The Importance Of Setting In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

The setting is a rural and nondescript village with a few hundred people. On a beautiful summer morning, children get together in the square before they break into groups. While girls chat about themselves on one side, boys begin to collect stones and make a pile. Men and women gradually assemble in the corner of the square to get ready for their annual tradition - the lottery. The author places the story in the nondescript setting to give the readers a strong impression of the evil ritual the villagers do every year. The readers have no idea what the lottery really means until the winner is stoned to death. In my opinion, there are two main reasons why the townspeople take part in their yearly ritual. First of all, the townspeople manage to
As a result, the lottery is seen as traditional as “the square dance,” “the teenage club,” and “the Halloween program.” Secondly, the villagers are afraid of speaking up against their town’s tradition even though they know it is not right. In the story, some people mention that other villages are talking about stopping the lottery, but they lack the courage to break their tradition. The way that townspeople treat Emily has changed throughout her lifetime. In the beginning of the story, the townspeople respect Emily because she comes from an influential family, and Colonel Sartoris, the mayor, remits her taxes after her father died. However, things start to be changed after the new generation comes up. The new politician decides to collect taxes from Emily, but she refuses to pay it. At the time Emily’s father dies, she starts dating a black man, so people feel sorry for her and criticize their relationship. At the end of Emily’s life, the entire town come to her funeral, and people show up with their respect for her and their curiosity about her house. Emily’s father had controlled Emily’s entire life which included intentionally stopping her from finding a