The Lottery Title Analysis

The short story, “The Lottery” has a very interesting title. What makes the title so confusing yet appealing is its comparison to the substance of the story. The events leading up to the “lottery” contradicts the title and the actual meaning of a lottery. The connotation that comes with the term ‘lottery’ is mostly positive. The first impression of a lottery is success. Winning a lottery comes with money or a prize and the idea of living a comfortable life. Many spend thousands of dollars on the lottery in hopes of ‘hitting the jackpot,’ while everyone in the village most likely spends a year hoping they lose the lottery in hopes of saving their lives. Winning the lottery in the short story come with a life sentence. However, the lottery is never a sure thing. In the short story no one knew who was going to be the winner, or in this case the loser, it was all based on luck. The lottery is a gamble, but it is a game that has been passed down for several generations. In the story the lottery has become a yearly event persecuted by all the residents. At the end of the story, after several years of the lottery being in place, the idea of fairness arises when Tessie is …show more content…
Just like the residents of the village are blinded by tradition, day to day lottery players are blinded by a game that they have become accustomed of doing for so long. The title “The Lottery,” sends a clear message for the entire story. Jackson's message is not understood until the end of the story when the reader realizes that the author has completely inverted one’s understanding of an actual lottery. The author manages to send her message with the utmost impact by revealing the underlying meaning of the title towards the end. She does this in order to show the natures of traditions, and not just the tradition that is followed in her story, but all traditions that are blindly