Literary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Literary Analysis of the Short Story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson Shirley Jackson explores the subject of tradition in her short story â€Å"The Lottery†. A short story is normally evaluated based on its ability to provide a satisfying and complete presentation of its characters and themes. Shirley describes a small village that engages in an annual tradition known as â€Å"the lottery†. Narrating the story from a third person point of view, Shirley uses symbolism, foreshadowing and suspense to illustrate the danger of blindly observing barbaric traditions. Shirley employs symbolism to represent the barbaric traditions that the village observe. â€Å"The lottery† and its rules for instance symbolize any barbaric behavior, action or notion that is†¦show more content†¦Most of the seemingly harmless details in the short story foreshadow the unfortunate ending. â€Å"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones†¦ the ot her boys†¦selecting the smoothest and roundest stones† seems like innocuous play until they are used at the end of the story to kill Tessie (Jackson 311). Mr. Summer comment when Tessie arrives at the square is strangely prophetic about Tessie’s fate â€Å"Thought we were going to have to get on without you† (Jackson 313). Furthermore, it is evident that tension is building up throughout the day as the villagers wait to participate in the lottery. The third paragraphs describes the mood of the day, the men smile as opposed to laugh, the children are reluctant to respond to when they are called upon while the women engage in gossip (Jackson 312). The mood presents an undercut of the horror, which defines the story. Furthermore, the children’s reaction suggests that they might be conscious of the ritual that is to happen and may be terrified to participate in the stoning. This further illustrates the foreshadowing of the lottery tradition. Jackson prese nts the subject of the ritual of â€Å"the lottery† through a series of suspense in the story. By relentlessly withholding explanation behind the villagers’ actions, the author builds suspense in the story until Tessie receives the first stone (Jackson 317). The narrator provides lots of information about theShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1534 Words   |  7 Pages Literary Analysis: â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is a short story written in 1948. Due to World War II ending around this time, her story took some strong criticism. The people at that time wanted uplifting stories, and this story is the very opposite because of its underlying theme of tradition and conformity. â€Å"The Lottery† shows that no matter the tradition or belief, people will not stray from their daily routine because humans are creatures of habitRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson870 Words   |  4 Pagesbubbly; oppositions of one another. This is how one of our honored authors, Shirley Jackson, writes her short stories. She uses positive and giggly descriptions at first, and then twists the rope to dark and bizarre ending. The short stories,†Charles† and â€Å"The Lottery†, are examples of this format. In the first short story, Laurie seems like a good boy but really, he’s not. In the second short story, the pe ople in this lottery seem polite, but they are cruel and awful people. The protagonist in thisRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson Literary Analysis1042 Words   |  5 Pages Shirley Jackson s ‘The Lottery’ is a classic American short story known for its shocking twist ending and its insightful commentary on cultural traditions. It was originally printed in The New Yorker magazine in 1948.The tale begins with all the villagers gathering in the town square for the annual lottery as if it were just another day. Children are playing with stones while the adults swap stories of farming and gossip. It s not until the lottery begins, over halfway through the storyRead More Shirley Jacksons The Lottery 946 Words   |  4 PagesShirley Jackson is said to be one of the most â€Å"brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth century.† â€Å"Her fiction writing is some of the most important to come out of the American literary canon.† (http://shirley jackson.org/Reviews.html) Jackson wrote many short stories and even some books. They are more on the dark, witchlike side, however. Kelleher explains that Jackson stated in some interviews that she practiced magic. No one really knows if she was serious while practicing witchcraftRead MoreUse of Symbols in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson981 Words   |  4 Pagesstrive to do what’s right, and to show our strength against our greatest rivals. In the short story â€Å"The Lottery† there was a village that practice an ancient sacrificial killing for something in return from the gods. In this case, what the villagers received in return were well grown crops for food. The whole village would gather up once a year to have a traditional sacrifice they called The Lottery. The villagers would have their kids choose out stones for the village. Once they are all together withRead MoreAn Unkindness of Tradition: Shirley Jackson ´s Biography1624 Words   |  7 Pagesform is that of suspense and mystery. Shirley Jackson takes mystery to a distinctive level. She depicts an era that has not yet been revealed. By looking at the background of this author, analyzing her writing and responding personally you will better enhance your learning experience and connection with this type of dark literature. Author Biography Shirley Jackson was an extremely well liked American author during the 1900s. However, in recent years literary critics, as well as the education systemRead MoreThe Unexpected Surprise of Violence1009 Words   |  5 Pagesvalued once risks are taken, but the outcome is never expected. Shirley Jackson, reader of witchcraft books, horrifies people with her perspective on the understanding of merciless rituals that kept communities at ease. Shirley Jackson develops her theme of unexpected violence in her short story â€Å"The Lottery† through the use of irony, symbolism, and denouement. On a summer day in a small town in the short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson takes advantage of the peaceful environment and adds a convolutedRead MoreSymbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay example1173 Words   |  5 PagesWhen most people play the lottery today, they think about having wealth. Generally, people who win are happy about it whether they win one dollar or a million. The lottery in our society has grown to support education and it is often worth several million dollars. Usually, the winner of the lottery gains a lot of recognition for the money they win. But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the â€Å"winner† was the member of the town who was not sacrificedRead MoreEssay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: an Analysis1522 Words   |  7 PagesKouyialis EN102: Composition II Professor Eklund The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: An Analysis The short story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson was written in 1948 and takes place in a small town, on the 27th of June. In this story, the lottery occurs every year, around the summer solstice. All families gather together to draw slips of paper from a black box. When reading this story, it is unclear the full premise of the lottery until near the end. The heads of households are the firstRead MoreAnalysis Of Jackson s The Lottery899 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† In the story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, we see the different literary elements she uses to unfold her story. Literary elements help readers to interpret and appreciate the works of a writer. In this Essay I will show you the three most prominent literary elements that were used, and how they add to the suspense, and surprise of the story. These literary elements are point of view, theme, and tone and style. The first literary element of this story is Literary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Silly, but scary, emo but bubbly; oppositions of one another. This is how one of our honored authors, Shirley Jackson, writes her short stories. She uses positive and giggly descriptions at first, and then twists the rope to dark and bizarre ending. The short stories,†Charles† and â€Å"The Lottery†, are examples of this format. In the first short story, Laurie seems like a good boy but really, he’s not. In the second short story, the people in this lottery seem polite, but they are cruel and awful people. The protagonist in this story is Tessie. In â€Å"Charles†, the protagonist is Laurie. As of now, this character attends kindergarten. He went from overalls and bibs to blue jeans and belts. He seems like a regular boy, right? Well, let me tell†¦show more content†¦Perfect combination; that’s what you though. Well, in the lottery, whoever is chosen gets something in return. Classical lottery, very ordinary and dull i may say. However , the story states, â€Å"A stone hit her head, come on, come on everybody.† As a result, the chosen one, Tessie, is the one who won the lottery. You may think it is a good thing, but really, it is not. The chosen one gets stones thrown at her by every one of the villagers until she dies. You may ask, how do they know that this Tessie woman is the chosen one? Well, she had a black dot which reveals the she is the one. Normally, you want to win a lottery, however, here, you really do not (unless you want to be killed). So cruel, so messed up, but I believe that the chosen one is considered as a â€Å"witch† or just a random person to be killed for the human population to remain normal. As you can see, Shirley Jackson sure has a good taste in writing stories. In general, her style of writing is very intriguing. She starts off calm and ends with a knot that cannot be untied. In the research article about Jackson, it states â€Å"The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable. It is a place where things are not what they seem; even on a day that is sunny and clear,.... There is a threat of darkness looming.† This clarifies that all her stories have aShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson910 Words   |  4 PagesLiterary Analysis of the Short Story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson Shirley Jackson explores the subject of tradition in her short story â€Å"The Lottery†. A short story is normally evaluated based on its ability to provide a satisfying and complete presentation of its characters and themes. Shirley describes a small village that engages in an annual tradition known as â€Å"the lottery†. Narrating the story from a third person point of view, Shirley uses symbolism, foreshadowing and suspense to illustrateRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1534 Words   |  7 Pages Literary Analysis: â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is a short story written in 1948. Due to World War II ending around this time, her story took some strong criticism. The people at that time wanted uplifting stories, and this story is the very opposite because of its underlying theme of tradition and conformity. â€Å"The Lottery† shows that no matter the tradition or belief, people will not stray from their daily routine because humans are creatures of habitRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson Literary Analysis1042 Words   |  5 Pages Shirley Jackson s ‘The Lottery’ is a classic American short story known for its shocking twist ending and its insightful commentary on cultural traditions. It was originally printed in The New Yorker magazine in 1948.The tale begins with all the villagers gathering in the town square for the annual lottery as if it were just another day. Children are playing with stones while the adults swap stories of farming and gossi p. It s not until the lottery begins, over halfway through the storyRead More Shirley Jacksons The Lottery 946 Words   |  4 PagesShirley Jackson is said to be one of the most â€Å"brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth century.† â€Å"Her fiction writing is some of the most important to come out of the American literary canon.† (http://shirleyjackson.org/Reviews.html) Jackson wrote many short stories and even some books. They are more on the dark, witchlike side, however. Kelleher explains that Jackson stated in some interviews that she practiced magic. No one really knows if she was serious while practicing witchcraftRead MoreUse of Symbols in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson981 Words   |  4 Pagesstrive to do what’s right, and to show our strength against our greatest rivals. In the short story â€Å"The Lottery† there was a village that practice an ancient sacrificial killing for something in return from the gods. In this case, what the villagers received in return were well grown crops for food. The whole village would gather up once a year to have a traditional sacrifice they called The Lottery. The villagers would have their kids choose out stones for the village. Once they are all together withRead MoreAn Unkindness of Tradition: Shirley Jackson ´s Biography1624 Words   |  7 Pagesform is that of suspense and mystery. Shirley Jackson takes mystery to a distinctive level. She depicts an era that has not yet been revealed. By looking at the background of this author, analyzing her writing and responding personally you will better enhance your learning experience and connection with this type of dark literature. Author Biography Shirley Jackson was an extremely well liked American author during the 1900s. However, in recent years literary critics, as well as the education systemRead MoreThe Unexpected Surprise of Violence1009 Words   |  5 Pagesvalued once risks are taken, but the outcome is never expected. Shirley Jackson, reader of witchcraft books, horrifies people with her perspective on the understanding of merciless rituals that kept communities at ease. Shirley Jackson develops her theme of unexpected violence in her short story â€Å"The Lottery† through the use of irony, symbolism, and denouement. On a summer day in a small town in the short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson takes advantage of the peaceful environment and adds a convolutedRead MoreSymbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay example1173 Words   |  5 PagesWhen most people play the lottery today, they think about having wealth. Generally, people who win are happy about it whether they win one dollar or a million. The lottery in our society has grown to support education and it is often worth several million dollars. Usually, the winner of the lottery gains a lot of recognition for the money they win. But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the â€Å"winner† was the member of the town who was not sacrificedRead MoreEssay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: an Analysis1522 Words   |  7 PagesKouyialis EN102: Composition II Professor Eklund The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: An Analysis The short story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson was written in 1948 and takes place in a small town, on the 27th of June. In this story, the lottery occurs every year, around the summer solstice. All families gather together to draw slips of paper from a black box. When reading this story, it is unclear the full premise of the lottery until near the end. The heads of households are the firstRead MoreAnalysis Of Jackson s The Lottery899 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† In the story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, we see the different literary elements she uses to unfold her story. Literary elements help readers to interpret and appreciate the works of a writer. In this Essay I will show you the three most prominent literary elements that were used, and how they add to the suspense, and surprise of the story. These literary elements are point of view, theme, and tone and style. The first literary element of this story is