The New Yorker

Imagine waking up one day with the thought of being stoned to death just for your towns good fortune and good harvest. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson describes a town tradition of human sacrifice by being stoned to death. Sacrificing a life for a tradition. Human sacrifice is the act of killing someone usually for a type of ritual, and that is exactly what “The Lottery” does. How could someone be willing to throw stones at a loved one or a fellow neighbor? These are the ones we care for and…

Millions of readers around the globe have read Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, but the lesser-known short story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, is just as captivating with a similar message. The theme of these two texts, without courage, a faulted society will not change or improve, is shown in both pieces. Many might be asking how to determine the message of a publication. It can easily be found through the portions of the text that stand out, and there are many quotes and pieces of…

In “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, a third person objective point of view is utilized throughout the entire story. The author applies this view point to show her perspective on traditions of society. As an outsider looking in, the author reveals to the reader the insensitivity and selfishness of humans to explain the blindness of society to outdated, barbaric traditions. The author avoids leading the reader into the minds of anyone in the village. We solely hear commentary and actions of the…

In the short story a&p the true nature of male teens is displayed through a young male named sammy. Sammy is a cashier at a store called a&p, his young attitude and male nature causes him to get into trouble. Male teens try to show off to impress a beautiful girl even if the consequences are negative. Three girls walk into A&P like victoria secret models wearing very showy bathing suits. All the guys in the store examine the girls bodies like “pervs”, mainly the parts that are covered. Males…

The protagonist, Walter Mitty copes with his repressed desires by using dreams as an escape from his unfulfilling life; ultimately, showcasing the negative consequences to the superego dominating the ego. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, James Thurber portrays Mitty’s self-awareness that his desires cannot be accomplished in reality, therefore he needs to repress these desires. As reinforced by his wife, “You’re not a young man any longer” (Thurber 1). Everytime Mitty attempts to re-enact his…

Shirley Jackson is one of American author who critically celebrated the short story of “The Lottery” because it is hard to ignore by everyone, they either loved it or hated. This story has an ability to create a very sad emotion in almost everyone who reads it. It is one of the stories that seems as much fun to think but very emotionally to read. This Story uses contrast when the author describes the difference between what the audience notices and expect and what actually happens. She also…

see the bigger picture when your so deeply rooted into your own beliefs. Look at today, the group mentality on social media like Facebook and Youtube, where everyone gathers to bash other people for having different opinions. How some easily accept news stories without stopping to consider whether it’s fake or not. No one ask questions any more. We’ve lost all our curiosity. When you blindly follow, you allow yourself to become a puppet or tool to be use to commit horrible acts. We all have the…

Every story is impacted by past events. In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, it is greatly impacted by history. In this unique short story a village is hosting their annual lottery. During this lottery every family in the village must go select a card. The lucky family that gets the card with the black dot must go select again. The family member who gets the black dot again, ends up getting stoned to death by the fellow villagers. This story was greatly impacted by history, and…

Taking the Helm in the Streets of Amsterdam Not too long ago, during the first week of the 2017 summer vacation, I found myself in a faraway place, a charming place that was Amsterdam, Netherlands. Specifically Vondelpark near the old part of the city. The park was a wonderful grassy haven surrounded by the sights and sounds of a bustling, lively city. The sky was cloudless, the air was warm and relaxing. The entire park quietly screamed at me to lay down and stay awhile. All the while I could…

Everyone has a tradition that they follow, but the tradition in “The Lottery” is death. The last thing Mrs.Hutchinson said, was “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right…”, in reference to her being stoned to death. In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses the black box and stones to symbolize death in order to support a key theme. In the beginning, the stones foreshadow what they may be used for later, like the stones may be used for throwing at someone or something, the stones are death, and they use…