The Importance Of The Setting In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

All pieces of literature have a setting. Whether it be poetry, drama, novels or short stories, they all have one. The setting is the time and place where a scene occurs. It can help set the mood, influence the way characters behave, affect the dialog, predict events, lead to an emotional response, reflect the society in which the characters live, and sometimes even plays a part in the story. It can also be a critical element in nonfiction as the setting provides the framework for what is being discussed. To make the setting come alive, it’s important to include significant details. That doesn’t mean describing everything the characters see, or giving a complete history of where the scene occurs. Giving enough information to help readers visualize

The bars, strict schedules, vicious keepers, and predatory “sisters” only add a sense of entrapment and suffocation to these layers of isolation. Shawshank’s confines also highlight the extent to which the prisoners have isolated themselves and compromised their sense of identity. Beneath the hardened criminals lie insecure, unstable outcasts, many of whom believe they can’t function outside the prison system. In some weird way I believe that the short story called “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson has a similar effect on me when I read that and as when I was watching Shawshank Redemption. An overview of the short story would be a small town made up of about 300 people all join around at the village square for a lottery. It is not just any old lottery, it is a death lottery. If you are chosen as the winner of the lottery you are literally stoned to death. The winner is simply chosen by a piece of paper that is drawn from this old black box. If you have the black dot on your paper you’re the “winner”. The people of the village all gathered stones and pebbles for the children and whomever is chosen gets he rocks thrown at them until they