The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the author uses irony when he mentions the lottery, people interpret the lottery as wining a big price; money, however in this story winning the lottery is nothing more than a public stoning. The reader finds two meanings to the lottery, the literal one and metaphorical. The literal is that people are selected to win something, however, the metaphorical is that they are selected to be stoned to death in public.

The setting for the story is very important and specific, it helps the reader understand why such acts, as the lottery, occur in this village. The setting is inspired in the suburbs of the Vermont community where the author lived most of her adult life. It takes place in a square town with “the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” A sense of cheerfulness fills the air, which gives a sense of foreshadowing that the lottery must hold importance because it is drawing every citizen to the center of the town. Another example of foreshadowing is when “Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square…” this implies the hidden fact that the stones are going to be for the winner, and the citizens are getting

ready for the action.
In addition to the setting, the people of the town is described as friendly and kind, when “[The women] greeted one another and exchange bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands” they are knowledgeable about the circumstances, activities and illness about each other and to give support to their neighbor. As an example, when a young man is drawing in the lottery for the first time another person tells him to not be nervous and to take his time. This supports the idea that they people of the town and the setting of the lottery is very pleasant, and conventional. However, the setting is also ironic and even brutal. At first the reader has no idea that the whole lottery is a ritual for justify murder, something that seemed very normal to the people. The brutality and inhumanity of the people at the time of performing the lottery contradicts the setting of a good and friendly community.
Because the reader it is no supposed to know about what the lottery is about, the story is mainly written/told in an omniscient point of view. Only the most important stories of the characters were told and the thoughts of the characters were omitted. Probably because the characters know what the lottery is about, and if the author was to put the thoughts of the characters in the story, they would have spoil the end, therefore, the story would lose its point.
The story contains several examples of flat characters, for example, they are the ones setting up the mood, and/or collecting stones. As an example, from the story, “The men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.” This is an example of how the characters were used to say things about the events pertaining to the story. As an example, when the Hutchinsons were being called up to the box, women were saying, “be a good sport, Tessie,” and “all of us took the same chance.” The author not only incorporated flat characters but he created a balance with the round characters as well. The main round character is the developing protagonist, Tessie Hutchinson, who chances the way she thinks about the lottery when her family was chosen. The character of Mrs. Hutchinson is of significance because it demonstrates hypocrisy and human weakness. At the begging of the lottery she puts a mood of braveness and seems careless about the event, forgetting the date and arriving late. Even when all the time she allowed and was complicit of the lottery, she was the first person to claim that “it wasn’t fair” when her family was put on the spotlight. Before that situation, she would not question the fairness of the lottery. Her character is display has ironic and hypocrite because she would not change her opinion about the fairness on the lottery if her family wasn’t at risk
Another example of characters is the round character, Mr. Summers. His role was to take the idea of the lottery and to see that it runs smoothly. The real antagonist of the story is the box that contains the names of the people, which represent the lottery, while Mr. Summers is the personification of the lottery and the conflict. The conflict is solved with Mrs. Hutchinson being stoned. It seems to end fairly despite of the protest of Tess Hutchinson.
Jackson also applies the usage of symbolism to reinforce the meaning of the story. The mention of children, adults and Old Man Warner, can be interpreted as past, present and future. As mentioned “school was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of [the children]; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.” The children do not worry much about the lottery and what it consists on, they are typically do what they are taught by their parents. The children are the representation of the future, showing a slight hope of change for them in the future, and longing to preserve the youth. Mrs. Hutchinson is the representation of the present, with her protest she wanted to change the past, and Old Man Warner attitude of not wanting to change the lottery and keeping things the same, his response to the lottery being removed in other places was, “nothing but trouble in that…”and “pack of young fools.” Old Man Warner had a sense of conformity, and found change as a synonym of trouble.
The author not only focuses on a sense of conformity due to the fact that none of the people protest or even question such brutal event.

The lottery can take to sense of conformity to the extreme evil and violent level. No one take a stand to make a rational opinion about the lottery being an inhuman, pointless, and brutal event. Old Man Warner dismisses the idea of getting rid with the lottery, “there’s always been a lottery, he added petulantly” (Jackson par.32), even young children are involved and attend cheerfully such brutality, “the children had stones already”. To the people the idea of dismissing the lottery is inconceivable, because they are to conformist to break a

tradition.
“The Lottery” also focuses on the necessity of getting rid of traditions that are no longer necessary and outdated. However, in this story the inability of the people from this town to reject this tradition results in murder based on a primitive stone-age kind. Another element in the story that indicates that the lottery is outdated, is the box on which they draw the papers from. Such black box, is falling apart due to the lack of maintenance given, but the citizens refuse to replace it, “every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything’s begin done” (Jackson par.5). They do not seem to find point on changing the box; another symbol of conformity. The author also implies that the town grew out of the tradition of using wood chips instead of paper, because the population was expanding. However, the town decided to just keep upholding the lottery every year but now using paper slips. Again, another sign of stubbornness and conformity.
Most of the articles, reading, about “The Lottery” are focused on the ritualized murder mentioned in the short story. Society should be advance and be able to reject the concept of a ritual that leads to murder. However, some people, such as Old Man Warnes, thinks that there “Used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon’” (Jackson par.32). This demonstrate that people of the town believe that if they continued doing the lottery they would have a good production of corn that year. Reason why they continued the lottery even when it was a brutal act. Old Man Warner that by quitting the lottery, they town would returning to uncivilized times, “next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves” (Jackson par. 32). This is another example that the lottery is quite outdated, because studies have shown that such rituals have no influence in the corn production.
Overall, the story consists of irony, and a sense of conformity. The author emphasizes the necessity of get rid of such activity, and suggests that the people from the village sees murder as a normal thing to do, even as necessary, as mentioned above. Reason why they cannot see the lottery as what it truly is. Nothing more than a senseless and brutal act