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Analysis of the lottery by Shirley Jackson
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Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” published in 1948 takes place in a small village in New England. Upon first reading it would seem as though the lottery that took place in the village was a family friendly tradition that had been carried on for many years. However upon a closer look, it seems as if “family friendly” could be the wrong term to use to describe the lottery due to the nature of what takes place during this tradition. So, the question stands, is the lottery really a family friendly tradition in the village?
The tradition of the lottery had been around so long that it was never a question as to whether or not the children would participate. It was almost as if children were born into this long-standing tradition. The lottery always took place when “school was over for the summer” for the children so that families could participate together (Jackson 373). When it comes to the lottery, children participate, just as much as the adults do. The little boys would often run around “selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” to be used at the appropriate time in the lottery just as the parents and other villagers would (Jackson 373).
Another way that the children are involved in the lottery is the actual drawing process. In the event that the child’s family was the one chosen to provide the sacrifice, the child or children in that family would each have to draw a slip of paper from the lottery box to see who would be chosen. While the first way children were involved would probably be exciting for the kids, this way is simply sad and terrifying. However because they are kids it is probably unlikely that they understand exactly what is going on to begin with in the lottery other than the fact that they get the chance to thr...
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...tery should not be thought of as a family friendly event as Jackson presents it as. A family friendly event should constitute good wholesome fun, which teaches and implements proper morals and values, the lottery does not do that in any way, shape, or form.
Works Cited
Coulthard, A. R. “Jackon’s The Lottery.” Explicator. 48.3 (1990): 226. Print.
Du Bose, Thomas. “The Lottery.” Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 April 2014.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature The Human Experience. Richard Abcarian, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. 373-379. Print.
Oehlschlaeger, Fritz. “The Stoning of Mistress Hutchinson: Meaning and Context in ‘The Lottery.’” Essays in Literature 15.2 (1988): 259-265. Print.
Yarmove, Jay A. “Jackson’s The Lottery.” Explicator 52.4 (1994): 242. Print.
In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the reader is introduced to a utopian community who practice the tradition of a lottery every year. At first glance, it seems like a nice day and the kids are just collecting rocks while waiting for their parents to arrive. All of the citizens show some excitement over the upcoming the lottery. The text states,
“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.
Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz. "The Lottery." Literature: the Human Experience. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 2006. 350-56. Print.
Michelson, D. The historical reception of Shirley Jackson's "the lottery". In: KURZBAN, Robert; PLATEK, Steve. 18th annual meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. 2006.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a chilling tale of a harsh ritualistic gathering conducted by people of a small village. The word lottery would typically remind someone of a drawing to win a cash prize. A better comparison to the story would be the lottery used to select troops for the Vietnam War; a lottery of death. Another would be the human sacrifices the Aztecs willingly made long ago.
We see a very disturbing ending in the Shirley Jackson’s, The Lottery where the reader believes that the lottery in mention is solely a monetary game of chance, like in our lives presently. However,
actually consists of in this short story. At the onset of the story, Jackson uses the peaceful setting to confuse the reader as to the violent event that occurs. She continues to obscure what is actually going on in each character’s mind by writing in the third person with an objective view. The rising action that develops throughout the story continues to confuse the reader until which point the shocking ending is revealed. The unexpected harsh stoning of the winner in this short story is not what one expects when they begin to read “The Lottery”.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Gioia, Dana and R.S. Gwynn. The Art of the Short Story. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2006. 390-396.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1986. 862-868
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner. Boston: New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2013. 242-249. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Gardner, Janet E.; Lawn, Beverly; Ridl, Jack; Schakel, Pepter. 3rd Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 242-249. Print.
"The Lottery" is "symbolic of any number of social ills that mankind blindly perpetrates" (Friedman 108). The story is very shocking, but the reality of mankind is even more shocking. Isn’t it funny that Jackson gives us a description of our nature, and not only do we not recognize it for what it is , but it shocks us.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery”. Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama. 4th Compact ed. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Longman, 2005. 211-218.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Perrine's Literature: Structure Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010. 282. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature and Its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 5th Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Book.