The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson and A Good Man Is Hard To Find, by Flannery O'Connors

1064 Words3 Pages

In Shirley Jackson’s short story the Lottery and Flannery O’Conner’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, there are a few aspects of a similar nature that attempt to tackle the nature essence of the human condition. Both short stories respectively portray two similar types of foreshadowing where one is random the other is premeditated, which leads these stories to their very surprising dramatic climax that is held until the end of each story. I believe that these important variables of both stories have a strong influence on the reader’s objectification regarding the way each story presents the idea of the human condition. Flannery O’Conner’s “A Good Man is Hard To Find” portrays a very random type of foreshadowing. The radom foreshadowing in this short story is implied with little elements that may seem irrelevant to the reader, but really is a sequence of variables that makeup the fabric of story. Just like the ring, in the movie Lord of The Rings, which may have came across as insignificant but then turns out to be a very ascential object in the movie. O’Conner uses this type of random foreshadowing to convey the plot of the story to the reader. For example, O’Conner’s gives us tidbits of information like the time the family left from Atlanta (8:45) and the mileage of the car at 55890“The grandmother wrote down this down because she thought it would be interesting to say how many miles they had been when they got back”.( O’Conner 448) Or, “ She knew that bailey would not be willing to loose anytime looking at an old house” (O’Conner 451-452). Conversely, these random events are use to hint to the reader the events that ill later unfold. We read where the grandmother and her family stop for lunch at Red Sammy’s and conversed with... ... middle of paper ... ...re the reader is not able to make any solid connection with any of these characters. It is arguably only through the stories foreshadowing where both authors prepare us with little details like the mileage of the car written down by the grandmother in O’Connor’s story likewise the boys preparation of the stones in Jackson’s Lottery that would inevitably help the reader to comprehend how both these author’s reached the horrifically shocking climatic endings in both short stories. I believe the authors similar use of these three variables help the reader to understand the message being delivered through these stories of the human condition and its effects on a society that only embraces its traditional moral beliefs and values. Works Cited "Literature and Its Writers." Ann Charters, Samuel Charters. Literature and Its Writers. Boston & New York, 2010. 1763.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    Children are an important focus in both stories. Jackson makes it easy. for us to imagine their "boisterous play"(para 2), and Le Guin writes "their" high calls rising like swallows crossing flights over the music and the singing"(para 1). I see these children being used to symbolize perceived states. of happiness in both stories.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” have long been considered some of the greatest short stories of the twentieth century. They have been compared and contrasted for many years because of the presence of a common major theme: happiness in a community because of a single scapegoat, whether it is the same person or a different one from time to time. Although we can look at the main idea in the story and simply say that both Jackson and Le Guin are feeding us the same primary message, the authors’ approach to the scapegoat thought, the reactions of the fictional populations, and the conclusion that we should identify in each story are quite distinct. These are the aspects I will analyse. To begin with, we must immediately realize that these are indeed two different stories.

    Read More

  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    I was watching an episode of “The Simpsons” on TV the other day, and there was a craze around town because the Springfield Lottery was up to 130 million dollars. Bookstores were selling out of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. Homer quickly threw the book into the fireplace when he realized that the book could not tell him how to win the lottery, that it was a book about time old traditions, barbaric, but still practiced nonetheless. If Homer had read the book, he would have discovered that Jackson was projecting a subtle message through the minor character of Old Man Warner that the human race can be quite feeble-minded when it comes to following others and outright ignorant when it comes to thinking for one’s self. She uses Old Man Warner because he clings to your memory above all the other minor characters. He is seen as the antagonist, and therefore commands attention, even to his limited role. You then think about him more than any other minor character, and the more you think about him, the more the message comes through. He symbolizes the sense of invincibility, distrust, fear, and eternal youth.

    Read More

  • The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” irony is an underlying theme used throughout the story. Shirley Jackson involves residents in a preparation of following a longstanding traditional process of lottery. However, this proves to be a different type of lottery as the winner gets a different form of present. This is unknown to the reader of the story until when the story is almost over. Residents gather at 10 in the morning in the square that is located between the bank and the post office awaiting the arrival of Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves who conducts the lottery. These residents are very determined to carry out the lottery despite the fact that the reasons for the lottery tradition are fading away and thus loosing their importance and significance. Shirley in the beginning of the story creates a peaceful mood of representative town on a normal day in atypical town. This setting act as a good foreshadow of the ironic ending. Irony is a primary theme that is applied in the lottery story by Shirley Jackson.

    Read More

  • O'Connor's Use Of Setting To Predict The Outcome In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find", setting is used as a way to predict the tragic outcome of the story. The story's end is unexpected when first read, but upon closer inspection one can see several clues and foreshadowing techniques O'Connor used to hint at what would eventually happen, specifically in her use of setting. The outcome of the story is hinted at through the description of the family's scenic drive through Georgia, Red Sammy's, and the deserted road they travel on.

    Read More

  • The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson and Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    In literature there are many different critical views, in which all of them have very distinctive ideas and beliefs. The value of these critical views is decided by the reader and may be different to each one. When a reader approaches a work of literature they bring their own views and experiences with them, so each reader will read each story differently. And even the same reader will never read the same story the same way twice due to things that may have changed in his or her life. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (509-15) and Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” (568-74) one reader my feel sympathy while another does not fill anything. So what is the “correct” response to these stories?

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find By Flannery O Connor

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the usage of dramatic irony and person vs. society conflict in the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’ Connor is able to add a captivating new level of interpretation by eliciting empathy from the readers.

    Read More

  • The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Analyzing history and the current state of society and its members has always been a popular topic for authors and artists. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a comparison that can be applied to various phases of our current culture's development. Jackson uses her characters to compare old traditions and the new ideas. She accomplishes this with the development of characters such as Old Man Warner, Tessie Hutchinson, and the town children. Jackson uses these characters to reflect ideas that are often conflicted over the past, present and future. These conflicts can be seen in her use of the old man, modern mother, and the children. Morality, progress and change are all questioned, and still nothing is resolved. Ironically, the society's conscience is ignored in order to preserve tradition.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes And Symbols In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” has a lack of dominant female characters that shows women are often seen as inferior to men in social groups, an example of this is seem in the assembly before the stoning. Various literary devices are used to illustrate this point, including interesting plot developments, a universal theme, and clever uses of symbols. These devices help the reader clarify how women and their roles are portrayed in the story as well as creating a form of social criticism from the interpretation of Jackson’s tone. Also, the use of stereotypes, the village’s patriarchal society, and the aggressiveness of the men shed light on how women are portrayed, how conflicts between men and women are resolved, and how traditional ideas concerning these relationships are challenged.

    Read More

  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Analyzation encompasses the application of given criteria to a literary work to determine how efficiently that work employs the given criteria. In the analyzation of short stories, the reader uses a brief imaginative narrative unfolding a single incident and a chief character by means of a plot, the details so compresses and the whole treatment so organized, a single impression results. To expose that impression, the reader explores the workings of seven basic criteria. On particular criterion effectively supports the central idea on "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.

    Read More

  • Humanity In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her short story “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson explores the various human tendencies that stem from the heart of the human condition that we cannot break free from. Society's need to follow traditions blindly regardless of reality, the natural cruelty of people, and people’s resolve not to change their ways is the truth behind the horrors of the story and what ultimately leads to the death of an innocent.

    Read More

  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find Symbolism Essay

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the world of literature, there are multiple tools. Many of the greatest authors in history and even those who have created great American literature have played on irony, symbolism, similes, metaphors, oxymorons, and even more. Together, these techniques have created an unusual plot twist that has enveloped their readers in awe and even kept them on the edge of suspense, until the very last page of the novel. In the case of “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” A grandmother who thinks everything revolves around her opinion and feels it is a curse on their family. The author utilizes symbolism to convey many of the underlying points of the novel and ultimately reach the apex of its purpose.

    Read More

  • Irony in a Good Man is Hard to Find

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Flannery O’ Connor’s story: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is the tale of a vacation gone wrong. The tone of this story is set to be one irony. The story is filled with grotesque but meaningful irony. I this analysis I will guide you through the clues provided by the author, which in the end climax to the following lesson: “A Good Man” is not shown good by outward appearance, language, thinking, but by a life full of “good” actions.

    Read More

  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shirley Jackson, born on December 14, 1916, devotes much of her life to the writing of short stories and novels. Some of these include The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Jackson's stories, inspiring and influential to most, are also controversial to some. Her most controversial story, published in 1948 in The New Yorker, is "The Lottery." The purpose for the writing of the story varies depending upon the reader, but some might say that it "expresses Shirley Jackson's abysmal opinion of her fellow creatures" (Coulthard 228). Whatever the purpose may be, "The Lottery" remains one of the most famous stories to date. Despite the controversy, readers also notice the symbols and underlying themes that are prevalent throughout the story including the role of obedience. The role of obedience is seen through the encounters of the characters including Old Man Warner and Tessie Hutchinson.

    Read More

  • The Horror of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    Winning vast amounts of money can make anyone slaphappy, but unfortunately this type of wager won’t be discussed in Shirley Jacksons “The Lottery.” Jackson catches the reader’s attention by describing a typical day by using words such as “blossoming, clear and sunny skies” to attract the reader into believing a calm and hopeful setting which eventually turns dark. In this short story Jackson tells a tale of a sinister and malevolent town in America that conforms to the treacherous acts of murder in order to keep their annual harvest tradition alive. Jackson exposes the monstrosity of people within this society in this chilling tale. She allows the reader’s to ponder and lead them to believe that the lottery is actually a good thing; till she implements foreshadowing, to hint at the dreadfulness behind the lottery and its meaning. My goal in this paper is to discuss why Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a portrayed as a horror story, and the importance the townspeople used to glorify ritualistic killings, to appease to an unseeable force in return of good harvest for the upcoming year.

    Read More

More about The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson and A Good Man Is Hard To Find, by Flannery O'Connors

Open Document