The Lottery - Discussion Questions
1. I was surprised by the ending of the story because I didn’t expect that they would stone the winner of the lottery. Jackson starts to foreshadow near the end of paragraph two and three by showing how the boys have stuffed their pockets with rocks and that the characters stood away from the pile of stones. This is a foreshadow because in the end, the characters left the pile of stones aside in a corner, this shows that the pile of stones could indicate something unpleasant since people are staying away from it. By doing this, it allows us to speculate that the rocks will be used later in the story, since they put such emphasis on it already. The author lull us into thinking that this is just an ordinary
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The characters are differentiated from one another by having a different name and personality. Since for any person that they mention in this story, there is always a name for them. In addition, each character have their own unique way of reacting to events that occurred in the story. By looking back at the story, I can see why Tessie Hutchinson is singled out as the winner, because the author seemed to put a big emphasis on her character, such as being late for the lottery to her complaining about the results of the lottery. Thus, this allows the reader to suspect that this is one of the main characters of this story, which suggests that she may also be the winner of the …show more content…
From what I understand from reading “The Lottery”, I feel that the writer is opposed to this tradition where they choose a person to get stoned by having a lottery draw. The writer’s attitude was made clear to us through Tessie Hutchinson’s character in the story. For example, by saying that it isn’t fair because her husband got the black dotted paper, shows that she is against this. Another way that the writer expressed her attitude towards this is by showing how people in the village are blinded by the tradition they do yearly, since they are teaching their next generation about this by having them throw stones at the “winner” of the event. Thus, this makes them think that it is alright to kill and hurt someone in this inhuman
Shirley Jackson describes the lottery being an annual event where someone gets randomly drawn to win the prize of getting stoned to death, Tradition which no one has ever questioned its purpose or opposed to it. “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones” (Jackson 7). People in “The Lottery” were so accustomed to the tradition that no kind of emotion or feeling was shown at the time of stoning, no matter if it was a family member or a close friend. Their blind acceptance to the lottery made murder become natural that time of the
Lottery" was written shortly after World War II, however it is unknown as to when
“The Lottery” is a short story about an event that takes place every year in a small village of New England. When the author speaks of “the lottery” he is referencing the lottery of death; this is when the stoning of a village member must give up his or her life. The villagers gather at a designated area and perform a customary ritual which has been practiced for many years. The Lottery is a short story about a tradition that the villagers are fully loyal to and represents a behavior or idea that has been passed down from generation to generation, accepting and following a rule no matter how cruel or illogical it is. Friends and family become insignificant the moment it is time to stone the unlucky victim.
In The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, the people of the village are consumed by a tradition. Every year in the month of June, they conduct a lottery to determine who will be stoned. The unjustified killing of a human being is widely viewed as an iniquitous act. Although surrounding communities have ceased the tradition of the lottery, this society continues the tradition. The idea of not practicing the tradition has been brought up numerous times within the community but “the subject was allowed to fade off ” (351). The community was conscience of the tradition being unethical but because it was a part of their heritage and believed to determine the success of their harvest, no one would do anything about the lottery. Once she is picked from the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson notices that the people are not conducting the lottery fairly and decides to stand up against the tradition. It can be inferred that women were not considered equal to the males of the village. Tessie—a woman— had the courage to stand against the tradition. Tessie understood that not all traditions are good. A tradition can be so engraved into an individual that they forget its purpose. In the story...
Tessie Hutchinson’s late arrival at the lottery seemed almost normal because people do get caught up in a chore and run late. The late arrival set her apart from the crowd. Mr. Summers, the man drawing the “winning” ticket from the box, noticed Tessie arriving late and states “Thought we were going to have to get on without you (567),” which is predictive about Tessie’s fate. Jackson produces suspense through the arrival of Tessie Hutchinson.
Compare and Contrast! Well, you use it on a daily right? The stories “The Lottery” and “The Landlady” are two stories that you can compare and contrast. Some examples of comparisons are that both of the stories use violence, and that they both end with a plot twist no one was expecting. One example of a contrast in both of these stories is that they use their imagery differently. How are these stories alike and how are they different?
One being Tessie Hutchinson and the other being Old Man Warner. While their roles both held significant places in setting the tone of the story their character traits were completely opposite to one another. While Tessie’s character was more unruly Old Man Warner’s seemed to be more traditional believing that the lottery was a good thing. He is the oldest man in the town and has been around to see his share of lotteries. “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery… seventy-seventh time.” (Jackson 250) His ideals are very traditional in that he believed that the lottery was a necessity to the survival of the town and stressed on the fact that it has always been around. While other towns had contemplated stopping the lottery, Old Man Warner believed it to be a silly notion calling the north village a pack of crazy fools. “Listening to the young folks, nothing is good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore, live that way for a while.” (Jackson 250) For Old Man Warner the lottery was about saving traditions and strongly believed that the sacrifice the townspeople made each year would help the town prosper. “Used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn will be heavy soon.’ First thing you know, we’d all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns.” (Jackson 250) He did not seem to be bothered at the
In the year 2012- 2013, though several 3.1 public high school students or 81 percent, graduated on time (Public High School Graduation Rates), how many students in that number truly gain the full education. Nowadays, education is necessary, which becomes a controversial issue between parents and the school. Either Charter or Public school encourages the development or improvement of the educational system to our young, beloved children. There are further charters out there which children can stay home, however, still learn enormous things. “Lottery” documentary film is about the controversy between public and charter schools, which tells the stories of four families who tried to find a better educational
Next, the Hutchinson family is called, meaning that either Mr. or Mrs. Hutchinson or one of their three children will be the winner of the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson immediately protested, adding to the mystery of the lottery. Considering that most people would be thrilled to be the winner of the lottery, this scene is another indication that the lottery is anything but good. One by one, the Hutchinsons revealed their slips of papers that they drew to determine the winner, and each person that holds a blank shows great relief. The climax of the story arrives as Tessie Hutchinson is revealed to be the winner of the lottery.
Shirley Jackson describes the characters in “The Lottery” in a way that readers can relate to each of them in some way, yet she makes one character stand out from the start of the story. Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson arrives late, having “clean forgot what day it was” (411). While the town does not make a fuss over Tessie’s tardiness, several people make remarks, “in voices loud enough to be heard across the crowd” (411). Jackson makes the choice to have Tessie stand out from the crowd initially. This choice first shows Tessie’s motivation. Tessie was so
Every year, the lottery is held, and every year a person is killed. Each villager neglects to acknowledge the unjustness of the lottery and continue to participate because of the tradition it represents in their society. The lottery was a cultural tradition passed down from the very first settlers of the village. It makes up a huge part of the village’s history and culture. The villagers pay recognition to their culture by continuing the tradition of the lottery even though the lottery is not morally right. On page 93 it states, “There was a proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year… There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use in addressing each person who came to draw from the box…” This quote shows the tribal-like rituals and traditions associated with the lottery. Through the years, some of the rituals of the lottery were lost, but the main elements of the lottery remained the same. The idea behind the lottery was that the ancestors, of the villagers, believed that human sacrifice would bring in good harvest. This led to the development and continuation
The plot as a whole in “The Lottery” is filled with ironic twists. The whole idea of a lottery is to win something, and the reader is led to believe that the winner will receive some prize, when in actuality they will be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers. The villagers act very nonchalant upon arriving at the lottery; which makes it seem as if it is just another uneventful day in a small town. Considering the seriousness of the consequences of the lottery, the villagers do not make a big deal about it. Under the same note it is ironic that many of the original traditions of the lottery, such as the recital and the salute, had long been forgotten. All that the villagers seemed to remember was the ruthless killing of a random person. It also seems strange that they let the equipment for the lottery, the black box, get into such a poor condition.
“The Lottery” is a story which shows the complexity and capability of human behavior. Something immoral, like stoning a person to death once a year, is a normal occurrence. The main character, Tessie Hutchinson, is the victim of the lottery. Tessie is a character with a number of seemingly good characteristics, yet her surrounding culture rejects these characteristics. The majority of the people in the village has opposite attitudes and beliefs in comparison to Tessie’s. These attitudes and beliefs reflect her personal desires which quickly struggle against the culture’s expectations. Tessie is unlike the other villagers; she is initially indifferent to the lottery indicating her desires are unrelated to the lottery. Upon winning the lottery, Tessie changes and her personal desires to survive and reject the lottery emerge in her selfishness and outspoken personality. These struggles against the village’s expectations are shown through the culture’s emphasis on tradition and small town ties.
The townspeople seem to have mixed emotions about the lottery; they fear it yet on a very barbaric level they enjoy it. By standing "away from the pile of stones," and keeping their distance from the black box, the villagers show their fear of the lottery (Jackson 863). However, once they find out who is going to be stoned, Tessie Hutchinson, they seem to actually enjoy the stoning. One villager picks up a stone so big she can barely carry it; someone even gives Tessie’s youngest son a few pebbles to throw at his mother. Their overall attitude about the stoning is summed up by the phrase "and then they were...
Typically, winning the lottery would be a joy filled event, but in this town there’s a different meaning to winning the lottery. Just last week, the townspeople of Sad Rock participated in their annual lottery. This lottery is known for “It’s popularity it brings to the town and gives us more room and resources.” explained Mr. Summers, the director of the lottery. The lottery is an event where everyone gathers in the town's square, and the man of the family comes up and chooses a slip of paper out of a black box. When everyone opens the slips, if yours had a mark on it you had to get stoned.