Comparing Shirley Jackson's The Lottery And The Summer People

“Nearly killed myself”(35). Known for her dramatic stories, Shirley Jackson is a woman of simplicity and mystery. “Jackson was a master of the gothic horror tale,” said the author of “Shirley Jackson” (“Shirley Jackson”). Her stories are explosive and hint at the pressure that there is in society to conform to the twisted, perverted norms. They also comment on the differences between the social classes, through dialogue, as well as society treating life as if it is disposable. Jackson also uses repetition quite often and it is evident in all three of the stories. “The Lottery,” “Janice,” and “The Summer People” all start out calm and collected, but in the blink of an eye, a plot twist smacks you right in the face when you are least expecting …show more content…
It opens up, and it is a normal day in the town. Everyone gathers in the square and is excited to be there. There is some dialogue between the men, children and women, but some of it is very degrading towards others. Some of the townspeople look down on Mr. Summers because he is not married and does not dress the best, meanwhile, others gossip when Mrs. Dunbar had to draw for her husband, because he broke his leg. Each man in the house went up and picked a piece of paper out of the black box, and the family who had the paper with the mark had to go up. That piece of paper was placed back in the box along with plain pieces of paper that was the same amount of family members. The Hutchinson family got the paper with the mark, so they all went up and picked out a piece. In the end, Mrs. Hutchinson got the piece with the mark and the crowd surrounded her, including her family, holding rocks and proceeded to throw them at her and then the story ends …show more content…
When your own family enjoys throwing rocks at you, there must be a message Jackson is trying to get across. “There is suburban racism and class condescension through conversations” (Weinman). Weinman perfectly sums up the crowd in this work. Shirley had said, “I hated them anyway, and wondered why it had been worth while creating them in the first place” (Shirley Jackson Quotes). The rocks being thrown at Mrs. Hutchinson caused her pain, which translated into happiness for the rest of the townspeople. The message Jackson is putting out for her readers is that someone will always find something wrong with you and others will get enjoyment out of your pain. There is a repetition of how condescending others can be, and that catches the readers attention. “ ‘The Lottery’ is often called a classic horror story” (Timko). The sudden change in the action is a very classic way to lure the reader in and then Jackson takes it a step further and shocks the reader with the horror