In the short story "The Lottery," author Shirley Jackson creates a very shocking and horrifying situation through the use of characterization, setting, and the theme of the individual versus society, which is portrayed in the story as scapegoating. She writes as if the events taking place are common to any town (Mazzeno 2). The story was very unpopular when first published, mostly because of the fact that people did not understand it. The story of the all-to-familiar town, ordinary in every way except for the ritualistic murder taking place has since grown great popularity, even being adapted for television, ballet, and radio (Lethem 1-2).
Shirley Jackson's short story entitled "The Lottery" was published in an issue of "The New Yorker" on June 28, 1948. Because it was such a controversial piece, the story caused an uproar resulting in hundreds of letters sent to Jackson. These letters told of how the story was horrifying and terrible to read. Most of them, however, wanted to know if the events taking place in the story realty happened and if they could go watch them. "One of the most terrifying aspects of publishing stories ... is the realization that they are going to be read, and read by strangers. I had never fully realized this before, although I had of course in my imagination dwelt lovingly upon the thought of the millions and millions of people who were going to be uplifted and enriched and delighted by the stories I wrote. It had simply never occurred to me that these millions and millions of people might be so far from uplifted that they would sit down and write me letters I was downright scared to open; of the three-hundred-odd letters I received [the summery "The Lottery" was published] I can only count thirteen ...
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...ing 1985): 27-32. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 9. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Detroit: Gale, 1992. 261-265.
Lethem, Jonathan. "Monstrous Acts and Little Murders." Salon. Jan. 1997. Salon Media Group. 6 Apr. 2005 <www.salon.com/jan97/jackson970106.html>
Mazzeno, Laurence W. "The Lottery." Masterplots II: Short Story Series N. p.: Salem, 1986. MagillOnLiterature. EBSCO. Southeastern Illinois College Lib. 29 Mar. 2005 <www.sic.edu>.
Nebeker, Helen E. "'The Lottery': Symbolic Tour de Force." American Literature. 46.1 (Mar. 1974): 100-107. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 39. Ed. Jenny Cromie. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 187-190.
Nelles, William. "The Lottery: Or, The Adventures of James Harris." Masterplots II: Womens Literature Series. N. P.: Salem, 1995. MagillOnLitarature. EBSCO. Southeastern Illinois College Lib. 29 Mar. 2005 <www.sic.edu>.
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.” Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Eds. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 867-74. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 262-268. Print.
Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz. "The Lottery." Literature: the Human Experience. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 2006. 350-56. Print.
The Lottery is an amazing work of fiction not only because of its extraordinary twist on the concept of tradition, but for its classic irony and impeccable use of symbolism. The Lottery questions whether or not tradition should be respected for what it is or evolve to suit new generations. When asked the purpose of writing The Lottery, Shirley Jackson responded that the story was "to shock the story's readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives." (237) Jackson was a true visionary as a female author who created a thought provoking and alarming story to readers in a time when tradition was still heavily weighted in society.
The reaction to Jackson 's short story was strong. It was one of the most banned literary work in America ("Background Information"). Today, it is a classic American short story. "The Lottery" is set in a small American town. The type of town where everyone knows each others name and everyone is a law-abiding citizen. All town members gather to draw a ticket in a yearly lottery. Before the drawing, children gather stones for use after the lottery. The story is simple, it is over quick but the ending
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. 4th ed. Boston: Longman, 2012. 643-54. Print.
Jackson, Shirley.. "The Lottery." Trans. Array Literature, An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. . Seventh. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2013. 250-256. Print.
Ed. Giroux, Christopher and Brigham Narins. “’The Lottery’”: Shirley Jackson.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 87. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995. Pp. 221-236. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Perrine's Literature: Structure Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010. 282. Print.
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.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 989.
What thoughts come to mind when you think of "The Lottery?" Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, "The Lottery." Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, instead they are gambling for their life. A shock that surprises the reader as she unveils this horrifying tradition in the village on this beautiful summer day. This gamble for their life is a result of tradition, a tradition that is cruel and inhumane, yet upheld in this town. Shirley Jackson provides the reader’s with a graphic description of violence, cruelty, and inhumane treatment which leads to the unexpected meaning of "The Lottery." Born in San Francisco, Jackson began writing early in her life. She won a poetry prize at age twelve and continued writing through high school. In 1937 she entered Syracuse University, where she published stories in the student literary magazine. After marriage to Stanley Edgar Hyman, a notable literary critic, she continued to write. Her first national publication “My Life with R.H. Macy” was published in The New Republic in 1941but her best-known work is “The Lottery.”(Lit Links or Reagan). Jackson uses characterization and symbolism to portray a story with rising action that surprises the reader with the unexpected odd ritual in the village. While one would expect “The Lottery” to be a positive event, the reader’s are surprised with a ritual that has been around for seventy-seven years , demonstrating how unwilling people are to make changes in their everyday life despite the unjust and cruel treatment that is associated with this tradi...
Hicks, Jennifer. "Overview of 'The Lottery.'" Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014