The Lottery Short Story Analysis

Shirley Jackson is known for her creative writing and plot twisting stories such as “The Possibility of Evil” and “The Lottery”. Jackson always finds a way to leave the reader somewhat confused and wanting to read more. In both of these stories it is a small town where everyone knows one another but something about each of these towns isn't right. In “The Lottery” it turns out that each year, one family, then individual from that family is chosen to be stoned to death for a sacrifice. Then in “The Possibility of Evil” it turns out that one old woman has been writing rude anonymous letters to the people of the town. In both essays Jackson uses many literary devices that help her create these stories that she is so known for. Some of the literary devices she uses are situational and verbal irony, and mood and foreshadowing. She uses a fair amount of all three of these throughout her short stories.

The setting and tone of the story “The Lottery” play very significant roles that give the reader a sense of where they are and an overall feeling of what the story should be like. At the beginning of the story Jackson is very specific in describing the setting of the story. She does this by giving an exact date, time, and even telling the reader how the weather outside is. In the story it is summer and everything is getting ready for a new beginning. By saying all of this it gives the reader a sense that this is a normal town that goes through normal day to day activities just like other towns do. Later in the story it is revealed that the “Winner” of the lottery gets stoned to death by the rest of the town. The overall tone of the story changes in an instant as you get to the end of the story and realize what the lottery really is.

In this essay I will be doing a compare and contrast between the two stories “The Lottery” by Chris Alani and “the Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Both stories were good, and had a deep meaning behind both stories that leaves the readers wondering why the stories had to end in the way they did. Now I’ll start off by giving a summary of both stories so you can know and understand my point of view better.

The actions of young boys, the lottery items and rituals, and the crowds increasing nervousness demonstrates Shirley Jackson's skillful use of foreshadowing in the short story "The Lottery" to show the danger of blindly following tradition.

Easily regarded as one of America’s most beloved short stories, “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and the use of symbolism throughout the story. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolism is shown through character’s names such as Old Man Warner and Tessie and through various objects in the story like the stool and the black box.

First, obedience of the villagers to gather in the square for this ceremony plays a large role in “The Lottery”. The story begins on “the morning of June 27th [and] 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 139). The people gather around casually in the square and are laughing, talking, playing, and not overwrought about the ceremony. Jackson portrays the lottery, at first, as a positive, pleasant gathering of friends. The obedience of the people to just gather in the square and know what is going to happen says a lot about their characters. Since this lottery is something that

At some point in one’s life, it is inevitable to encounter some type of conflict. Whether it is within oneself, a person or a group, it is often a struggle to overcome these conflicts. Tessie Hutchinson, the main character in “The Lottery” faces death due to the tradition of the town. In the short story “The Sniper” the Republican sniper fights in a civil war against the Free Staters and has to live with the regret of killing his brother. Lastly, Andy from the short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding ” struggles with his identity when no one helps him because he is in a gang. The short stories “The lottery”,

In “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson, a seemingly average town meeting turns sinister. In the beginning, the townspeople are gathering in the square of their village on a beautiful, clear and sunny day, which later can be seen as ironic. The characters carry out normal small talk and discussion as they wait for the traditional lottery to begin. At this point, most readers have no clue that an atrocious event will soon be taking place. As the story moves forward, a strong sense of traditionalism ripples throughout the pages and in the characters. The lucky winner of the town’s annual lottery, to the reader’s shock and horror, receives stones being pelted at them until their untimely death. Jackson uses symbols such as the setting and the black box to display the general theme of the short story and force the reader to question traditions.

Arrogance, good and bad, disastrous and calm are all ways to describe characters. Characters better help analyze a piece of literature. However, taking two different stories to give them a similar meaning is beneficial. In “The Lottery” the author uses setting to back up the old tradition as being a right thing to follow rather than questioning it, while “The Necklace” shows the struggle of fitting into society through the use of imagery and setting.

For many years, the townspeople of a small, isolated town had performed a sort of lottery each year. However, the winner of this lottery was never a lucky one as they would be the subject of a stoning. The villagers who would all participate in this stoning had probably been doing this for so long that they had become blinded by what they were accomplishing- which was nothing at all. On a sunny June day Tessie Hutchinson had been chosen as the one person who the entire village would be getting to throw all types of stone at.

When I first started reading “The Lottery” a short story by Shirley Jackson, I thought it was about when the lottery, as we know it today, first originated. After reading the entire short story I couldn’t have been more wrong. It reminds me of the popular book series and movie franchise called The Hunger Games. Even though, I am taken aback by the ending I am not completely surprised, because of the era this story took place in. Had this lottery taken place in today’s modern society in the United States, it would be completely outrageous and horrifying.

In the short story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, many literary elements are used. The chronological order in which the story is told is what makes this short story interesting and its ending shocking. Jackson narrates the unfolding of a village’s lottery ceremony by providing a detailed description of the plot, symbolism, and tone and style to portray the strong commitment between the lottery and the people in the village.

The Message behind “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” raises many questions in the reader's mind towards the destructive yet blind rituals of mankind. “The Lottery” expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind's evil nature behind old rituals and traditions. It’s a story about a wonderful small village, with an unexpected ending to a dark secret regarding very old tradition, the lottery. In “The Lottery” it is not what they win but it is what is lost.

Who doesn’t want to win the lottery? I certainly want to win. However in this town winning the lottery means certain death. On June 27, the townspeople performed the annual lottery in a small village called Stoneridge.

The perception of others correlates with how an individual interprets the standpoints of other people. As stated by Barbara Jordan,“We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” To reiterate, individuals are obligated to tolerate people different from themselves; meaning that the perception of others should not associate with discrepancy. Although the distinctive views of others are difficult to grasp, it can be inferred that denial of these views promotes disunification of a society. On the other hand, Jordan encourages the growth of a society through the tolerance of different viewpoints. In order to promote virtue in society, individuals must first embrace beliefs that contrast theirs’ otherwise society becomes divided and dysfunctional. This is evidently depicted through the three essential concepts of ideological tolerance, physical tolerance, and psychological tolerance.