Inhumanity In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” a story which demonstrates “the pointless violence and general inhumanity” in everyday life, the use of literary devices and elements of the story contribute to the final effect of shock and horror. In “The Lottery”, townsfolk are preparing for a raffle of some sort towards the beginning of the story. At the end the reader knows what the raffle is for: the prize of death. With this twisted and unexpected ending, comes the use of literary devices such as foreshadowing, irony, and other elements. In the beginning of the story, children are gathering for the event, and are playing like normal kids. However, these children are “selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” (1), for no reason that the reader is

aware of yet. At the end of the story, the reader realizes that the children are actually picking up stones for the stoning of Tessie Hutchinson, which ultimately leads to her death.

The fact that children of all ages are contributing to this dark event is disturbing. In particular, someone even “[gives] Davie Hutchinson a few pebbles” (5). This reckless tradition of pointless violence is being instilled in the youth’s minds, ensuring that they follow along. Another element of foreshadowing includes the eeriness of the mood of the story in the beginning. Before the actual lottery is starting, the townsfolk awkwardly stand in fear making small talk about nothing. The villagers “[keep] their distance” from helping with the black box in which the slip of papers are kept and “there [is] a hesitation before two men” (1). This suggests that the box holds something of negative consequence in it, because the people stand back as it makes its way to the three legged stool. In contribution to the message of violence, Jackson also uses irony in parts of “The Lottery”. The entire concept of the lottery being conducted is ironic. When thinking of a lottery one thinks positively, because a prize is usually won. In this lottery, however, it is negative overall because the prize won is death and

tragedy. In this aspect, Jackson uses irony to convey the disturbing nature of this entire lottery. The setting of this story, is also ironic. The lottery’s event of horror happens on June 27th, a morning of clear and sunny skies with “the fresh warmth of a full summer day” (1). Jackson gets the reader to think positively about the lottery because the tone of the setting is positive. In addition to the setting, Jackson sets the lottery in an unnamed anonymous town to communicate the message that acts of violence can happen anywhere. The small town setting also gets the reader to relate to the community close to home. In this town, characters such as Tessie Hutchinson and others are everyday people that the reader feels connected with. With small jokes that Tessie makes, and the giggles of the children, the reader feels more comfortable with the setting and townsfolk, but when the story takes a turn for the worst, the heartlessness of these characters are revealed. Their capacity for cruelty is greater than imagined which also conveys the message that violence can happen within any group of people. The elements of the story not only contribute to the final result of surprise and disturbance but also communicate Jackson’s message about inhumanity and pointless violence.