Use of Irony in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Essay

In the short story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the author uses subversive irony to accentuate the underlying tenebrosity/inhumanity and lethality/brutality of the town and its people. The title “The Lottery” connotes a lottery with a winner who attains a reward or a positive involvement, but is ironic to the ending of the story. Jackson begins her short, startling/suspenseful story by establishing the setting as an idyllic town on an early summer day: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full- summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson). Jackson then sets the location in the town square where she describes the stereotypical actions and normality of the behavior of its residents; the eagerness of the children to play with one another and the congeniality and amiability of the adults. Immediately Jackson creates a comfortable atmosphere and a mood of peacefulness and tranquility as if nothing is erroneous in this quaint town.…

In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery,” the plot is about a drawing in a small town where the results of the lottery are not quite what the reader would expect. The town picks up stones and pebbles to contribute to the outcome of the lottery. Everyone in the town must attend the lottery and each family must draw one paper slip out of the black box. The family that draws the slip of paper with the black dot on it must draw again for each person in the family. In this story, there are…

In today's society winning the lottery is extraordinary you get money without lifting a single finger. A girl in Canada just won the lottery on her 18th birthday, she was set for life without doing any of the work to earn the money she just got it handed to her. The lottery wasn’t like this in this short story, it wasn’t a good thing, it was actually a dreadful to win the lottery. “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson uses irony that reveals what the effects of blindly following traditions…

Furthermore, throughout most of the story it sounds like the villagers are gathering for a fun event but as the true dynamics of the lottery are revealed the reader begins to feel the tension increase. “The lottery was conducted --as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities.” This is viewed as dramatic irony because there is nothing “civic” or civilized about murder. The lottery is seen as a “civic”…

Irony is the use of words in a way to convey a meaning that is opposite from the literal meaning. There are a few types of irony. Situational irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what is expected. Another type of irony is verbal irony is a contrast between the intended meaning of what is spoken and waht the apparent meaning is to the hearer. Lastly, dramatic irony is when the audience knows something a character does not. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, she uses all three…

“Lottery” Rough Draft When one thinks of a lottery they most likely think that “winning” is a good thing. You might receive money, a car, or other kinds of valuables. This is definitely not the case for the winner in the “Lottery.” The winner is more like the loser and is unfortunately stoned to death by her fellow friends and family members. Shirley Jackson’s shocking story, “The Lottery,” explores the theme of man’s inhumanity to man through the use of irony and foreshadowing. In the…

blindly can detrimental. Too bad the citizens in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” can’t seem to realize this. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, an old village holds an annual ritualistic “lottery” that takes place to limit the population size by means of stoning the “lucky winner” to death. Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” is satirical dystopian short story set in a futuristic society where its citizens are forced to wear handicaps that make them…

Shirley Jackson’s 'The Lottery' is considered one of the most thought provoking stories since it leaves the reader with an unforgettable experience as the narrative offers a plot twist. The story begins so innocently with the reader not knowing what to expect only to realize the narrative’s plot at the very end. The author applies various literary devices, including irony and symbolism, to come up with a captivating story. In this short story, irony is a dominant literary device because the…

Fiction Essay (Rough Draft) Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) was an acclaimed American writer most famous her short story, “The Lottery”. Jackson, born December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California, had spent most of her childhood in the small town of nearby Burlingame, California. Not until the age of seventeen did Jackson move eastward to attend the University of Rochester were she then withdrew a year later. Fast-forward a year later, Jackson enrolled in Syracuse University in 1937 where there…

Danger in Tradition In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, a village prepares for their annual tradition of the lottery in which the townsfolk stone a person to death. The ritual was originally conducted to bring a bountiful harvest of corn, however, the meaning behind the sacrifice seemed to fade out while the tradition itself persisted. As surprising as it may seem, one can see instances of blindly followed tradition in today’s society: trick-or-treating on Halloween, blowing out the candles on…