The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

Life Lessons Found Through Desperation
Desperation often stems from a lack of something. It could be a result of the lack of fulfillment in basic human emotions such as freedom, compassion, love, happiness or companionship. In these 2 stories, desperation manifests itself through the lack of position, class and money or the struggle to maintain obsolete traditions. When dealing with social and moral issues, the third person narrative allows the viewer to be more objective. In this instance, the tone is heavy, gloomy and full of irony. The expedition in each story foreshadows the tragic events to come. In “The Necklace”, the main character Mathilde, carries a blind sense of entitlement, which makes her feel as though she has been born into the wrong social class. She longs for a life of opulent luxury. Although she comes from a middle class background, she refuses to be looked down upon and feels as though she belongs in the upper level of society.
June 27 in "The Lottery” paints a scenario of a beautiful summer day where “the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson). There are square dances, Halloween programs, and the teen club by Mr. Summers who
seems like a caring, joyous man. It almost has of an atmosphere of a fair or carnival. In modern days we associate lotteries with money or success, however this is not the case in this story. Shirley Jackson explains, “ When Mr. Graves arrived in the square carrying the black wooden box, there was a murmur of nervous conversation throughout the villagers” (Jackson). At first glance, the story appears like a typical sunny afternoon. However, as the black box comes out, an ominous tone immediately falls upon the crowd. The remote possibility of being chosen in the lottery is a terrifying thought.
In the “The Necklace, Mathilde’s obsession and false sense of entitlement to live a privileged existence places her in a the situation of losing the diamonds lent to her. The false perception she has of herself puts a damper on the couple and their marriage.
The fear of losing her reputation and being responsible for losing the diamonds compromised her integrity as she fails to reveal the truth to Madame Forestier until the end of the story. This would result in years of hard work for her and her husband. As they strolled out of the ball “He threw over her shoulders the modest cloak which she had brought, whose shabbiness seemed to mock the elegance of the gown. She felt the incongruity, and walked swiftly away in order not to be seen by those whose rich furs were more in accordance with the occasion” (Maupassant). Throughout the night, she feels like an upper class citizen. As she walks away from the occasion puts on her shabby coat, it marks the end of her fantasy. When the first names are drawn in “The Lottery”, a few members of the community start to question why the tradition is still alive. Many fear that if they were going to abolish the lottery than the corn would cease to grow and the town would suffer. Others believe that other towns have stopped and no bad omens have fallen upon them. Desperation causes people to make poor choices because there driven by emotion and greed. People are willing to sacrifice lives for crops and bank accounts for elegance and beauty.
From the moment Mr.
Graves arrives carrying the black box, one can sense the tension and death in “The Lottery”. Tessie was desperate to save her own life. It was not until she was chosen that she realized the terror and desperation. “The Necklace” had a rather an ironic ending. While Mathilde saunters down Champs Elysees, she encounters Madame Forestier. At that moment she reveals to her that she has replaced the diamonds. For a slight moment, Mathilde felt proud of herself. “You never found out! They were so much alike,” and she smiled proudly.” (Maupassant). Madame Forestier feels empathy for Madame Loisel and informs her that they were only fake. Mathilde was so desperate to keep her pride that she ruined the best years of her life. She was left with a void of love and
compassion.
The dénouement of each of these stories feel very heavy and seemed to have a very distinct purpose. To display how valuable life is. In each story the characters find themselves in desperate situations. As a result of these situations Mathilde looses the prime of her life while Tessie losses her life altogether. Desperation and tragic events in the characters lives teaches the reader to become more compassionate and value our lives.