Unfortunate Luck
The odds of winning the lottery are about 1 in 176 million. Most people understand the improbable reality of winning, yet there are those who continue to cling to their slim-to-none chances with the hope of being the lucky winner (creative verb: cling). In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” a small village, with a population of 300 people, endures an annual lottery (diverse syntax). The chances of being the lucky winner are highly favorable with the odds being 1 in 300. Despite the seemingly encouraging odds, this lottery is not one to relish in as the losers appear to be the unlikely winners, and the winner turns out to be the definite loser (creative verb: relish). Utilizing symbolism and irony, Jackson shows the implausible …show more content…
The story opens with a seemingly normal and civilized village on a summer day in June. However, the setting proves to be ironic because it demonstrates the hypocrisy and the apparent evil of human nature. Jackson makes the nature of the lottery ambiguous in order to keep the innocence of the town until the end of the story. The setting of the town creates an idyllic atmosphere which contrasts the reality of the lottery because the otherwise normal town is the location of irrational murder lottery victims are stoned to death. In the beginning, Jackson introduces each of the characters each having symbolic names. For example, the Delacroix family name means “of the cross” in Latin, foreshadowing Tessie’s sacrificial death. Also, Tessie Hutchinson reflects Anne Hutchinson from the Massachusetts Bay colony. Anne …show more content…
The box illustrates the tradition of the lottery and the unreasonable loyalty to it. It appears to be shabby and broken down, indicating that the tradition is nearly broken. Despite its tattered condition, no one is willing to replace it further demonstrating the town’s loyalty to the lasting tradition. The town even has the kids collect rocks to get them accustomed to the ritual so that they can carry on the tradition. Further, the instance the Hutchinson family discovers their fate, Tessie is the first to complain that the process was unfair because she thinks that her husband was not given enough time to draw the slip of paper he wanted. Ironically, Mr. Hutchinson tells Tessie to “shut up” indicating that he has conformed to the tradition and is willingly accepting his family’s fate (diverse syntax). Soon after, Tessie ironically draws the black dot even though she almost forgot about the lottery. She does not question the fairness when she first arrives, but she ironically complains, “It wasn’t fair,”—a testament to the human weakness and hypocrisy of the town (varied punctuation).
Jackson explores the issues surrounding the power of conformity, revealing the necessity of rejecting long held traditions (creative verb: explores). The entire story serves as an allegory for Jackson 's larger message that individuals must remain vigilant in their actions and beliefs in order to ensure
The odds of winning the lottery are about 1 in 176 million. Most people understand the improbable reality of winning, yet there are those who continue to cling to their slim-to-none chances with the hope of being the lucky winner (creative verb: cling). In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” a small village, with a population of 300 people, endures an annual lottery (diverse syntax). The chances of being the lucky winner are highly favorable with the odds being 1 in 300. Despite the seemingly encouraging odds, this lottery is not one to relish in as the losers appear to be the unlikely winners, and the winner turns out to be the definite loser (creative verb: relish). Utilizing symbolism and irony, Jackson shows the implausible …show more content…
The story opens with a seemingly normal and civilized village on a summer day in June. However, the setting proves to be ironic because it demonstrates the hypocrisy and the apparent evil of human nature. Jackson makes the nature of the lottery ambiguous in order to keep the innocence of the town until the end of the story. The setting of the town creates an idyllic atmosphere which contrasts the reality of the lottery because the otherwise normal town is the location of irrational murder lottery victims are stoned to death. In the beginning, Jackson introduces each of the characters each having symbolic names. For example, the Delacroix family name means “of the cross” in Latin, foreshadowing Tessie’s sacrificial death. Also, Tessie Hutchinson reflects Anne Hutchinson from the Massachusetts Bay colony. Anne …show more content…
The box illustrates the tradition of the lottery and the unreasonable loyalty to it. It appears to be shabby and broken down, indicating that the tradition is nearly broken. Despite its tattered condition, no one is willing to replace it further demonstrating the town’s loyalty to the lasting tradition. The town even has the kids collect rocks to get them accustomed to the ritual so that they can carry on the tradition. Further, the instance the Hutchinson family discovers their fate, Tessie is the first to complain that the process was unfair because she thinks that her husband was not given enough time to draw the slip of paper he wanted. Ironically, Mr. Hutchinson tells Tessie to “shut up” indicating that he has conformed to the tradition and is willingly accepting his family’s fate (diverse syntax). Soon after, Tessie ironically draws the black dot even though she almost forgot about the lottery. She does not question the fairness when she first arrives, but she ironically complains, “It wasn’t fair,”—a testament to the human weakness and hypocrisy of the town (varied punctuation).
Jackson explores the issues surrounding the power of conformity, revealing the necessity of rejecting long held traditions (creative verb: explores). The entire story serves as an allegory for Jackson 's larger message that individuals must remain vigilant in their actions and beliefs in order to ensure