Literary Analysis “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a society in which it is a tradition for the population of a town to gather together in the middle of town for a random drawing with the prize of the individual being stoned. Mrs. Hutchinson was late to the raffle, protesting the whole time how it was unfair, and in the end was the individual that was chosen. This sequence of events and using literary element analysis leads the reader to believe that the so-called “random drawing” is actually controlled to target certain individuals that are threatening their tradition. Therefore, the central idea of “The Lottery” is that if one goes against tradition, society will be violent. The setting of “The Lottery” …show more content…
The conflict correlates with the central idea because this is the society’s way of legally getting rid of someone that is trying to protest what they have always known. When Mrs. Adams says, “Some places have already quit lotteries.” Old Man Warner comes back and says, “Nothing but trouble in that...pack of young fools.” Later on, Old Man Warner tells us that he has been in the lottery seventy-seven times. (32) This example demonstrates how if you follow tradition, the society will not be violent toward you. Old Man Warner clearly respects the tradition and therefore has not been harmed by it, even though he has been apart of it many times. Another example of society vs character is at the end of the story when Mrs. Hutchinson is about to be chosen, a girl whispers “I hope it’s not Nancy.” Old Man Warner replies to this by saying, “It’s not the way it used to be.” (34) Old Man Warner’s response shows how he is aware of the manipulation taking place. Also, at the very end of the story, Mrs. Hutchinson has the piece of paper with the black dot in her hand but has yet to show it to the crowd. Mr. Summers says “It’s Tessie… Show us her paper, Bill.” (35) This example shows us that Mr. Summers already knew who was going to be picked and that it was the society vs. character, who is Mrs. Hutchinson. Another way the conflict is demonstrated throughout the story is how Mrs.Hutchinson clearly the only one trying to rebel against …show more content…
Literary elements are demonstrated throughout the story and further improve our understanding of the central idea. The setting is important to the central idea because it shows the reader the type of society being described in the story. The language is also important to the central idea because it contains metaphors which further prove that the people are afraid of going against tradition because they are scared of being the target of violence. The conflict contributes to the central idea as well, because there are many examples of the society going against character, Mrs. Hutchinson, for not respecting the traditions put in place. The central idea is important to our understanding of the story because it sums up the main objective and furthers our
“The Lottery” is a short story about an event that takes place every year in a small village of New England. When the author speaks of “the lottery” he is referencing the lottery of death; this is when the stoning of a village member must give up his or her life. The villagers gather at a designated area and perform a customary ritual which has been practiced for many years. The Lottery is a short story about a tradition that the villagers are fully loyal to and represents a behavior or idea that has been passed down from generation to generation, accepting and following a rule no matter how cruel or illogical it is. Friends and family become insignificant the moment it is time to stone the unlucky victim.
At first glance, the readers have preconceived ideas that the story’s theme is one of a positive nature. One anticipates that there will be a character with good fortune; however, once reading it only becomes evident in the middle of the story. Readers begin to understand that he person who has the misfortune, the colored paper, is stoned to death in front of the whole community. This is evident when it states, “It had a black spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before…there was a stir in the crowd” (Jackson 249). This quote emphasis’s the negative connotation related to the black dot, which makes readers aware of the detriments related. Its relevance leads readers to understanding the development of the drama. Within the Hutchinson’s family, the mother, Tessie Hutchinson, is the victim to the lottery that
The major idea I want to write about has to do with the way Mrs. Hale stands behind Mrs. Wright even though it seems like everyone else especially (the men) would rather lock her up and throw away the key. We see this right away when she gets on the County Attorney for putting down Mrs. Wright’s house keeping. I find this to be wonderfully symbolic in that most women of this time usually allowed the men to say whatever they wanted about their sex, never standing up for themselves or each other
The famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people,” capturing the main message of the short story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, perfectly, because of the themes of peer pressure and tradition present throughout the story. In this story, the people of a small village gather for their annual tradition, a lottery, in which one person is picked at random out of a box containing each of the villagers’ names. The village, which is not specifically named, seems like any other historic village at first, with the women gossiping, the men talking, and the children playing, but soon takes a sinister turn when it is revealed that the “winner” of the lottery is not truly a winner at all; he or she is stoned to death by everyone else in the village. The purpose in this is not directly mentioned in the text, and the reader is left to wonder about the message the story is trying to convey. But there is no purpose; instead, the lottery is meant as a thinly veile...
She portrays her message best through the characters that actually voice their opinion against the lottery and the characters who respond to them. While those opposed are the voice of reason, they are dismissed by the majority in different ways throughout the story. Firstly we see Mr. Adams questions Old Man Warner about the validity of the lottery when he says, “over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery.” Old Man Warner, who represents the extreme right part of the majority, retorts with disgust and calls them a “pack of crazy fools.”
Another theme is sex roles which is evident in the subordination of the women throughout the story. The first place that this subordination is evident is when examining the power structure of the village, the hierarchy in which Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves are at the top. One of the only reasons that Summers is held up as this authority is because he has the time that is vested because he does not devote that time to his “scold wife” (Jackson 2). Another example of this is the subordination of Tessie by her husband while she tries to defend him from stoning. Though she is trying to defend his life, Bill shows he is still the dominating force and puts himself above Tessie before he is killed (Jackson 3).
The Lottery, a gothic short story written by Shirley Jackson, illustrates a fantasy about a small and isolated community that takes part in a sacrificial ritual that can only be described as vile and barbaric. Names of all of the citizens are put in a “black box” and eventually, a person is randomly selected to be stoned to death by their own family and fellow citizens. The reason for stoning, or the beliefs of the citizens, is to ensure there is a good crop yield for the year. Shirley Jackson uses the story to expose the subtle brutality in humanity and the dangers in social insecurities that lead to blind faith and following in traditions and cultures. Jackson uses plot and setting to illustrate the subtle brutality in humanity. Characters
...rs and situations to help explain the societal issues surrounding the time period. The dreadfulness comes from the controversial issues and feelings these characters experience. These characters must overcome these dreadful experiences in order to change what society deems as acceptable in the future.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery that is drawn in a small town. Every year a lottery is held, in which one person is arbitrarily selected to be stoned to death by the people in the village. The lottery has been adopted for over many years by its inhabitants. Jackson uses setting, objects, and names to disguise the actual meaning and objective of the lottery through the tradition of symbolism.
Tradition is huge in small towns and families and allows for unity through shared values, stories, and goals from one generation to the next. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” carries that theme of tradition. The story follows a small town that performs the tradition of holding an annual lottery in which the winner gets stoned to death. It (tradition) is valued amongst human societies around the world, but the refusal of the villagers in “The Lottery” to let go of a terrifying long-lasting tradition suggests the negative consequences of blindly following these traditions such as violence and hypocrisy.
In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, tradition is seen as very high and something to be respected not to be messed with. Although, the lottery has been removed from other towns, the village where the story is set in still continues to participate in the lottery. It is almost as if the other towns realized the lack of humanity in the tradition. However, the village still continues with the lottery even though the majority of the ritual has been lost or changed. The oldest man in the village complains about how the lottery is not what it used to be. There are hidden messages in “The Lottery” that reflects today’s society that the author wants to make apparent and change, such as, the danger of blindly following without any knowledge, the randomness
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.
context of the piece and the society in which the characters are living in. Everything
Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” is a short story about the annual gathering of the villagers to conduct an ancient ritual. The ritual ends in the stoning of one of the residents of this small village. This murder functions under the guise of a sacrament that, at one time, served the purpose of ensuring a bountiful harvest. This original meaning, however, is lost over the years and generations of villagers. The loss of meaning has changed the nature and overall purpose of the lottery. This ritual is no longer a humble sacrifice that serves the purpose of securing the harvest but instead is a ceremony of violence and murder only existing for the pleasure found in this violence.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is about how society runs towards violence to practice tradition whether it have a purpose and meaning or it is bizarre and pointless and people tend to look for such event to vent their rage and anger out towards others. The story is written based on irony, making the reader thinks that nothing is wrong and everything is going well in this little village. Jackson mostly uses situational irony throughout the story, surprising the reader by the characters actions and the event of the story. Irony in this story comes in different ways and in different parts throughout the story, starting with the title itself to the setting of the story, character actions plays a huge part and also the significance