“The Lottery” Formal Essay
Throughout history, cruel acts against innocent people through the abandoning of reason and disregard of forthcoming consequences has been associated with cultured traditions, where people follow a larger crowd. In the dystopian short story, “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson describes a rural society that follows an annual ceremony, where individuals blindly follow the cultured traditions, ultimately stoning an innocent person to death. These barbaric rituals and their awaiting consequences are further understood through analyzing the characters, the symbols, and the plot.
As the story progresses, it is evident that most of the characters follow the annual ceremony without any regards to the horrific effect on other …show more content…
On several occasions, Jackson utilizes the qualities of inanimate objects to convey an underlying message. For example, the use of the black box signifies the theme of desolation as the names drawn out of it are ultimately killed, implying that the box itself symbolizes death and destruction. Furthermore, the use of stones in the ritual as an execution tool amplifies the motif of savagery. This inhumane and painful method of execution symbolises the barbaristic trait of this dystopia. Presumably, the use of stones during the lotteries of the past created a cultural norm, affecting every villager, including the children. The lotteries barbaric influence on the children of the village is suggested by Jackson as she writes, “eventually made a great pile of stones in the corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys”(Jackson). Subsequently resulting in the adolescent advocation of violence and furthering the theme of barbarism. Finally, Jackson utilizes symbols to emphasise the cruel environment of the village. This is quite evident in Jackson's use of the ticket with the black dot on it, as it symbolises the divine nature of judgement, ultimately deciding who lives and who dies. Because the slip is drawn at random, the symbol is articulated by Jackson to represent the chaotic and godless characteristics of the village. Overall, these symbols signify the …show more content…
During the introduction of the narrative, Jackson presents a cheerful and joyous village by describing an assembly of villagers for a festivity”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), suggesting this beautiful image of the town. Jackson waits until the end of the narrative to apply the plot twist, resulting in a dramatic finale that emphasizes the dystopian aspect of the society. This slow and steady development of the plot not only emphasizes the barbaric nature of the tradition, but the cruel outcome of the actions that people follow without considering any future
Throughout history, cruel acts against innocent people through the abandoning of reason and disregard of forthcoming consequences has been associated with cultured traditions, where people follow a larger crowd. In the dystopian short story, “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson describes a rural society that follows an annual ceremony, where individuals blindly follow the cultured traditions, ultimately stoning an innocent person to death. These barbaric rituals and their awaiting consequences are further understood through analyzing the characters, the symbols, and the plot.
As the story progresses, it is evident that most of the characters follow the annual ceremony without any regards to the horrific effect on other …show more content…
On several occasions, Jackson utilizes the qualities of inanimate objects to convey an underlying message. For example, the use of the black box signifies the theme of desolation as the names drawn out of it are ultimately killed, implying that the box itself symbolizes death and destruction. Furthermore, the use of stones in the ritual as an execution tool amplifies the motif of savagery. This inhumane and painful method of execution symbolises the barbaristic trait of this dystopia. Presumably, the use of stones during the lotteries of the past created a cultural norm, affecting every villager, including the children. The lotteries barbaric influence on the children of the village is suggested by Jackson as she writes, “eventually made a great pile of stones in the corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys”(Jackson). Subsequently resulting in the adolescent advocation of violence and furthering the theme of barbarism. Finally, Jackson utilizes symbols to emphasise the cruel environment of the village. This is quite evident in Jackson's use of the ticket with the black dot on it, as it symbolises the divine nature of judgement, ultimately deciding who lives and who dies. Because the slip is drawn at random, the symbol is articulated by Jackson to represent the chaotic and godless characteristics of the village. Overall, these symbols signify the …show more content…
During the introduction of the narrative, Jackson presents a cheerful and joyous village by describing an assembly of villagers for a festivity”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), suggesting this beautiful image of the town. Jackson waits until the end of the narrative to apply the plot twist, resulting in a dramatic finale that emphasizes the dystopian aspect of the society. This slow and steady development of the plot not only emphasizes the barbaric nature of the tradition, but the cruel outcome of the actions that people follow without considering any future