Shirley Jackson's the Lottery Essay

In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery”, the title itself is ironic. Contrary to what the reader might think from early on in the story, or even form prior knowledge, the “lottery” is not something one would want to win in this case. This story is told in a third person, very limited, omniscient point of view. While the narrator introduces a number of characters and their histories, the narrator never discloses any of the characters thoughts at any time during the story. When the speaker

Any good, chilling horror story will have a unexpected plot twist at the end that catches the reader so off guard that the twist alone sparks fear. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the twist is present as well as other aspects that make it such a great short story. While the story begins as what many may see as an innocent tale, it quickly turns gruesome. The theme of “tradition” is one that many people can relate to, and it acts as the plot device to keep things rolling. Finally, the items that

Shirley Jackson's short story, “The Lottery”, involves a small town that conducts a yearly lottery, in which a member of the community is chosen randomly to be stoned to death by the other townspeople. This civic activity has been practiced for at least seventy years, and holds traditional value for the society. Through the use of symbolism in setting, objects, and names, Jackson is able to conceal the genuine significance and intention of the lottery while exploring themes like blind faith and

wrong” (Scully). Over time, people's repeated behavior of practicing tradition evolves into a habit. Tradition can be unjustified; however, society reverts to their habitual nature for justification when confronted with an argument. In Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, Jackson views the villagers’ violent human nature as an accustomed behavior because villagers are unsympathetic for killing Tess Hutchison, parents influence children's behavior, and villagers

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” A lottery sounds like a drawing of a prize that is given away at the end of the drawing to the winner. At least that is how it works today. In today's society a lottery is used as a mean of selling numbered tickets and giving the cash or prize to the winners of the tickets. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” the term lottery is somewhat similar but used in a very different manner. Names of villagers are called upon as they select a drawing that determines

The classic short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson’s main theme is tradition and peoples belief in continuing it or not to. The lottery itself is the tradition in “The Lottery” is said to be vital to their villages success, but over time as they have evolved so have their point of views about it. The villagers seem to be split in their view of the tradition of the lottery. Some believing it has become meaningless, while others cemented in their old ways believe in it wholeheartedly. This story’s

Shirley Jackson is a renowned author known for her horror stories, mainly The Haunting of Hill, which has influenced various works of Stephen King. In the short story, “The Lottery,” Jackson demonstrates how the role of tradition and the patriarchal system entrap people in a collective idea and prohibit individuals from questioning or opposing the ideology in place. The intertwining of all the various elements of this story makes it easy to observe the entanglement of the town with the traditions

Shirley Jackson’s Lottery is a very interesting story because it is much deeper than just a lowly town who stones one person a year for fun. On the contrary, it is filled with hints and suggestion on how the human condition and human society works. Basically, every year on June 27th, all the members of this unnamed town gather in the square. After everyone has arrived, the heads of the households, usually males of age, draw papers out of a black box. The household who gets the paper with a black

Told by a third person narrative, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a village with a bizarre ritual. A lottery is known for its extravagant prizes and awards given to the holders of certain drawn cards, however in Jackson’s short story, the lottery culminates in a violent murder each year. Before the reader knowing what kind of lottery the people of the village are conducting, people’s lives seem normal, women are gossiping the men are telling jokes and children are gathering stones. Mr.

Fear causes the people in our culture to control their own behavior intuitively. We are driven by fear because of the expectations we have of the future. If we don’t conform to society, we know what the future may hold for us. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” A dystopian society is fearful of what is expected of them and what will happen if they don’t converse to their village’s procedures. This portrays today’s culture as well. When we are expected to do something, we fear the punishments if