Use Of Irony In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

The "Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a story that will have almost anybody fooled for a minute. I had to reread the story to get the message and interpret it correctly. Although this story is a bit confusing there were many symbols that will give you an idea of how the end will turn out. Shirley Jackson used a great bit of irony that helps make the story interesting. Shirly Jackson uses many other literary devices and a good plot to help provide a shocking ending to the story.

The main characters in the story are Tessie Hutchinson who is the only villager who is trying to avoid the lottery, she shows up late. Bill Hutchinson is the husband of Tessie he plays the game fair and tells his wife to act right during it. Mr.Summers is the official

of the lottery, he have the most say so. Old Man Warner is the oldest in the village. He has the most experience therefore; he takes it very serious, Mr.Graves who also helps with the lottery and Mrs. Graves who tells Tessie they would not start the lottery without her. Other characters in the story are: Mr. Adams, Mrs.Adams, Dickie Delacroix, Mr. Delacroix, Horace Dunbar, Mrs. Dunbar, Bill Hutchinson Jr., Davy Hutchinson, Eva Hutchinson, Nancy Hutchinson, Bobby Martin, Mr. Martin and the Watson boy.
The setting of the story was on June 27th, 1948 in a rural town. The lottery was a traditional ritual, "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 216) Shirly Jackson used imagery to help readers get a clear idea of the weather. That is also the exposition of the story. Because of the good weather the tone of the story begins happy.
Around 10 o clock the townspeople began to gather up. When they began to gather up the rising action is occurring. It is the rising action of the story because you wonder what’s going to take place. Just by the perfect weather and everybody in the town coming together it makes readers think it is going to be a good day. The weather is to make readers engage more into the story and completely understand the message of the story. "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. (Jackson 216). The children gathering the stones was symbol in the story. It symbolizes that something bad in the story is going to take place and brings readers closer to figuring out death is going to take place. Old Man warner who is the oldest person in the town and the lottery conductor arrives holding a black wooden box. The black wooden box symbolizes how important this traditional ritual is to the town. A detail from the story is "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. 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. (Jackson 217) And also, "Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done. (Jackson 217) "The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained."(Jackson 217) That is a form of imagery because it gives us a picture of how old run down the box is.
Mrs. Summers was beginning to start the lottery. Before she could get off to a good start Mrs.Hutchinson cane interrupting saying “Clean forgot what day it was” (Jackson) . This is the rising action of the story. This is the rising action because her showing up kinds of brings suspense. It is no way she had forgot about the lottery. Everyone had pulled except for the Hutchinson family. Ms. Hutchinson rushed Bill to pull. While waiting on Bill to pull, Mr. Adam tells Old Man Warner "over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery." (Jackson 220) "Pack of crazy fools," he said. "Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while" (Jackson 220) Irony was used there because Old Man Warner believes that without the lottery nothing will be the same. As Bill pulled for the Hutchinsons' household Tessie got upset. She got upset because their family had pulled the slip with the dot on it. She screamed in anger "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!" (Jackson 221). "Shut up, Tessie,"(Jackson 221) says Bill Hutchinson. He is embarrassed by his wife's hypocrisy of her not wanting to follow the tradition of the lottery.
The towns people began to re pull.

Everybody showed their folded paper in sigh of relief except for Tessie Hutchinson. They stood in silence for moment, Ms.Summers screamed "Show us her paper. Bill." Bill Hutchinson forced the paper out of his wife’s hand. The paper had a black dot on it. This is the climax of the story. The black dot symbolizes death. The crowd began to make a lot of noise. "All right, folks." Mr. Summers said. "Let's finish quickly." (Jackson 222)

The villagers go to the pile of stones that the kids got earlier that day. After everyone has picked up stones from the pile, they crowd around Mrs. Hutchinson. Mrs Hutchinson screamed "It isn't fair, it isn't right,”. (Jackson 223) That is the rising action of the story. The towns people began to stone Mrs. Hutchinson to death. That is the denouement of the story. The tone of the story changed to fear.

A theme in the story is following tradition is not always safe. I say that because although it’s traditional it is not good and right to kill people over a drawing. Another theme Is Hypocrisy. It is hypocrisy because Tessie Hutchinson knew the rules of the lottery, but screamed "It isn't fair, it isn't right," (Jackson 223) If she was not the one who pulled it she would not have thought that about the lottery. Another theme is sacrifice because families must sacrifice one another even babies and children. The conflict of the story is Man vs Village. It is Man Vs Village because no matter who pulls the folded paper with the dot on it they will be stoned by other people in the

village.
Shirley Jackson wrote this story, so readers could see that change is not always bad. The people in the Village are afraid of change the detail from the story is when Old Man Warner says, "The next thing you know people will want to go back to living in caves" (Jackson 220) Sometimes traditionally things have so much influence on us as people that we forget about loyalty and what really matters. The irony had the biggest part in the story because no one expects the story to be about somebody getting stoned to death. Every different plot in the story deals with irony. Shirley Jackson did an amazing job with telling the story in third person. Instead of just telling the thoughts and actions of specific people, Shirley Jackson focuses on getting to what happens in the lottery piece by piece.