The Lottery was written in 1948, after World War II, by American author Shirley Jackson. In The Lottery, a small town gathers for what seems to be a lighthearted ceremony where someone wins “the lottery.” The ending of the story shocked readers because the winner of “the lottery” actually gets stoned to death, which is not what the readers expect to happen. Shirley Jackson wrote the story to bring attention to acts of violence that occur daily that nobody thinks about. In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson uses connotation of the title “The Lottery,” mood, and tone to contribute to the final effect of shock and horror. When most people think of the word “lottery,” they think of something positive, like winning money. Shirley Jackson uses the word “lottery” as a negative meaning instead of a positive one. A lottery is commonly known as winning something good, but Shirley Jackson makes the lottery a negative event, which shocks readers. Shirley Jackson writes “The lottery was conducted-- as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program-- by
Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote …show more content…
The mood stays upbeat and calm throughout the story. Shirley Jackson starts the story of with the sentence, “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.” This sentence establishes a lighthearted tone for the entire story. The readers are not expecting something awful to happen with such an upbeat tone throughout the whole story. Even during the drawing of the papers, the mood is calm. For example, Shirley Jackson writes, “They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously,” after the townspeople drew pieces of paper from the black box. The mood between the townspeople during the lottery stays upbeat. Readers are shocked when a story with such an upbeat tone has an awful
Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote …show more content…
The mood stays upbeat and calm throughout the story. Shirley Jackson starts the story of with the sentence, “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.” This sentence establishes a lighthearted tone for the entire story. The readers are not expecting something awful to happen with such an upbeat tone throughout the whole story. Even during the drawing of the papers, the mood is calm. For example, Shirley Jackson writes, “They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously,” after the townspeople drew pieces of paper from the black box. The mood between the townspeople during the lottery stays upbeat. Readers are shocked when a story with such an upbeat tone has an awful