...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Jackson uses symbolism, foreshadowing and irony to illustrate how society conforms to honor traditions which are outdated and barbarian.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
...The Lottery Outdated traditions are not often rejected by people because of people’s uneasiness towards the idea of change.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 This is ironic because he is the one stuck on old and outdated traditions while the other villagers are the ones that are thinking clearly.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: 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...
Words: 991 - Pages: 4
...Because the villagers refused to reject their ghastly traditions, the lottery has been carried out for many years; although it’s been altered many times, it was never abandoned. Every year, the villagers conduct a lottery in which the winner is viciously stoned to death. While nervously drawing out ballots from the faded black ballot box, the villagers spoke amongst one another about lotteries in other towns. Old Man Warner, a disgruntled old fashioned man, exhibits the villager’s disinclination to change through his conversation with Mr. Adams, a local villager participating in the lottery. As Mr. Adams spoke calmly about other towns giving up the lottery, Old Man Warner retorted petulantly, “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough...
Words: 324 - Pages: 2
...All traditions do is brainwash our youth. That’s a hyperbole so let’s say this instead. Traditions are sacred things that should be passed down from generation to generation but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question them. Jackson uses symbolism, of the black box, characters’ names, and the title of the story itself to develop the theme of everyday violence and ignorance of tradition. One way Jackson uses symbolism is through the mystery of the black box because of its color and age. The black box was not just a regular box it was beaten up with all kinds of wood splitting from the box and the color “was no longer completely black, but splintered badly on one side” (Jackson 391). This just doesn't represent a drawing box, it was religious...
Words: 679 - Pages: 3
...Susan Opino ENG 201-0905 02/27/2016 Paper 1: The Lottery 998 words Whenever we hear about a lottery, the word invokes quite naturally, a sense of hope-the expectations of winning something. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” further confirms the sense of hope in the first few paragraphs. It’s a beautiful summer day, the grass is green, flowers are blooming, kids are playing. But in the ensuing paragraphs, we start to see that something is not quite right in this environment of hope. It is the following of an annual ritual. This is the 77th celebration, which means that they are archaic in some way and rooted in traditions of superstitions that seem to involve crops and human sacrifice. The thoughtless following of rituals in “The Lottery”, is appalling, but not as much as the mindless rituals observed by the modern society. Shirley Jackson’s story, “The Lottery”, is set in a small New England town. The inhabitants are gathered in the the small town square. Its June 27th, on a beautiful summer day. They are in a convivial mood for a yearly ritual, “The Lottery”. Mr. Summers, who seem to be in charge of the the assembly brings forth a black box with hundreds of slips of paper inside. Names of all family members in the town are collected. Bill Hutchinson draws a slip of paper with a dark spot meaning that his family has been chosen. The drawing continues in the second round for each individual family member to draw; regardless of age. After the drawing is over, Tessie Hutchinson...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...waiting for the front doors of our favorite stores to open, to be nearly trampled upon for discounted items, is a tradition we, as Americans, like to call Black Friday. Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. To get people in the spirit, most major retailers open before the sun comes up and offers promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season. Americans consider “getting in the spirit,” by waking at the crack of dawn to pry items out of other people’s hands while at the same time getting pushed and shoved by crazy amounts of people on the same hunt. We call a tradition; a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance that has origin from the past. Black Friday is the one tradition that I thought was the worst until reading “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson. Jackson uses irony to suggest an underlying evil, hypocrisy, and weakness of human kind. Jackson shows many important lessons about human nature in this short story including barbaric traditions in a supposedly civilized village, the community’s hypocrisy, and how violence and cruelty take place. "The Lottery" tells the story of an annual tradition in a small village, where the people are close and tradition is paramount. The Lottery is a yearly event in which one person in the town is randomly chosen, by a drawing, to be violently stoned by friends...
Words: 1082 - Pages: 5
...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
...A Comparison of Symbolism in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery” Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. Symbolism in literature can be subtle or blatant; it can also be used sparingly or considerably. An author may repeatedly use the same object to convey deeper meaning or may use variations of the same object to create an overarching mood or feeling. Many authors use symbolism to further foretell and capture the important elements of the story. Both Nathaniel Hawthorne in “Young Goodman Brown" and Shirley Jackson in “The Lottery’, use symbolism in these short stories. The stories both contain symbols describing evil. Hawthorne’s symbolism describes good versus evil, while Jackson's symbolism reflects the evil nature within society as a whole. The first two characters that Hawthorne introduces, Young Goodman Brown and his wife Faith, are both symbolic in their names. Brown's name symbolizes youth and good nature. Brown is a young man throughout the story, and his youth suggests that he has yet to be corrupted by the world and is still innocent. Hawthorne writes, "Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons on her cap, while she called to Goodman Brown" (Hawthorne 331). Faith’s name symbolizes the trust and virtue that is found within a good wife. It may also hint at the faith that Young Goodman Brown struggles to hang Haney 2 onto. As...
Words: 865 - Pages: 4
...B0Z3 06/25/2013 A Time for Change In life people are hesitant about change. We often think “this is the way it’s always been”. “Why change now?” This isn’t a good attitude to have toward everything. “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948 shows how reluctant people are to reject outdated traditions. Even when considered evil and unnecessary. While gathering in the town square for the annual summer lottery, conversations began amongst the people about other towns giving up the lottery. Mr. Adams says “Over in the North village, they’re talking about giving up the lottery”. Old Man Warner, the town elder snorts in response “Pack of crazy fools”. Laughing out his reasons why the lottery should continue each year. He’d probably feel a little different if he should pull the dotted slip. Even though others feel as if the lottery might not be necessary, they are reluctant to speak out against it. Maybe it’s the fear of change. It could be they are afraid if they spoke against it, they’d be the next “winner”. Old Man Warner spoke about how having the lottery brought good crop. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon”. I think maybe they were afraid if they spoke out and the lottery did in fact stop, they’d all have bad fortune and starve. After all, if the lottery brought the good crop, how would they survive without it? I could almost feel the townspeople fear as one by one the men took their slip from the old black box. Standing and waiting without taking a peek. I...
Words: 445 - Pages: 2
...to another. Cultural traditions are expressions of a certain group’s views, they are techniques of preserving one’s identity and they help people in that group mark significant occurrences or life transitions. These traditions usually display response and care based on gender, age, life stage, and social class. While many traditions promote unity, happiness and fellowship, others weaken the trait of social cohesion and the psychological health and integrity of certain individuals. Just because tradition have been present for a while, it does not mean it is always right. Some traditions...
Words: 1253 - Pages: 6
... Thesis Statement The themes of the short stories “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking- Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence are similar in the way that they both use a game of chance or gambling in the presentation. Both of these stories are based on luck but instead of happiness being the ultimate prize for winning, death is the tragic outcome. Outline Introduction/Thesis paragraph I. Underlying message from the stories about the problems not directly addressed a. Lottery i. Conforming to traditions even when they are wrong or outdated b. Rocking Horse Winner i. Love or worship of materialistic things instead of each other II. Objects used by the author for symbolism a. Lottery i. Black box even though all other items have been forgotten b. Rocking Horse Winner i. Wooden rocking horse to symbolize the horses in the race III. Authors use of the gamble a. Lottery i. Being drawn means the prize is getting stoned to death b. Rocking Horse Winner i. Although the prediction of the race winner is correct Paul ends up dead and still without his mother’s love IV. Conclusion a. Restate and reword thesis and close. Playing the lottery or betting on horse races is a game of chance where the ultimate prize is money and fortune. The themes of the short stories, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking- Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence are...
Words: 1142 - Pages: 5
...piles. Jackson foreshadowed the ending by telling the reaction of the crowd when the paper was drawn. I think that he made us think this was ordinary by saying all the towns had done it and it was a tradition. 2. Where does the story take place? In what way does the setting affect the story? Does it make you more or less likely to anticipate the ending? The setting made it easier to predict the ending because if you think about it, no matter where, in history “we are gathering of the entire town means one of two things”; it is either good news or it is bad news. The color of the box also gave away that something bad was going to happen. 3. In what ways are the characters differentiated from one another? Looking back at the story, can you see why Tessie Hutchinson is singled out as the "winner"? She was the chosen as the “winner” because she was the one that was saying the drawing was unfair. I feel that like the story chose her because no body likes a sore loser when the drawing was that of a chance for everyone to be picked. 4. What are some examples of irony in this story? For example, why might the title, "The Lottery," or the opening description in paragraph one, be considered ironic? The title, in today’s world, “ The Lottery” is something positive and the lottery is compared to a square dance and an innocuous Halloween party....
Words: 657 - Pages: 3
...Elements of Fiction In the story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the characterization is most found in three different characters. The first one is Tessie Hutchinson. She arrives late to the lottery, admitting that she forgot what day it was, she immediately stands out from the other villagers as someone different and perhaps even threatening. Whereas the other women arrive at the square calmly, chatting with one another and then standing peacefully by their husbands. Tessie arrives flustered and out of breath. The crowd must part for her to reach her family, and she and her husband endure good-natured teasing as she makes her way to them. Although Tessie quickly settles into the crowd and joins the lottery like everyone else, Jackson has set her apart as a kind of free spirit who was able to forget about the lottery entirely as she performed her chores. The other two characters are Old Man Warner, for his being the oldest and perhaps wisest to the lottery, and Mr. Summers for his frighteningly amount of power. The point of view in The Lottery uses the third person dramatic point of view to tell a story about an un-named village that celebrates a wicked annual event. The use of the third-person point of view, is an effective way of telling this ironic tale, both because the narrator’s reporter-like blandness parallels the villagers apparent apathy to the lottery, and because it helps build to the surprise ending by giving away bits of information to the reader through the...
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1573 - Pages: 7
