The Lottery Questions
1) A lottery is when people pay small amounts for an opportunity to make a much larger amount of money, which is generally a very fun, easy, casual thing to do. This can result in people winning millions of dollars, or just having fun. Everyone wants to win the lottery. However, in this story, the lottery is much different. The lottery is a tradition within this town with which they select an individual to stone to death, selected at random. This is essentially the opposite of the lottery we know and love today, considering that ours results in a new life, and the one in the story ends someone’s life. The title is very misleading considering our understanding of a lottery.
2) A scapegoat is traditionally a literary term
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describing the character that has to face the brunt of the punishments of the faults of others. In the lottery, their tradition is selecting a scapegoat at random to be stoned to death in order to purge the town as a whole of their sins. In “The Lottery”, Tessie Hutchinson is the scapegoat as she is the victim of this town’s tradition of sacrifice. 3) A statistical improbability is with Old Man Warner. In the story it mentions that he has been in the lottery for 77 years, and based on the frequency of the lottery’s occurrence and the size of their population, it would be inferred that he got stoned decades ago. It also doesn’t make statistical sense of fairness that Tessie Hutchinson would get selected that early on in her life. The story suggests a potential patriarchal hierarchy subliminal in our society; considering the fact that Tessie was chosen, and she is a woman, and a scapegoat. This suggests that the women would be unfairly subconsciously targeted within their and our society, and as a result, she is the victim of this year’s lottery. 4) "The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born." The emphasis on the fact that the original paraphernalia has been lost suggests the way that time, cultures, and customs change, however many people choose not to accept that. The new box represents a new society, however the existence of the tradition after all this time. However there still is the tradition, but the customs and certain rituals are fading, which is representative of the town’s gradual distancing of themselves from this ritual. The ritual of the lottery is much too important for the town’s population to let go of, no matter how many other towns abandon it, and distance themselves from them, for this tradition is engrained into their society. 5) Mr.
Summers is among the least phased by this tradition, considering the fact that he used to handle, organize, and execute it in the past, and as a result became one of the most powerful in the town. Therefore he doesn’t seem to care, and views it as a custom, nothing more. Old Man Warner has been in the town the longest, and as a result views it as necessary and a part of his history. He greatly supports the lottery more than any others in the town. The Adams couple is representative of the rest of the village, for they simply accept it, with little outward questioning, just hushed concern. For example: Mr. Adams discussed the fact that another town may be giving the lottery up, which means that he is curious as to what “good” or “bad” really is, however he will never speak up in order to blend in and remain inconspicuous. Tessie Hutchinson views the lottery as unfair, and that is because she is chosen for it. The villagers as a whole treat the lottery and the culture surrounding it with profound respect, considering that all continue to take part, arrive on time, and obey it blindly. Mrs. Hutchinson represents the point, or moral, of the story, because she is the only one who speaks out against it, and as a result is …show more content…
punished. 6) This story reveals the basic human nature of following tradition. Sometimes, do not get me wrong, tradition is necessary for human function and it inspires culture, and strengthens bonds. However, many traditions, such as in the lottery, are blindly followed, rarely questioned, and most commonly: wrong. Our society will be given a command by someone perceived to be in power, and as a result we believe it, without question, confrontation, or discussion. 7) Our culture has many traditions, most commonly based around, or founding, holidays: such as trick or treat-ing on Halloween, finding Easter eggs, rewarding the loss of teeth, and graduation are all examples: however none of these even begin to compare to the stoning on the lottery.
However, in our society, we commonly remember the roots of these cultural traditions and anniversaries, yet in the lottery, the town cannot recall the foundation behind this gruesome punishment, and therefore all meaning or reasoning is lost. However, the lottery and our traditions in our society have something in common: they add a consistency and excitement to our lives. If there is something to look forward to (or dread) it makes life much more significant than just blindly walking waiting working day to
day. 8) In the Lottery, it is told from a very dispassionate point of view, in order to prevent any sort of emotional investment or cues as to what is about to occur for the reader. For example, when Bill Hutchinson says “Shut up Tessie” it shows the town’s general dis-attachment to emotional or family ties due to the tradition of this, and the fact that it can happen to anyone. The story is told from a bird’s eye point of view, and as a result the reader can generate their own opinions, while also knowing everyone else’s.
The short story ‘The Lottery’ reveals a village of 300 that assemble for a lottery on June 27th every year. The lottery has been held this day for years and years, and has become a classic tradition. The lottery itself is holy to much of its residents, like Mr. Watson, who states that the village in the north is a pack of young crazy fools for removing the lottery. “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanti...
In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson There is a town where they have a lottery every year where the winner is stoned to death. Its a little off putting to think of that the winner of something gets to be killed. The story itself is very vague about the people in it. No place is given just that its in a small village with roughly three hundred people. The first time reading this they just seem like normal people who live in a village. Reading this story the second time you pick up on the comments of the crowd. The people in this village are not what they seem. They seem to have grudges or just jealousy. They are hoping for certain people to get picked. Maybe this is their own stress relief like the purge. Regardless of why it
“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.
"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 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 “The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, tone and symbolism are equally important elements in comprehending this eerie short story. This dark tale takes place in a small town of about 300 people during the summer. The writer begins by painting a picture of children playing, women gossiping, and men making small-talk of home and finances, putting the reader at ease with a tone of normality. The people of the town coalesce before the lottery conductor, named Mr. Summers, appears to begin the annual town ritual of drawing from a box which will result in the killing of one townsperson by stone throwing. It isn’t until the fateful conclusion when the reader comes to realize there is nothing normal about the
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
Did you know that Merle and Patricia Butler from Red Bud, Illinois and three teachers from Baltimore Maryland won the biggest lottery in American history at $656 million dollars? That means every person acquired $218.6 million dollars each from the lottery (Carlyle). Unfortunately, the citizens of Shirley Jacksons’ fantasy short story “The Lottery” were not imbursed with money, but were stoned to death by their peers. “The Lottery” is a lottery of death in which the town uses to keep the population down (Voth). The story consist of many subjects to analyze which include: irony, imagery, and pathos.
The lottery in the story was the game in which the prize was death. In reality this lottery symbolized the game of life, and how our behavior as human beings influences our choices in life and therefore our destiny. In this case the lottery signified winning eternal peace. This symbol helped the author develop the meaning of the story, because it is all based on the game of winning or losing. The way people from the village conducted the lottery was kind of scary, because they organized it as if it was another important event, such as the “square dances, the teenage club, the Halloween program” (Jackson 212). This shows how this tradition was taken as seriously as other occurrences that took place in the village. A person with some logic would not find this to be exactly a “game”, but the population followed the tradition and did not even think about the possibility to drop it, because then they would not know what to do, or what other event would they organize for June 27th. During the lottery Mr. Adams said “some places have already quit the lotteries” as of insinuating that if the neighbor towns forgot about the tradition, they should not have to keep following it (215). The bad thing is that no one paid attention to hi...
Every year, the lottery is held, and every year a person is killed. Each villager neglects to acknowledge the unjustness of the lottery and continue to participate because of the tradition it represents in their society. The lottery was a cultural tradition passed down from the very first settlers of the village. It makes up a huge part of the village’s history and culture. The villagers pay recognition to their culture by continuing the tradition of the lottery even though the lottery is not morally right. On page 93 it states, “There was a proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year… There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use in addressing each person who came to draw from the box…” This quote shows the tribal-like rituals and traditions associated with the lottery. Through the years, some of the rituals of the lottery were lost, but the main elements of the lottery remained the same. The idea behind the lottery was that the ancestors, of the villagers, believed that human sacrifice would bring in good harvest. This led to the development and continuation
The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a community that has a yearly lottery pull. The short story is set in a small town that is seemingly normal at first. Every year the town has a lottery pull, in which one person is chosen at random, to be stoned to death by all of their fellow townsmen. The lottery is a tradition that was started many years ago, and is kept alive by the current residents. By using symbolism, irony, and setting Jackson shows the true darkness within the entirety of the human race.
“The Lottery” was quite disturbing to read. It is an very unusual story that has an ending that will have you baffled. You will want to reread certain parts to see if there is anything thing that you could have missed. The title of the short story is also misleading. In most cases the lottery is a good thing. People don’t win punishment and lotteries don’t hurt them. But in this story it does just that. The author did a great job of telling how anyone and everyone can follow tradition blindly. It is dangerous not to have a mind of your own and to just follow the crowd even if you don’t understand on agree on why something is happening.
The way the characters present themselves in the beginning of the story puts an optimistic view on the lottery. After all, lotteries are generally associated with an increase of wealth and prosperity. The outcome of the scenario seems promising. The town’s people gather with zeal. One character, Mrs. Hutchinson, rushes to make it to the lottery on time. This reassures the reader that the lottery is a must-see event. Another character, Old Man Warner, states that the other towns were crazy for giving up the lottery. With this being said, obviously something good was to come out of the contest. The reader does not suspect the tragedy that lies in the end of the story.
Following tradition is considered by many to be one of the most important aspects of life. Many follow traditions and celebrate holidays without a second thought, but when you take a moment to think about what the purpose of certain traditions are, are they really for the best? This is a question that Tessie Hutchinson is confronted with in “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson. The lottery is an annual event in villages, and it has become a way of life. However, this is not an exciting lottery with a money prize; it is a disturbing event that results in the death of the innocent. Such a tradition must have some meaning: I believe that the lottery is used as a metaphor for death.
How does a warm, clear summer day make you feel? What do blooming flowers and green grass make you think of?