimately, resulting in persecution.
To a first time reader, Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” seems simply as a curious tale with a shocking ending. After repetitive reading of Jackson's tale, it is clear that each sentence is written with a unique purpose often using symbolism. Her use of symbols not only foreshadow its surprise and disturbing ending but allows the reader to evaluate the community's pervert traditional rituals. She may be commenting on the season of the year and the grass being “richly green” or the toying with the meanings of the character's names but each statement applies to the meaning and lesson behind her story.
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.
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.
In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, there are certain traditions that are upheld by the characters in the story. These characters that Jackson created are not even sure why they are following the traditions. This story shows the reader how mankind will react to different situations that they are put into. Even when something is going bad or is wrong, people will not be a leader and stop it. The characters in this story should not have tolerated with the inhumane tradition that was held every year.
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.
“The Lottery” is a story written by Shirley Jackson. By looking at the title you may think about money prize. In this story takes the readers expectation to another level. By the two words of the title there is no way the reader did not get hook to reading this story. In “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson, uses symbolism, irony, and imagery.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small town. The story sets place in a small town in New England. Every year a lottery is held, in which one person is to be randomly chosen to be stoned to death by the people in the village. The lottery has been practiced for over seventy years by the townspeople. By using symbolism, Jackson uses names, objects, and the setting to conceal the true meaning and intention of the lottery.
While “The Lottery” seems like a short story destined for a happy ending, the setting, tone, and symbolism, demonstrate that the ending is actually quite ironic. The setting would make the reader believe that the story is going to be bright and have a happy ending. “The Lottery” occurs on June 27th and the environment is described as a beautiful, and flowers blooming, which in turn could influence the reader’s to think of positive things, even though the ending is inevitable of sacrificing one of their own town’s people. The tone of “The Lottery” starts off as cheerful and the kids running around and playing with rocks and people greeting each other like they would at any event, not thinking about how their days is going to change. During reading the story the reader might not think about what the objects in the story symbolize such as the black box or even calling the event the lottery.