More than often readers pay less attention to the setting of a story. They tend to pay more attention to the actions of characters. However, in the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the setting plays a major contribution in the story. The setting also influences the theme and the tone of the story. The story follows a small town’s tradition of an annual lottery. The day begins bright and sunny. Then through the story, the tone changes to rather treacherous. The villagers first gather in the town square to participate in the annual lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late. Then they begin picking slips of paper out of the lottery box. As each of the families opens their slip of paper, it is revealed that Bill Hutchinson has chosen
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The first thing that the author introduces is the mood. The imagery created from this line creates the mood of peacefulness. Then Jackson introduces the concept of time in the story. She goes on to say, "the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner"(261). The time plays a significant role in the story demonstrating that the lottery was only held a day in the town. The time also implies that it wouldn’t take …show more content…
Jackson first introduces the concept of following tradition when she creates the setting and says, “Delacroix eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square” (262). The author creates the perception that the boys do this every year. Jackson then goes on to describe the lottery box, “the black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color”(263). Then she says, “Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (263). No character would like to change the black box because it has always been tradition to use it. However, some other characters suggest that it is time for a new box. The setting influences the thoughts and the actions of the
The first thing that the author introduces is the mood. The imagery created from this line creates the mood of peacefulness. Then Jackson introduces the concept of time in the story. She goes on to say, "the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner"(261). The time plays a significant role in the story demonstrating that the lottery was only held a day in the town. The time also implies that it wouldn’t take …show more content…
Jackson first introduces the concept of following tradition when she creates the setting and says, “Delacroix eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square” (262). The author creates the perception that the boys do this every year. Jackson then goes on to describe the lottery box, “the black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color”(263). Then she says, “Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (263). No character would like to change the black box because it has always been tradition to use it. However, some other characters suggest that it is time for a new box. The setting influences the thoughts and the actions of the