The Themes Of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Shirley Jacksons short story The Lottery was published in 1948 displaying the corrupt society and superstitions that transpired at the time. Throughout the story we are mislead as to what the theme is, however once Tessie Hutchinson gets blinded by the rocks, things become transparent. Not saying anything, says a lot is an important theme that was concluded due to the danger of being immune to traditions, and feeling inferior to societies brutal rules. Jackson provided multiple foreshadowed events and irony that intertwined to make the story 's plot more suspenseful. As we progressed the conclusion became clear and we realized the revealing of what "The Lottery" actually is to Jackson. Characters emotions and future actions are presented through

Shirley Jacksons choice of the title depicts irony by having readers assume something that is not. The lottery to Jackson is ironically betrayal, suffering, and death. As the story unfolds, readers are more aware and slightly confused as to what is happening based on our knowledge of the typical lottery, and it is anything but luck. The story begins by describing the setting, a beautiful sunny day with perfect weather, enticing the readers into believing there are delightful encounters approaching as the townsfolk reunite in the circle. However, Jackson made sure we were unaware that it concluded as a public stoning. Once Tessie Hutchinson was stoned with the first rock we realized then that Jackson disguised the entire story and actions of the townsfolk. Jacksons use of foreshadowing distracts readers from the result of the event, which convinced readers in believing what it appeared to be a normal day. Through detailed description, the scenery we imagined revealed joyous behavior which turned out to be an unexpected conclusion that finalizes into a death match and the irony is what shocks readers. Jacksons labeling of the stones as "stones" rather than weapons was Jacksons continuity of misleading his readers. Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets and men were laughing while the mothers gossiped. A typical ordinary day (or so we assumed) in a small town signifies the community

Delacroix. The tapping meant a sign of farewell to Mrs. Delacroix, meaning nothing overbearing yet just a simple gesture of separation. However, it signifies the departure of the two which then leads to Tessie 's death and the final "farewell". This is a type of foreshadowing that deliberately mislead us into believing it was ordinary. Jackson contrasted the ordinary to the inevitable, and that increases our idea of an ordinary plot. Black is used repetitively in one scene of the story, black seems to be the color that signifies the circle and the ceremony. There is a black box, black stool, and then the black dot. The black box displays chance, the chances of one of the community members to be chosen. The black stool displays structure, this has been an ongoing tradition for years and though it is rustic and worn, it is stable and does the job. The mayor still believes the lottery is a way of stabilizing the upcoming crop season, while keeping the lifestyle stable as well. The black dot is simple, however death is not. Dying through "luck" is not simple however, if received the simple black dotted slip, things become complicated. Black is the metaphor Jackson provides to reveal not only death, but fate. Jacksons discreet use of contrasting these items continue our mislead idea. Jackson also included the breeze catching the