The Lottery Analysis

Personal Interpretation of “The Lottery”

When people first read Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” they are often shocked. Of course, people today are perhaps not nearly as shocked as those readers in Jackson’s time who essentially were angered and confused by her story from a social perspective:

While the letters were almost wholly, negative, none suggested that the story should not be available to the public. Up until 1982 it was only a character in fiction who suggested “the Lottery” be removed from a school’s curriculum, a candidate for school board in Elizabeth Peter’s 1977 novel, Devil May care, who says people do not “want their children to read a book that shows kids stoning their mothers to death. ( Bogert 45)

The following

“Mrs. Delacroix” represents the duality of human nature: she is pleasant and friendly on the outside but underneath she possesses a degree of savagery. For example when Tessie said “’It wasn’t fair!’” and Delacroix said “’be a Good sport’” on the same time when Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. “‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Hurry up.’” (Jackson 228). This shows two sides of her personality. One is supportive and the other one is which her spirit shows violence. Mr. Summers is the equivalence of happiness, while Mr. Graves is the equivalence of tragedy. The postmaster, Mr. Graves, like Mr. Summers, represents “tradition and the status quo” (“The Lottery”). In addition to representing tradition, Mr. Summers continually stresses the importance of ritual to the survival of the village the character is said to symbolize the evils of capitalism and social stratification (“The Lottery”). Themes and symbolism of “The Lottery” are viewed in different ways by critics. There are several opinions on the meaning of Jackson’s widely read story as well as the characters in the story. The village believes that sacrifices must be made for good, even though bad has not been

Because it not important for citizens anymore. A person in the village seems citizens have lost its meaning of it and they just don’t want to it anymore. The citizen have other duties are coming before the ritual tradition which shows the importance of the ritual tradition. As one critic notes, “Mrs. Hutchinson 's late arrival therefore merely seems to single her out and to cast a favorable light on her: she has almost forgotten about the lottery because, as a perfect housewife, she would not leave her dishes in the sink. Nobody in the crowd seems to mind. As a good-humored wife and mother she joins her husband and children while the crowd shows the friendliest feelings” ( Schaub). Another critic indicates that one of the characters in Jackson’s story, Mrs. Hutchinson, is a woman who demonstrates both sides of the society. She “shows both the evils and the weaknesses of mankind. As the story was coming to end it her husband won the lottery, she said that it wasn’t fair, and she told Mr. Summer to do it again and used her children so maybe her husband could get chance to lose the lottery. Her whole family participates in the lottery, but she won the lottery. “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her. Parents are the ones who protect their children; however, she was the one who was ready to sacrifice their children’s lives to save her husband, but since she won