...Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” isn’t quite what it seems. The misleading title fills the reader with a sense of excitement and hope of winning something, much like the modern day lottery, yet this short story is far from that reality. As a decades old tradition, the lottery drawing is conducted once every year throughout the village to find one winner, or victim, who is singled out by the community. The person who draws the paper with a black dot on it faces being stoned to death by the villagers. In Jackson’s “The Lottery,” customs and traditions normalize unspeakable acts and inhumanity for the townspeople. Jackson offers a great deal of irony by having the setting be in a small village of “only about three hundred people” (539). By illustrating...
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...Shirley Jackson’s short stories The Lottery and The Summer People have many similarities. One of those similarities is the idea of mans inhumanity to man, which is prominent in both the short stories. The Lottery is the story of a village that takes part in the sacrifice of one of their neighbors. The Summer People, also set in a small village, follows the story of a group of villager’s who will go to any lengths to exclude two new members of their community. Both stories teach us about mans inhumanity to man. Learning about mans inhumanity to man is important in The Summer People and The Lottery because we see that the characters in each of the stories are willing to be inhumane in order to be accepted. In The Summer People Mrs. Martin, a “new comer” in the town, learns that Mr. and Mrs. Allison are staying on at the lake. As Mrs. Martin is new to the town she has probably been treated badly herself and realizes what will happen to the Allison’s but she does not stand up for them as she wants to be accepted in the town. She tells the Allison’s “I don’t guess anyone’s ever stayed so long before”. This shows that she feels hesitant about taking part in what will happen and almost wants to warn the Allison’s about what is going to happen but doesn’t because she wants to feel as if she is accepted in town. In The Lottery we also see this in Mrs. Hutchinson. The day of the lottery in the town is a very important day and not one someone would easily forget, but when Mrs...
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...Purpose in Relation to Theme APA An Analysis of Author’s Purpose in Relation to Theme Thesis: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence differ in author’s purpose in that Jackson satirizes a society that blindly follows tradition, while Lawrence realistically portrays life’s problems; however, both share the theme of family. I. Jackson’s purpose for writing “The Lottery” is to satirize a society that blindly follows tradition. A. Jackson uses the graphic story to show the audience the brutality in society. B. Jackson’s short story also shows how society victimizes those randomly. II. Lawrence uses “The Rocking-Horse Winner” to highlight life’s problems. A. Paul’s mother, Hester, neglects to give her children the attention that they need and deserve to become healthy adults. B. Lawrence grew up in town where coal-mining was the livelihood. Lawrence’s father worked as a coal miner his whole life and expected his sons to do the same. Lawrence knew from an early age that he would not be a miner. C. Lawrence did not do well in school and was often alone and considered different. III. Both Jackson and Lawrence use their purpose for writing to portray theme. A. The lottery is based on family. Each member of every family are listed and must be present during the lottery. B. In “The Lottery” the unlucky person will experience their family turn against him or her. C. Lawrence uses Paul...
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...Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” was published in a 1948 issue of The New Yorker and this horror story, written about a annual tradition of heinously stoning someone to death, quickly lead to a mass controversy to all who read it. The simple text was quickly and easily written in one afternoon, after Jackson got home from pushing her daughter up the hill in a stroller (Coulthard 227). The normalcy in which “The Lottery was written created a mixed menagerie of reactions from confusion to the extremity of outrage and even hatred. “The Lottery” single handedly turned the entire subscription base against her, which happen to include her own mother. Perhaps because there is no known origin of this ritual in “The Lottery”, there is no character to...
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...The Lottery: Tradition and Cruelty Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" features a supposedly civilized village with barbaric traditions. At the beginning of the story, the townsfolk appear to be fairly civilized and seem to carry on modern lifestyles. This is assumed by the men at work and the children playing as if it were just an average day. The lottery was outdated to such a degree that some seen it as a cruel tradition no one could escape. On the other hand, some had believed that carrying on the tradition was necessary. Not long after "The Lottery" was published in The New Yorker, "a flood of mail - hundreds of letters-deluged both the editorial offices in New York and the post office in Bennington" (Friedman 63). Shirley Jackson said that out of all the letters sent, there were only thirteen that were positive responses, and those were from her friends (63). The letters consisted of "bewilderment, speculation, and old-fashioned abuse" (63). The public's initial reaction to the story was extremely negative. The fact that the tradition itself is scheduled for 10:00 and it took only two hours shows that there is no concern for the "winner" of the lottery, only for themselves. The villagers had a convenient amount of time so they were able to eat their lunch afterwards and continue their day. The children collected stones, competing against the other children, and tried to keep other friends from stealing rocks from their piles. This most definitely shows that the tradition...
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...The Lottery vs the Destructors Thesis In Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery”, and Graham Greene’s “The Destructors”, the author creates a story filled with symbolism, irony, grim reality, and a ritualized tradition that masks evil, which ultimately showcases how people blindly follow tradition. Outline I. Introduction II. Setting B. Time Period III. Plot A. What messages are seen in both stories IV. Characters A. Main Characters B. Traits of Characters V. Tone of Stories VI. Conclusion Comparison and Contrast of The Lottery and The Destructors W. Goode English102 Liberty University Comparison and Contrast of The Lottery and The Destructors The Lottery and The Destructors are two remarkable representatives of the world literature. The authors of these two literary pieces are Shirley Jackson, and Graham Greene, in accordance, who hide the true meaning of their stories behind ironic depictions and comic pictures. Although The Lottery, as well as The Destructors transports the reader into a particularly different from each other fictional world, characters in these short stories equally undergo influence of their surroundings or society. Shirley Jackson and Graham Greene portrayed a clear picture as to how society might easily and sorely impacted the people that live in it. Thus, heroes of The Lottery and The Destructors remain under the influence of what has taken place around them, and their attitude towards everyday life is...
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...“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, is one of the most interesting short stories there are. Jackson described her purpose of writing by stating her it as, “to shock the story’s readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives” (Backpack p. 236). That quote alone is shown throughout “The Lottery” because there is most definitely a shock factor at the end of the story. A reader almost must read it twice to fully comprehend all that goes on in the town square of Jacksons’ story. However, as one reads “The Lottery”, one can identify many comparisons using symbolism and when one reads the story again, one can identify even more symbols. In Shirley Jacksons’ short story, “The Lottery”, there are many different items in the book like names, a three-legged table, a black box, and stones to show symbolism and allegory throughout the story. Jackson places her symbols in a specific order and it is that order in which the symbols have the most impact. The first symbol that comes along in the story is Mr. Summers. Mr. Summers is described as, “a...
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...“The Destructors” and “The Lottery” Fiction Essay Introduction Some may say that we are, as human beings, a violent people by nature. We see it in our own history of wars and genocide that the violence in us can grow to extreme proportions. These two stories, “The Destructors” by Graham Greene, and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, show us that some of the violence can be brought on by people simply following blindly. Whether we look at the past or the present, these two short stories, show us the mob mentality can be very dangerous. The long dead tradition of “The Lottery” tells of the town people forgetting most of the different parts of the tradition because it takes too long, or is not feasible. The one part they never forgot was the violent murder of one of their own people because of an old tradition that sacrifices a scapegoat each year. In “The Destructors”, a grand home still standing in a war-torn England would never have been torn down by a gang of teens if they weren’t following blindly, the one person leading the group, and succumbing to peer pressure. This shows that all it takes is a single person, or an old tradition that can convince a group to commit unnecessary violence. Greene’s book “The Destructors”, and Jacksons “The Lottery”, both show pointless acts of violence brought on by an individual that has people following them or a group of people following a long dead tradition. These acts of senseless violence could have been avoided if...
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...stories ‘Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery.” In these stories, characters are faced with situations beyond their own imagination and to makes things worse is how they are tested. They will encounter people and other things that are unjust. These stories bring a lot of comparisons such as the setting of the stories, but mostly there are contrasts such as the symbolism within the stories and the meaning each author put behind their stories. In comparing the two short stories “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery,” it is easily noticed that both of these stories takes place well within the community setting. Each story has the involvement of the people who lives within the town. Details in the story showcase how the communities makes the characters feel accepted one way or another to a certain extinct. Within these communities, each has their own traditions, laws, and perimeters that justify the reasoning behind what they do. In turn it kind of makes these communities have a sense of uniqueness to them and that is why individuals are pulled in and want to be part of these communities. In addition, both of these stories showcase a sense of a happy ambience and exuberance. In “The Lottery,” the author, Shirley Jackson illustrates a perfect day by stating “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with a fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green (Jackson p.213).” Jackson illustrates a tenor of such relaxing...
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...of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Shirley Jackson, author of “The Lottery”, was born in San Francisco in 1919, but moved to Rochester, New York when she was a teenager. She later attended the University of Rochester, but due to a bought severe depression, which would plague her throughout her entire life, she had to drop out of school. Jackson later graduated from Syracuse University, and soon moved with her husband. Stanley Edgar Hyman, to Bennington, Vermont. While there she devoted herself to writing a fixed amount of words each day. Pieces she wrote varied from novels, The Road Through the Wall, various psychological thrillers such as Hangsaman, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and many articles for various magazines including Good House Keeping, generally about the difficulty of housekeeping and raising 4 children. Jackson claims that her motivation for writing the magazine articles was for the money they provided. “The Lottery” was published in The New Yorker in 1948, and that specific issue of the magazine was very quickly sold out. When Jackson first sent the story to the publisher, Harold Ross, he wasn’t exactly sure what the story was about nor what the meaning was. He called Jackson and asked if she had anything to tell the readers if they were to call up to the magazine asking questions about the story, and she simply responded with “No.” To her it was simply a story that she has written. When asked about it later Jackson said that...
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...The Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner Dashua Murphy Liberty University Online Fiction Essay Thesis Statement: While “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” differs on some levels, both stories carry the theme of death as a sacrifice for greater gain. 1) Need a. “The Lottery”: the village needs to uphold a cruel tradition to ensure a bountiful harvest b. “The Rocking-Horse Winner”: Paul needs to get “lucky” to satisfy the never ending needs of his mothers “unluckiness” 2) Unhealthy Support systems a. In “The Lottery” many of the villagers unconsciously support the cruel tradition of stoning one of its members for a better harvest b. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” Bassett and Uncle Oscar unwittingly attribute to Paul’s failing of health and considerable need to stay “lucky” 3) Ritual practices a. The lottery is conducted yearly to select the “winner” who will become the “sacrificial lamb” that will preserve the life of the village b. Paul madly rides his rocking horse on a journey to where “luck” is until he receives an answer for who the winning horse will be in the next race 4) Untimely Death a. Tessie is stoned to death after her husband selects the slip of paper that has the “black spot” and her family has to re-draw for the “winning” ticket b. Paul dies as a result of pursuing an answer for his greatest and most rewarding Derby gamble 5) Real World * “Jackson” declared the purpose of “The Lottery” had been “to shock the stories readers...
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...It’s strange how people think traditions are meant to be special and known and are supposed to mean on that day. That these days usually come around once or twice every year. People cherish a holiday and know its meaning and symbolism. However, traditions are now always special. Symbol has an effect on a story’s meaning and its indication. “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson that illustrates a yearly tradition done by people living in a village. In the story, the main character, Tessie Hutchinson, is killed by stones thrown by her fellow neighbors, which makes the setting cruel and very inhumane. “Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held hands out desperately as the villagers moved in...
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..."The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson illustrates a suspicious event taking place in a small town. Situational irony and foreshadowing are utilized to create a shocking plot. These aspects enact the reader to suspense and surprise and “shock [them] with a graphic demonstration of the point-less violence and general inhumanity in their own lives” (236), as stated by Jackson. The pursuit of situational irony shocks the reader as the plot does not go as expected. Situational irony is "the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite (Oxford Dictionaries). Jackson begins the story with description of the setting; "the morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day" (236). Right...
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...Introduction “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson and “The Most Dangerous Game” written by Richard Connell share a common theme of violence and cruelty. In “The Most Dangerous Game” humans are hunted, as mere animals, to serve as the perfect prey to satisfy a desire for challenge. In “The Lottery” the townspeople are forced to participate in a ritual that will result in the death of an unwilling participant to satisfy a belief that the sacrifice of one of their own will guarantee a bountiful harvest. By comparison, the elements of violence and cruelty demonstrate the self-centeredness that abounds in each story. The Taking of Life for Personal Satisfaction In “The Most Dangerous Game,” Connell depicts Rainsford, the protagonist of the story, as a seasoned hunter. Through a conversation with his friend Whitney, the reader learns of Rainsford’s lack of sympathy for his prey, despite Whitney’s assertion that the prey has a complete understanding of fear, “the fear of pain and the fear of death” (Connell, 2010). This information reveals to the reader Rainsford’s matter-of-fact attitude toward the emotions of the hunter and the hunted. Through a twist of fate, Rainsford is stranded on an island, which he is drawn to by gun fire after falling off a boat, where he encounters General Zaroff. Zaroff is initially portrayed as an accommodating host, offering Rainsford food, clothing, and a place to rest. The two men discuss their various hunting ventures and, through...
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...“The Lottery” Shirley Jackson speaks about a game that is played every year that ends in death. Over the years this small town got accustomed to playing the lottery. It is a game of fun to the women, the men, and the children even if it ends in death. “The Lottery takes the classic theme of man’s inhumanity to man and gives it an additional twist: the randomness inherent in brutality. It anticipates the way we would come to understand the twentieth century’s unique lessons about the capacity of ordinary citizens to do evil” (Franklin). “The Lottery is definitely compared to the twentieth century due to the fact that they have a tradition to play a tragic game every year. Also their is no upper hand to stop this game everyone plays it and feels no remorse. “Trifles” is a play about a woman who gets accused of murdering her husband. “Though the play is celebrated as an early feminist drama, it stands on its own as an engrossing story. In the tale, two women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, gradually uncover the motive for a murder, while their male counterparts are blinded by ignorance and insensitivity” (Jaworowski). The Attorney, Sheriff, a neighbor, and two of the men’s wives accompanied them to searched Mrs. Wrights house to see if they can find clues on why she would have murdered John Wright. The men enter the house with eyes of legal investigators while the two women enter the house with trying to understand why Mrs. Wright would do this to her husband. In “The Lottery” and “Trifles”...
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