Stoning

Lottery" explains exactly how far people are willing to go without questioning a tradition that has been passed on for generations. Jackson illustrates the extremes a society will go forth with in order to follow ancient fairy tales; even if it means stoning a neighborly woman to death by children who will one day follow those same traditions. This makes it a never ending chain which will have no success if attempted to be broken. This reading gives us all a glimpse of life, the yin and yang,…

Shirley Jackson was a well-known prized author specifically for her short stories, “The Lottery,” Life among the Savages,” and “Raising Demons.” Mrs. Jackson also wrote several novels such as “The Haunting of Hill House,” and “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.” Her writings are known to be eerie and dark, particularly, “The Lottery.” Although the story was written in about two hours with little revision the sheer horror and disbelief in the underlying surface of the story line were captured…

detail some readers disregard. However, once the true nature of the lottery is revealed, readers return to the sentence and gag with disgust upon their realization that the villagers like to finish the execution just in time for lunch. When the stoning begins, the reality in “The Lottery” is shattered as it is suddenly transformed from a realistic fiction story to an allegory, where the villagers are symbols that represent the barbaric nature that lurks inside all humans. “The Lottery” contains…

In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson exemplifies how the annual stoning enables the otherwise rational humans in the town to make scapegoats out of their peers. Jackson accomplishes this through the actions and descriptions of the characters throughout the story, including the roles of the women in the community, which demonstrates how those who have less power are typically targets for scapegoating. Additionally, the village elder, Old Man Warner, serves to demonstrate how humans are capable of…

inside of it ultimately determines the fate of one the villager’s lives. Whichever individual draws the sheet of paper from the black box with the black dot on is plagued with the fate of the lottery. This villager is sentenced to death by means of stoning by the hands of the remaining townspeople. The “black-box” is representative of the old ways of which the members of the town live and the control the box has over the people as well as, ultimately, the death that emerges in the practice of…

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary a scapegoat is a person who is unfairly blamed for something that others have done. The word "scapegoat" originates from a practice in the Old Testament in which the high priest put his hands on a goat that has been chosen by lot and, in the belief that the person sin has been put upon the goat. The goat is then turned loose in the wilderness. Consequently, the concept was widened to take account of human beings who had been taken away from their…

Although the story builds up to show how evil human nature can be, it is the ending conclusion that really illustrates what humans, more specifically, normal everyday humans are really capable of doing. The death in the lottery is done by that of stoning, where everyone in the village all participate together in throwing rocks at the unlucky winner of the drawing. This horrid act is even escalated due to the fact that not only do adults partake in the event, but children do as well. Even family…

To me, a mob mentality describes how people who are in a large group can make unusual decisions or act in ways that they would not normally act because they are in a large group of people. Although we may try to be individualistic and stand for our beliefs, it is human nature for most of us to tend to follow the behaviors of others. Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" highlights the effects of a mob mentality; including making usually unacceptable behaviors acceptable, people feeling…

however, because their parents and the elders of the village are already beginning to teach them that the lottery is a tradition that one day they will also have to participate in. The children seem to be very happy that they get to participate in the stoning…

The Lottery and The Destructors Vanda V. McCray Liberty University Online “The Lottery” and “The Destructor” begin by telling the setting of each story. The purpose of the setting is to set the time and place in the story. It also plays a major role in the success of the story. “The Lottery”-Shirley Jackson created a mood of happiness and peace at the beginning. For the readers, it created an image that it was just a regular warm summer day in a small town. Flowers were blooming and…