...In the short story “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson shows us how some people blindly follow tradition just simply because it's tradition. Shirley expresses how extreme people can go to practice tradition or how blindly they can be followed and uses characterization and symbolism to prove it. Shirley uses characterization in her short story to convey her theme of blindly followed tradition. One character she uses for this is old man warner, which is the oldest man in the town and therefore has dealt with most lotteries. While everyone is gathering together he says . “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There's always been a lottery”(Warner 33). When old man warner says...
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...The short story, “The Lottery”, was written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. Shirley Jackson wrote it while she was living on Prospect Street in North Bennington, Vermont. It took her less than two hours to write this story. “The Lottery” is a story about a sacrifice that’s made on the same day every year where a lottery determines which family, and which individual of the family, gets stoned to death. There are many different pieces of symbolism in this story. One of the items in this story that uses symbolism, and probably the most important, is the black box. It represents the tradition of the lottery and the illogic of the villagers’ loyalty to it. “The black box grew shabbier each year” (2), and it was “splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained” (2), showing it’s age, meaning that the lottery has been going on for a long, long time. They are unwilling to replace it. They plan on replacing it each year, but they never do. They are attached to it because a story claims that the box is made of pieces of...
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...The author of “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson, uses location, scenery, two items, and names hidden in symbolism and allegory to describe the true meaning of this strange and creepy short story. The title “The Lottery” makes readers believe it is about money or winning something valuable. Surprisingly the ending is not associated with any type of lottery yet portrayed with murder and the act of stoning innocent people to death. At the beginning of the story, Jackson describes the setting, as a place where the “grass was richly green” and “flowers were blossoming profusely” which makes the reader think it is a happy town full of happy people, which it is not. Jackson began her story like that to distract the reader from the true meaning of what the towns people to do each other. It is a place where killing innocent person...
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...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...
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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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...Thesis: In Shirley Jackson’s “The lottery,” symbolism is used to hint at the overall theme of the story. In Shirley Jackson's short story “The Lottery,” symbolism is used to hint at the overall theme of the story. The lottery in this particular story is not used for good fortune but instead is used for death and sacrifice. Jackson combines characters, objects, and actions to create the symbolism. There are many characters, both major and minor, that demonstrate symbolism in this story. Jackson uses seemingly normal people from an apparently normal town. The postman is named Mr. Graves, a name that symbolizes death. He holds a leading role as an official in the lottery. Mr. Summers is another character who holds a major role. His name projects thoughts of summer and the season of life. His name is ironic due to the dark ritual and the part he plays in the lottery. Jackson uses various symbols to portray this grim event along with particular elements that hint towards the ending of the story. The story shows the coldness people can have which can be seen in their values and tradition. The black box is a symbol of the past. The color black represents evil or death. The box embodies the past and shows what’s to come. In the story, the villagers were afraid to even follow Mr. Summer’s idea for making a new box because they did not want to upset tradition. While the lottery was taking place, Mr. Adams said to old man Warner, “over in the north village they are talking about...
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...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, "...
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...Fisher 1 Stacey Fisher Professor Bailey English 1302 10 FEB 2014 “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” is a compelling story about rituals, symbolism, scapegoats, and the use of unnecessary violence to portray the cruelty of human nature. The story takes place on a warm June 27th day at 10am, the weather is clear and sunny. The townspeople of a small village of more than 300 gather for a yearly ritual, the lottery. The townspeople talk and joke as the children run and play. A black box is introduced and the people start the process of choosing the scapegoat this year, the one to be stoned to death. The turn of events in this story just goes to show you the rituals, symbolism, and the unnecessary violence in human society. Every year the lottery serves as a ritual and the black box is introduced. The black box symbolizes death to one of the villagers who will be the scapegoat for all. Mr. Summers, the lottery official follows some of these rituals by asking questions they all know the answers to. He did so, in my opinion, to keep it official and fair or uniform to all. Another ritual Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves performed was to fill the box the night before with the slips of paper to be used the next morning. They performed this year after year. The ritual itself involved the heads of the households to draw from the box and the one who drew the black dot would return his dot to the black box. They would count his family members and that many...
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...The Violence Within “The lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson was written in 1948. When Jackson wrote this story there was much controversy and many people were angry with the story and the ending. This story had many symbolisms to current events in the world. The story begins on a very pretty day and the people in town are excited and nervous. Tessie, the woman killed in the story, comes late to the lottery. The lottery, an annual event which is done to make sure there are good crops, begins with every man of the household pulling a piece of paper out of a box. Mr. Hutchinson, Tessie’s husband, pulls the one slip with the black dot which means that his family has been chosen. Each member of the family then pulls one piece of paper and Tessie gets the one with the black dot. The village then begins to stone her to death while she exclaims the unfairness of the whole thing. “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, represents the evil nature hidden in our civilized culture. It demonstrates that even though we think we have evolved in our culture some things still stay the same. The story takes place on June 27 which was a clear and sunny day (Jackson 247). Patrick J Shield seems to think it was a New England town, very likely North Bennington, Vermont (413). Shirley Jackson was married to Stanley Edgar Hymen, a literary critic who taught at a nearby college (Shields 413). This is relevant because of New England’s history of trials and persecutions (Yarmove 2). These were rituals...
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...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...
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...The Lottery The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small town. The story sets place in a small town in New England. Every year a lottery is held, in which one person is to be randomly chosen to be stoned to death by the people in the village. The lottery has been practiced for seventy-seven years by the townspeople. By using symbolism, Shirley uses names, objects, and the setting to conceal the true meaning and intention of the lottery. The names of each character in this story hold significant meaning to the lottery. The name "Delacroix" is an example. In" The Lottery," Shirley explains "the villagers pronounced this name 'Dellacroy'." According to Nathan Cervo "[I]n French, 'Delacroix' means "of the Cross'" (Cervo). Incorrect pronouncing this word provoked the Christian symbol of martyrdom. Another the exam is the name "Summer." summer is, as Amy A Griffin describes, "a time usually associated with cheerfulness" (Griffin). In "The Lottery" Summer is the name of a businessman who is responsible for conducting the Lottery. Ironically, Mr. Summer is assisted by Mr. Graves--the word "grave" usually represents for death. By naming the conductor of the Lottery Summer and Grave, respectively, the author implies that there will be an unfortunate event during the summer. Altogether, the symbolic names above play a role as a forewarning note of an unfortunate outcome of "The Lottery." As well as the character's names, each object in...
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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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...Literary Analysis of “The Lottery” In the year of 1948, author Shirley Jackson wrote a non-forgettable, haunting, short story about a lottery that takes place in a rural city. The author writes the story to take place in a small city in New England. This is not the typical lottery that first comes to mind. This is not a lottery where a one or more lucky winners are chosen at random to be given a great amount of money, but rather a lottery that is held annually in the city and one individual is selected at random to be killed by the citizens of the village. The tradition of the lottery has been practiced for many years by the people living in the city. The setting of ‘The Lottery’ hides the significance and the purpose of the lottery that actually takes place in the small city. Typically, if a ritual such as “The Lottery” has been part of society for such a great amount of time the habit is hard to break. Even as negative as someone being chosen at random to be killed by the people around them, others seek out that it will happen once per year no matter what. Jackson uses symbolism throughout the short story through objects and names of characters that hold meaning to the lottery. This short story may infer that a theme for the story is that not all traditions are positive and the outcome could literally be life changing. The name of each character in ‘The Lottery’ holds a symbolic meaning within the story. By using symbolic names, Jackson can foreshadow things that...
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...“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson portraying a ritual practiced by human beings in a small village of roughly three hundred people. This ritual, named the lottery, happens every year on June 27th to be exact, is a ritual in which a villager at random gets selected to get stoned to death by the whole village. Through the use of symbolism and imagery, Jackson deflowers the true meaning of the lottery through names and objects, as well as unfolds and put the corrupted patriarchal system on the spot light. From the opening sentence of the story, Jackson uses imagery to establish an innocent and peaceful atmosphere: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of...
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...“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson (1948) ------------------------------------------------- Group work: Everyone must complete task 1 and choose at least 2 other tasks (one of which you will be presenting in front of class tomorrow). Remember to take notes ------------------------------------------------- Presentations: Some of you will be chosen to present your topic in front of class (5 minutes). You must provide the rest of class with useful notes about your topic: Google Drive: 2xEn Rediger EVIL “The Lottery, NOTES”. TASKS: 1. Analyze and interpret the following quotes from “The Lottery” a. “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (p. 2) b. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (p. 4) c. “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones” (p. 6) 2. Themes – what are the central themes in “The Lottery” and why? Your arguments must be well documented. 3. Symbolism – find important symbols (like the title, names of characters etc) in the short story and interpret them. Support your arguments with examples from the text. 4. Foreshadowing – how is the violent ending foreshadowed in the short story? Give examples from the short story. 5. Suspense – how does Shirley Jackson build suspense in the short story? Support your arguments with examples...
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