Analysis of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

“The Lottery” sends a strong message about the horrors society can possess. Shirley Jackson gives us an in depth look into the workings of our own worlds. She shows us how those worlds can turn cruel and unjust. Lottery illuminates the role our past and traditions influence our present. “Jackson sends the message that blindly adhering to rituals and the way things have always been done, seemingly “good” citizens in an ordinary town can commit astonishing acts of selfishness and wickedness; and we are capable of doing the same.” It seems like an ordinary town. With regular folk living normal everyday lives, but under the surface something dark is surrounding them. Their lottery appears to be an okay tradition, but in reality the town rounds up every citizen to participate in a name draw to see who will be stoned to death. All because that’s the way it’s always been. At one point someone mentions that some towns are doing away with the lottery, but Old Man Warner dismisses that idea right away. No one even cares to stop and think if this is really humane. Children kill their mothers, husbands their wives. Without blinking an eye. The idea that things could be different is inconceivable to them. Tessie was even willing to offer up her daughter’s in the hope there would be a…

The Golden Rule of Christianity states, that whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. In a small village described in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson prevailing a different rules. The annual ritual inhabitants perform is very wild and cruel. They play a lottery at the main square and a “lucky winner” gets a special prize - get stoned to death by the rest of the people. Shirley Jackson develops the character of Tessie Hutchinson to show the contrast between individual in…

Unforgettable Tessie In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” the character of Tessie Hutchinson stands out from the beginning. It’s upon her first appearance in the story, that you realize she’s very different than the other villagers. While everyone else arrives on time, Tessie shows up later claiming to have forgotten what day it is. Also all of the others are very subdued in their manner, however, she comes in like a whirlwind cracking jokes and exuding an excitement about the annual drawing…

Shirley Jackson’s Stories Shirley Jackson’s stories The Possibility of Evil and The Lottery are full of literary structural elements. Many authors use structural elements while creating a purpose and meaning while writing. Structural elements are used as a template in writing to help the reader better understand the nuances of the story. In other words, by giving the reader structural elements it helps create a foundation for the writing of the story. Not only do the majority of authors…

In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” there are many contradictions between readers that leaves so many unanswered questions and doesn’t have a broad meaning about as to why the author decided to publish such a story. There are many symbolical meanings in the story and plenty of detailed emotions about how the characters are feeling, their gestures, and how they communicate with one another. Jackson’s short story is considered to be one the most loved and hated stories of the 20th…

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery Analysis The Lottery published in The New Yorker by Shirley Jackson in 1948 was one of the most controversial short stories ever to be published for its time. It is a story of a small town of about 300 people; however, this is no normal town. This town is a prime example of dystopia. The story takes a dive off the deep end with the plot twist at the ending; the “winner” of the annual lottery is stoned to death by the members of the community. The story is one that…

Analysis of “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” encases the ruthlessness of human interaction in a merely 3,738 words (Cellania). “The Lottery” starts by showing you a small town in America, in which the townspeople are gathering for their annual “Lottery” tradition, in which the story is named after. As the story continues the mood changes from seemingly positive and welcoming to a more suspicious and sinister motive. The story takes a disturbing turn and reveals that…

may appear simple and in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” the satire is obvious. By using literary criticisms readers can evaluate more in depth what the story is actually trying convey. Two major literary criticisms that will discussed in detail are Psychological Theory and Historical Criticism and New Historicism. Psychological Theory basically deals with the psychological aspect or the mindset of a person. The second criticism is Historical Criticism and New Historicism,…

“The Lottery”is a short story written by Shirley Jackson. The story is about a small idyllic town that follows traditions that their ancestors had begun, even when it is not in their best interest. Villagers convene in the square to participate in the discrete yet reasonable lottery which is ran by Mr. Summers. There is black wooden box in the center of the square where each member of the family selects a piece of paper. If a family member draws a black dot in the middle of the piece of paper…

Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery”, takes place in a small village, and portrays the villages people as the protagonists of the story, and uses the ritual of the lottery as the antagonists. The lottery is where there is a box with some tickets, and a family is called up to pick from this box. On one of the tickets is a black mark, whoever picks this ticket would be pelted by rocks to death. The symbols in the short story, “The Lottery”, communicates the story’s meaning by symbolising…