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The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
The irony of "the lottery
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Traditions are like a two-edged sword. They can be very powerful and helpful or they can be very hurtful and painful. Traditions gain momentum with each passing year, and in many cases they become difficult or impossible to stop. In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses situation irony, suspense, and dialogue to show that some groups of people have traditions they do not want to end, even if there is no reason for the tradition. One way Jackson shows the importance of traditions is through situational irony. At the beginning of the story, all the people in the town seem sweet and innocent. But by the end of the day, they change, and they throw rocks at Tessie Hutchinson and kill her. Mrs. Hutchinson is the one that loses the lottery and she says, ” It isn't fair.” And then a stone hit her on the side of the head.“ (Jackson 5) The stones they use to throw at Mrs. Hutchinson are from the piles of stones collected by the kids in the morning. Every year it is a tradition to do the lottery, and by the end of the lottery the townspeople kill one of the people that lives in the town. ...
To most people, traditions are very crucial and should be maintained all the time. However, in the short story, “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, it can be seen that even though traditions are important in many societies, not all traditions should be acceptable. The central idea of this short story is how mindlessly the townspeople are for accepting unreasonable actions as a part of a tradition. This can be seen through the use of symbolism. The black box used for the lottery symbolizes the tradition that the villagers have been following for a long time. According to the text, it states, “Mr.Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition was represented by the black box.”
There is a Lottery going on today and we all hold a ticket. In “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson is asking people to stop for a moment and take a look at the traditions around them. Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to show that traditions today are sometimes as misguided as the tradition of the lottery in that small town in Somewhere, USA.
that plagues communities for generations. "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson poses many questions about tradition to the reader. Jackson stresses the importance of new generations questioning and examining the practices of past generations. "The Lottery" is an extreme example of a new generation failing to do this. Through Jackson's use of symbols, description and the theme of danger, she urges readers to look into their own lives, assess their customs and embrace the benevolence of change.
The lottery by Shirley Jackson is a terrifying and memorable masterpiece that is ignited and fueled by tension and confusion. It was first published in The New Yorker on June 26th 1948, which was ironical because the story is set on 27th June. The story begins on a light note but Jackson’s ominous undertone makes it clear that the story is not as straight forward as it sounds. The story brings emphasis on mob mentality, the cruelty of the human nature and irrationality. The story clearly demonstrates that tradition cannot be excused simply because it is tradition. In this analysis, the plot of this story will be analyzed to show the conflicts and complications that are notable in the story.
Darren L. Johnson once said, “Don’t allow old traditions to become permanent mental scripts for managing your life in the present. Reason: you will not be able to transform yourself to think differently and be better as you grow with age and maturity.” This quote stresses the significance of recognizing outdated traditions. An underlying theme of “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, is the reluctance of people to reject outdated traditions, ideas, rules, laws, and practices.
Sticking to customs and traditions is good but when they are followed blindly, problems begin. Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery” is a short story set in Vermont during the 1940s. This short story is about a lottery that occurs on June twenty- seventh every year in a village of about 300 people. This lottery is unusual because the winner is stoned to death by the people of the village. Tessie Hutchinson, a wife and mother of two, enjoys the lottery until she draws the slip with a black dot, which indicates she has “won” the lottery. The villagers then stone her to death. In the short story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson utilizes symbolism and irony to illustrate customs and traditions.
Traditions define cultures from all over the world; however, some are done without knowing its true meaning or its possible negative effects. “The Lottery” is about a small town that traditionally holds an annual lottery that selects one person at random to die. No one in the town truly knows why the ritual is done or how immoral it is, just that it has always been done. Using foreshadowing and characterization, Shirley Jackson shows how tradition can have negative effects on people in “The Lottery”.
In her short story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson displays that when tradition is ingrained in a society the community becomes passive and ignores their subconscious. The idea of a passive community is emphasized when “Old Man Warner” says, “There’s always been a lottery,” in regards to hearing that other communities had stopped their lotteries. The villagers proposing the abolishment of the lottery are aware of how inhumane the lottery is but are hesitant to come forward because of arguments from people similar to Old Man Warner who think that the lottery is a valued tradition, that has a positive affect on the crops. The villagers’ unhappiness with the system of the lottery is revealed yet again when Dave Hutchinson, the youngest of the
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.
Tradition is huge in small towns and families and allows for unity through shared values, stories, and goals from one generation to the next. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” carries that theme of tradition. The story follows a small town that performs the tradition of holding an annual lottery in which the winner gets stoned to death. It (tradition) is valued amongst human societies around the world, but the refusal of the villagers in “The Lottery” to let go of a terrifying long-lasting tradition suggests the negative consequences of blindly following these traditions such as violence and hypocrisy.
Yearly rituals are accepted by most people and the reasons behind the celebrations are unknown to most people. Americans practice different annual traditions such as Fourth of July, Easter egg hunt, Halloween, Veterans Day and more. Likewise for Shirley Jackson, a wife, mother, and author of six novels, two memoirs, and a collection of short stories including “The Lottery.” Jackson’s short twisted story, “The Lottery,” portrays a ritual almost as old as the town itself, especially for the fact that there’s no remembrance from the villagers or the oldest man, Old Man Warner, the real reason for the ceremony. Jackson’s story describes a brutal custom in a small village that punishes the winner of the lottery; however, Jackson uses irony, characters and symbolism to support her story. Jackson’s purpose in The Lottery is to demonstrate that conformity can be helpful in some situations but damages those who choose not to conform.
In “The Lottery”, Jackson wrote about a special tradition of a small village. June 27th was warm and sunny, and it gave the impression like nothing could possibly go wrong. Everyone knows the lottery as an exciting thing, and everybody wants to win, but this lottery is unlike any other. This lottery was actually the tradition of stoning of an innocent villager; that year it was Tessie Hutchinson. Though the horrific ending was not expected, throughout the story Jackson gave subtle hints that this was not an average lottery. Jackson foreshadowed the death of Tessie Hutchinson with stones, the black box, and the three legged stool; she showed that unquestioning support of tradition can be fatal.
"The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice. The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens. On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate. Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice. Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about. Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting. Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.
In "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson fills her story with many literary elements to mask the evil. The story demonstrates how it is in human nature to blindly follow traditions. Even if the people have no idea why they follow.
Tradition is defined as “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on this way.” The lottery is a strange tradition for the town of New Hope. Typically, when people think of tradition they think good. This is the same thought when it comes to a lottery. Most people view a lottery as “a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random.” However, “The Lottery” story and the film both bent this view of what both a tradition and lottery are, through characters, settings, and styles.