...Throughout the story of “The Lottery”, author Shirley Jackson uses an ironic tone. From the reader point of view, a lottery is special grand prize, not a twisted turn of events which involves death. The use of irony prepares the readers for the most dramatic reaction. Shirley Jackson sets the most obvious use of irony from the beginning. From the first impression of the readers, the lottery is a cash prize. As the plot ticking’s, Jackson played on the belief and turned it to the complete opposite. This gives her story a unique twist. Another type of irony was among the characters. From the beginning of the story it was noted that the tradition of the lottery had took place even before the birth of the oldest man of the town, Old Man Warner. Year after year for over seventy-seven years, Old Man Warner has never been chosen for the lottery. Also in the story, Old Man Warner warns the reader something twisted will take place as he states “Pack of crazy fools. Next thing you know they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves”. The reader does not expect a normal citizen to say this, thinking the lottery is positive, before knowing the ending. Leading up to the finale, there was irony between Tessie Hutchinson. Among the whole crowd, Hutchinson had the most cheerful, and calm attitude. Throughout the finale, Hutchinson would say such ironic statements such as “Clean forgot what day it was” knowing it ‘s the day of when the lottery took place. As well as stating jokes such...
Words: 316 - Pages: 2
...The Irony of It “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor” (Collins). One of the many ways that irony can be presented is through hypocritical statements like this quote. This is true for the short story, “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948 which can easily be compared to the modern film, The Hunger Games, originally a book authored by Suzanne Collins. Both of these pieces encase many different literary devices; irony was the most evident. “The great thing about irony is that it splits things apart, gets up above them so we can see the flaws and hypocrisies and duplicates” (“Irony Quotes”). These literary and commercial works feature the literary device irony to showcase a woman protagonist who happened to experience an unlucky moment which lead to their own death and near death experiences. The Hunger Games features irony chronologically placed throughout the...
Words: 982 - Pages: 4
...First, in Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” there are many occurrences of irony. The first example is that The wife Tessie Hutchinson's was the last to get to the drawing but was the first to die. The second example of irony is that when tessi gets to the drawing she makes the comment "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you. Joe?," when she doesn't know that she won't be going back to her house. The third and final example of irony is when an old lady gives the little boy Davey a rock to throw at his own mother and the little boy doesn't even understand what is going on, they are teaching him about what to do before he is old enough to fully understand what is happening. There was a lot of irony in the story, but the irony is what gave the story it’s meaning. Second, in Ray Bradbury's “All Summer in a Day” many occurrences of irony are in this story. The first example of irony is that the person who wanted to see the sun the most did not get to see it and the kids who didn't believe that the sun would come out did get to see it. The second example of...
Words: 567 - Pages: 3
...Jackson’s The Lottery Fiction Analysis Through common belief winning the lottery is a chance to easily enrich oneself with bountiful amounts of money and prosperity. Jackson’s “The Lottery” takes the connotation of the word ‘lottery’ and adds irony in all of its forms to it. Shirley Jackson toys with the reader's expectations and twists them to leave a surprise. Much of the reader's expectations of how a lottery should occur are being built up but the turn of this story makes it apparently obvious that this specific lottery will destroy you. The turn of events near the end of the story reveals the dramatic irony. The readers commonly view the lottery as an easy way to wealth and money but the characters in this story know the lottery to be a sacrificial ritual, supported by the angst and whimpering given by Tessie when she is stoned. This dramatic irony leaves the readers torn inside and add layers of depth where they are expecting a happy ending but rather receive an unpleasant surprise that leaves a certain “taste in their mouths” if you will. This can not only be seen as dramatic irony but as situational Irony because the readers expect the lottery to be enriching, but the exact opposite happens through the death of the lottery ‘winner’. The irony is also found in the story when Tessie Hutchinson is late to the lottery she “clean forgot which day it was” ( Jackson 411) This quotation shows irony because she is late to her soon demise. Tessie forgets the lottery as if it is...
Words: 624 - Pages: 3
...thought were your friends is a very tough feeling. In the short stories The Lottery, and The Possibility of Evil, Shirley Jackson writes about two female protagonists that get betrayed by their fellow townspeople. Shirley Jackson wrote about these events by using various literary terms such as imagery, irony, and tone. Shirley Jackson uses these literary terms in her story to make her readers understand how these two women felt after being turned on. In The Lottery and The possibility of evil both have different types of irony that occurs throughout these stories. In The Lottery Shirley Jackson used situational irony. When people hear the title The Lottery most people would assume that it would be a positive thing but in this story it is the exact opposite. In this lottery you are being picked to be stoned to death in hopes of a good season for your crops. In The possibility of evil Jackson used dramatic irony. The readers knew that Miss.Strangeworth was the one behind all of the anonymous letters, but known of the other characters were aware.For example when Miss.Strangeworth wrote “DIDN’T YOU EVER SEE AN IDIOT CHILD BEFORE? SOME PEOPLE SHOULDN’T HAVE...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...In Shirley Jacksons, ‘’The Lottery’’ creates a story that’s filled with symbolism, dramatic irony. Born in 1919 Shirley Jackson was an American author who wrote countless stories one better than the next but her most famous story is ‘’The Lottery’’ written in 1948 for new Yorker magazine the story offended readers because of how it suggested that evil could be carried out so easily and that stoning was a pointless and a violent sacrifice many of them cancelled their subscriptions because of how offensive the story was. Jackson’s use of irony and symbolism is brilliant and it is seen in all her stories. The use of symbolism is very present throughout the whole story. Which has different types of symbols with different types of meanings. Like For example, the representation of the stool that they use to put the black box on or even the black box itself. in “The Lottery’’Shirley Jackson wrote, "...
Words: 806 - Pages: 4
...Anthony Di Lembo 603-101-MQ Prof. Feenstra November 8, 2010 The twisted sacrifice In Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery”, there is a hidden message behind the twisted story and that is, the greatness of how the horrors of man’s evil could be. In the short story, irony is the function used to build the shocking and unexpected ending. In the process of building the shocking and unexpected twist, it also sets the tone of the people in the story and that is their reluctance to reject an outdated tradition. That it is good for the crops to kill an innocent person who is part of their village. But the irony used in the story helps the author show how this is normal for these people, but as the reader learns more along the story, they then find out what is really going on and that is when the irony comes into effect. The Tone and style of the story give the reader an understanding in the eyes of a villager. As it starts off by using irony to seem as if it is normal but then end reveilles the brutal truth of this story. The irony used in the story was very clearly seen. As read the in first few lines, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets with stones” (237). This line came after the introduction of a sort of lottery, and to the readers knowledge, they think that it is a good thing and something to look forward to. But the quote gives the impression that something unpleasant is to happen, but at the same time be unknown. In deeper detail, adults usually...
Words: 775 - Pages: 4
...Most of the time, if you win the lottery, it is good, but not in the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. The setting of the story is a small town in New England. The small town comes together every year for a unique tradition. Why I like “The Lottery” is because the foreshadowing, the irony, plus the conflicts. There are two good examples of foreshadowing in “The Lottery”. The first one is when the kids are playing with the rocks. At first we just think that it is innocent play until we find out what the stones are used for in the story. The second one is when Tessie shows up late, it set her apart from the crowd. “The Lottery” has amazing examples of irony in its story. The first irony it the title of the story....
Words: 265 - Pages: 2
...Society’s conformation to honor traditions Shirley Jackson’s observation on individuals not questioning the society in 1948, is reflected in the shocking short story. The scope of this literary essay is to examine the use of symbolism, foreshadowing and irony which represent the negative consequence of the lottery. In “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, Jackson uses symbolism, foreshadowing and irony to illustrate how society conforms to honor traditions which are outdated and barbarian. Jackson’s use of objects and names in the story symbolize the religious and symbolic meaning which leads to the brutal death of an innocent. In the story stones are very symbolic as it represents the death of an innocent individual. Stoning is a few methods...
Words: 875 - Pages: 4
...Shirley Jackson wrote both “The Lottery” and “Charles. Both have their similarities, but both also have their differences. There are six main ones, however, that shouldn’t be overlooked due to how vastly different or similar they are. “Charles” and “The Lottery” have plenty of similarities, but some of the larger ones include; foreshadowing, dialogue, and irony/plot twist. The two short stories share the literary element of foreshadowing. In “The Lottery”, foreshadowing was used when it mentioned how the kids in the village collecting stones and how the town nervously interacted with each other, implying something fishy was going on; that the lotter was something you didn’t want to win. In “Charles”, it’s used when Laurie first comes home, and his mom...
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...The Lottery Outdated traditions are not often rejected by people because of people’s uneasiness towards the idea of change. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses irony to help portray this tendency in society. At the beginning of the story, the community members gather for an event that they do not enjoy being a part of. While they were waiting to hear the results of the lottery, the men holding the pieces of paper in their hands were “turning them over and over nervously” (5). This is ironic because a lot of the village members were complaining about the lottery and talking about other villages that “have already quit lotteries” (5) yet they do nothing about it. Instead, they join in because it is tradition, although no one knows how it first started. Later on during the gathering in the square of the village, we can see another example of irony. Old Man Warner says that people who want to change the tradition of the lottery are a “pack of crazy fools” (5) and that they will “be wanting to go back to living in caves” (5). This is ironic because he is the one stuck on old and outdated traditions while the other villagers are the ones that are thinking clearly. Also, he refers to them wanting to go back to living in caves when the act of stoning others is very barbaric and ruthless like cavemen. The last time irony is used is when Tessie Hutchinson joins the group with a very cheerful mood and begins cracking jokes with the other villagers. However, as the lottery results were...
Words: 388 - Pages: 2
..."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...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...devices in “The Lottery” Literary devices are specific language techniques that are used in a text to make it clearer. Shirley Jackson author of infamous horror story, “The Lottery”, uses five literary devices such as symbolism, allegory, foreshadowing, theme and irony. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. This literary device is used most often throughout the short story to keep the suspenseful ending a surprise rather than a shock. Three main symbols are used in this story, the title “The Lottery”, the black box, and stones. The reader can look at the “The Lottery” title itself to see it exemplifies symbolism. A lottery typically represents...
Words: 1135 - Pages: 5
...Stanley Edgar Hyman. Throughout the years Shirley went on to create several novels, one in particular is The Lottery. In The Lottery Shirley uses irony to provide readers with a twisted tale that shocks readers in the end. The plot as a whole is filled with ironic twists. All of the villagers seemed to act very nonchalant considering the seriousness of the consequences of the lottery. We see how the villagers of the small New England town abandon their normal lives to gather and conduct their annual lottery. The townspeople prepare themselves by gathering many rocks for the ceremony as if this was a day to day activity. The sole purpose for the lottery is for human sacrifice which was suggested that the townspeople feared that their crops will not be full and hearty. Shirley Jackson proves that the villagers don’t plan on ending the traditional ceremony which has a long history. Even after hearing the other towns ending the lottery, he dismisses them as “crazy fools,” and states that if the lottery stops, they will be forced to eat “chickweed and acorns.” What’s so ironic about The Lottery is that it is so deeply embedded in the townspeople and even though they can’t remember the original reason for the lottery they continue to hold on anyhow. According to the dictionary lottery means to distribute something among people by lot or by chance and the lucky winner of the lottery reaps the benefits of his/her luck and wins the prize of whatever being drawn. However, in...
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...blindly. Many do not know any better because traditions go on for many years. In the gothic short story “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson creates a town like no other. The literary devices utilized in “The Lottery” helped to manifest and develop the story are setting, characterization, symbolism and irony. “The Lottery” opens up with a calm setting of a sunny summer June 27th. From the outside, the town seems normal and quiet. Then the town starts to have a creepy, secret feeling, as if everyone has something to hide. The setting of “The Lottery” helps the reader understand the mood of the town and helps you understand the truth behind the tradition. Each character is different, but they all have one thing in common, they all follow tradition. The lottery is run by Mr. Summers. Mr.Summers is the leader of the town who is friendly to everyone and everyone respects him....
Words: 896 - Pages: 4
