Fiction Essay (Rough Draft)
Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) was an acclaimed American writer most famous her short story, “The Lottery”. Jackson, born December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California, had spent most of her childhood in the small town of nearby Burlingame, California. Not until the age of seventeen did Jackson move eastward to attend the University of Rochester were she then withdrew a year later. Fast-forward a year later, Jackson enrolled in Syracuse University in 1937 where there she published her first story, “Janice”. After meeting her future husband, literary critic, Stanley Edgar Hyman both Jackson and Hyman graduated in 1940 and from there more and more of Jacksons stories began to get published. Once Hymanwas offered a job …show more content…
For example, the title of the story itself is a clear indication of irony. In the story the title “The Lottery” (Jackson 419) means a chance at life or death, where a reader might think otherwise regarding to a chance at winning something of value. This illustrates the theme of the story because the title itself is ‘blinded’, to be seen as something good but once read the title is far from it. Another indication of Jackson’s use of irony is when Tessie Hutchison pleads to the townspeople to restrain from stoning her. In the story, when trying to save herself, Tessie screams “it isn’t fair! It isn’t right!” (Jackson 425) hoping that the townspeople will hear her cry for help. This form of irony illustrates the theme because even though Tessie might mean what she is pleading, she “…is the peevish last complaint of a hypocrite who has been hoisted by her own petard” (Yamove …show more content…
For example, the Hutchison children, Bill Jr. and Nancy, is one portent of the theme. In the story once Bill Jr. and Nancy find out they didn’t ‘win’ they “…both beamed and laughed” (Jackson 424) having no regards for their parent’s fate. This illustrates the theme because even though one member of the Hutchison household is for surely going to get stoned the children are to blinded selfishness to realize what about to come. Another character(s) that Jackson uses to evoke the theme of the story is the townspeople. In the story Jackson explains that “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original box they still remember to use stones” (Jackson 425). This indicates the theme because the townspeople are to blinded by the consent practice of the lottery to remember the true ritual but not the violence that comes with the
Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) was an acclaimed American writer most famous her short story, “The Lottery”. Jackson, born December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California, had spent most of her childhood in the small town of nearby Burlingame, California. Not until the age of seventeen did Jackson move eastward to attend the University of Rochester were she then withdrew a year later. Fast-forward a year later, Jackson enrolled in Syracuse University in 1937 where there she published her first story, “Janice”. After meeting her future husband, literary critic, Stanley Edgar Hyman both Jackson and Hyman graduated in 1940 and from there more and more of Jacksons stories began to get published. Once Hymanwas offered a job …show more content…
For example, the title of the story itself is a clear indication of irony. In the story the title “The Lottery” (Jackson 419) means a chance at life or death, where a reader might think otherwise regarding to a chance at winning something of value. This illustrates the theme of the story because the title itself is ‘blinded’, to be seen as something good but once read the title is far from it. Another indication of Jackson’s use of irony is when Tessie Hutchison pleads to the townspeople to restrain from stoning her. In the story, when trying to save herself, Tessie screams “it isn’t fair! It isn’t right!” (Jackson 425) hoping that the townspeople will hear her cry for help. This form of irony illustrates the theme because even though Tessie might mean what she is pleading, she “…is the peevish last complaint of a hypocrite who has been hoisted by her own petard” (Yamove …show more content…
For example, the Hutchison children, Bill Jr. and Nancy, is one portent of the theme. In the story once Bill Jr. and Nancy find out they didn’t ‘win’ they “…both beamed and laughed” (Jackson 424) having no regards for their parent’s fate. This illustrates the theme because even though one member of the Hutchison household is for surely going to get stoned the children are to blinded selfishness to realize what about to come. Another character(s) that Jackson uses to evoke the theme of the story is the townspeople. In the story Jackson explains that “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original box they still remember to use stones” (Jackson 425). This indicates the theme because the townspeople are to blinded by the consent practice of the lottery to remember the true ritual but not the violence that comes with the