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The lottery interpretation and symbolism essay
The lottery interpretation and symbolism essay
The lottery interpretation and symbolism essay
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The bizarre ritual in “The Lottery”
One of the most horror stories in modern American literature, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, seems to attract great attention from readers of that era. The story begins with a picture of a small village that holds a lottery each year in the summer. Tessie Hutchinson is the person who was picked by the lottery, then stoned to death. As a ritual sacrifice, the villagers stone her to death despite her protests about the unfairness of the drawing. Through characters, symbolism, and setting of the story, “The Lottery” not only exposes a strong statement regarding the notion of the scapegoat in American in 1948s but also powerful reveal the dark side of the human nature.
No reader can finish this story without
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contemplating the violence and inhumanity that Jackson intended it to portray. In the irony of its depiction lies the horror of this classic tale and, one hopes, a careful reevaluation of social codes and meaningless rituals. The lottery, black box, and stones are the specific symbols in this story.
First, the core of the story of "The Lottery" is in its symbols. This can represent a number of different ideas, but the most basic is that of tradition and specifically unquestioned traditions. Traditions like this exist as much in humans’ society as a belief or custom or the way of doing something for a long time, and "The Lottery" shows that. This ceremony celebrates every year in the summer. Second, stones represent violence. “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones" (279). The stone symbol has been foreshadowed by the ominous ending of the story. Everyone gathers stones, and there is “a great pile of stones in one corner of the square” (279). The method of execution is also clearly symbolic. Stoning is one of the few methods of execution that is done by a community, and not an individual. Next, the lottery box or black box is the most symbolic item because it is the one of only connections to the root of the lottery. The lottery box becomes shabbier each year; “by now it was no longer... the original wood color.” The box needs to renew or change for more suitable with a long existence. However, nobody in the village does not want to do it. One question is suggested that why people still want to follow a bizarre sacrifice while they do not want to. Perhaps, people do not want to “go back
to living in caves.” “The Lottery” is filled with symbolism, irony and a clear understanding of how to tell a story as well as willingness to embrace controversy.
Set against the backdrop of the contemporary American societies, “Charles” and “The lottery” are arguably two of the finest short stories written by Shirley Jackson; one of the most popular and talked about writer of horror/mystery genre in the mid-nineteenth century. The lottery is a descriptive story about a horrific ritual that take place in a small town ,and Charles is a narrative story about the lies of a bad child. Like her other notable works, these two stories effectively showcase her mastery in dramatic irony and candidly uncover the contemporary social reality while still having the several similarities and differences shared in between them based upon the writing style, main theme of the story , and the way how each story concludes.
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 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
The fascinating story of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson has symbolism throughout the text that reveals how every man is for himself and how society as a whole is flawed. Although individual characters in the story seem to aspire to want to change the tradition in their society, they very quickly go back to their human instincts of survival of the fittest. Interesting enough, the black box symbolizes the tight tradition the society follows even though it is not the original box, “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago…” (52). The black box is a powerful symbol that showcases how humans are instinctive to hold on to only what they know even if they don’t know why they are doing it, “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (52). Another instinctive symbolism in “The Lottery” are the stones.
Typically, when someone thinks of a lottery they think of something positive and exciting but contrary to this idea in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, the connotation has an entirely different meaning. As the story begins, readers lean towards the belief that the town in which Jackson depicts is filled with happiness and joy. “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson 247) We soon realize that this notion is far from the truth. As the townspeople gather in the square for the annual lottery, which sole purpose is to stone someone to death by randomly pulling a paper out of a black box with a black dot on it, it is learned
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.
Why would a civilized and peaceful town would ever suggest the horrifying acts of violence can take place anywhere at anytime and the most ordinary people can commit them. Jackson's fiction is noted for exploring incongruities in everyday life, and “The Lottery”, perhaps her most exemplary work in this respect, examines humanity's capacity for evil within a contemporary, familiar, American setting. Noting that the story’s characters, physical environment, and even its climactic action lacks significant individuating detail, most critics view “The Lottery.” As a modern-day parable or fable, which obliquely addresses a variety of themes, including the dark side of human nature, the danger of ritualized behavior, and the potential for cruelty when the individual submits to the mass will. Shirley Jackson also addresses cruelty by the citizen’s refusal to stand up and oppose “The Lottery.” Violence and cruelty is a major theme in “The Lottery.”
box. We do not always enjoy change, even if it might prove beneficial to us.
The lottery consists of a black box full of blanks pieces of paper and one marked piece of paper. The person who draws the marked piece of paper is the one who endures the horrible fate of being stoned. This black box is very significant because it an s symbol of tradition. Just like tradition, it has been used for many years. Because it symbol in this story is the black box, which is used in the lottery process. . The box is a symbol of tradition and just like tradition; it has been used for many years. “ There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village.” It is old and needs to be replaced with a new one but none ...
Thesis: The short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson found in Perrine's Literature written by Thomas R. Arp is a story full of symbolism.
The townspeople seem to have mixed emotions about the lottery; they fear it yet on a very barbaric level they enjoy it. By standing "away from the pile of stones," and keeping their distance from the black box, the villagers show their fear of the lottery (Jackson 863). However, once they find out who is going to be stoned, Tessie Hutchinson, they seem to actually enjoy the stoning. One villager picks up a stone so big she can barely carry it; someone even gives Tessie’s youngest son a few pebbles to throw at his mother. Their overall attitude about the stoning is summed up by the phrase "and then they were...
With a dramatic shift from a seemingly innocent atmosphere to a bleak turn of events, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” manages to capture her readers’ attention in a virulent manner. Although they are often criticized, she is known for her works in the gothic horror genre, particularly “The Lottery”. This story depicts a small town that holds an annual “lottery” in which one unlucky person is randomly selected to be stoned to death in order to ensure a bountiful corn harvest. Since she suffered many psychological battles, Shirley Jackson creates such dark stories criticizing humanity’s violent presence to portray the era of life she faced. World War II had already ended by the time “The Lottery” was published and there is an underlying criticism
What thoughts come to mind when you think of "The Lottery?" Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, "The Lottery." Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, instead they are gambling for their life. A shock that surprises the reader as she unveils this horrifying tradition in the village on this beautiful summer day. This gamble for their life is a result of tradition, a tradition that is cruel and inhumane, yet upheld in this town. Shirley Jackson provides the reader’s with a graphic description of violence, cruelty, and inhumane treatment which leads to the unexpected meaning of "The Lottery." Born in San Francisco, Jackson began writing early in her life. She won a poetry prize at age twelve and continued writing through high school. In 1937 she entered Syracuse University, where she published stories in the student literary magazine. After marriage to Stanley Edgar Hyman, a notable literary critic, she continued to write. Her first national publication “My Life with R.H. Macy” was published in The New Republic in 1941but her best-known work is “The Lottery.”(Lit Links or Reagan). Jackson uses characterization and symbolism to portray a story with rising action that surprises the reader with the unexpected odd ritual in the village. While one would expect “The Lottery” to be a positive event, the reader’s are surprised with a ritual that has been around for seventy-seven years , demonstrating how unwilling people are to make changes in their everyday life despite the unjust and cruel treatment that is associated with this tradi...
Shirley Jackson’s 1948 story of “The Lottery” describes an annual event in a small town with a population of about 300 people. This mysterious traditional event brought together men, women and children in one huge gathering to sacrifice an individual in the hope of a prosperous crop harvest. They assembled in the town center to draw pieces of paper from the black box and ironically, whoever who picked the “winning” piece of paper containing the black dot was stoned to death. In this particular event, a wife and mother “Ms. Tessie Hutchinson” faces the inevitable death. Shirley Jackson uses the stoning of Ms. Tessie Hutchinson to inform the reader of the oppression of women by patriarchy.