The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a small town and their unique summer tradition. This stories thematic element is conformity and rebellion‚ showing “a clash between two well-articulated positions in which a rebel‚ on principle‚ confronts and struggles with established authority” (Abacarian and Klotz‚ 289). Jackson’s short story caught my attention through her suspenseful structural technique‚ and incorporation of a serious‚ seemingly absurd‚ event in a nonchalant manner.
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Literary Analysis Essay: The Lottery “The Lottery‚” written by Shirley Jackson‚ is a short story about a strange annual ritual that takes place in a small village in New England. At the beginning of the story the day is described as “clear and sunny‚ with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” This pleasant sensory description leads one to believe that this will be a day of happiness. Every year on June 27th all the villagers
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the consequences. In a small village‚ there is a yearly tradition that randomly selects one individual to be stoned by the entire village. This tradition is known as “The Lottery.” In “The Lottery‚” Shirley Jackson combines foreshadowing with a comforting tone thus both concealing and revealing the shocking ending. Shirley Jackson’s use of a benevolent tone leaves readers unsuspecting of the ironic ending. As the story begins‚ the setting is described as “clear‚” “warm‚” and “sunny.” This entrance
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The Lottery A healthy harvest has always been important to civilizations. Once field preparation is done‚ the farmer can only wait and hope that the correct balance of rain and sun will ensure a good harvest. Many ancient cultures believed that growing crops represented the life cycle; hence they believed ritual sacrifice was needed to guarantee a good crop. In this short story "The Lottery‚" Shirley Jackson uses this archetype to showcase man ’s inherent need for such ritual. The story is set
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Laurie had a problem‚ he was getting into trouble at school. In the story “Charles” by Shirley Jackson‚ Laurie was a little boy who lived at home with his mother‚ father and infant sister in the 1950’s. He was just starting kindergarten and was having a difficult time adjusting to school. Laurie also had a secret‚ and soon enough‚ it would be discovered. When Laurie returned home from school each day he would tell his parents about Charles‚ a boy in his class who always seemed to be misbehaving
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The Lottery On a clear morning‚ June 27th‚ the townspeople‚ men‚ women‚ and children begin to assemble for the lottery which is to begin at ten in the morning. The opening paragraphs completely mask the underlying darkness of this short story. As the reader progresses throughout the story‚ these deeper elements of the story become evident. "The Lottery" successfully combines elements of horror‚ irony‚ hypocrisy‚ and tradition in a way that fulfills Carver’s criteria of a story that exemplifies
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07 December 2009 Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” – A Feminist Perspective Shirley Jackson’s short story‚ “The Lottery” details the obvious gender roles in the small village where it takes place and also represents those that are often present in our own society. Women are often seen as inferior to men in societal groups. In “The Lottery”‚ this is represented by the absence of any dominant female character in the story. Gender roles are evident among the villagers; even the children are guided
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Monique Lewis Ashcraft English 102 Feb. 25‚ 2013 The Lottery Following it’s publication in the New Yorker in 1948‚ Shirley Jackson’s "the lottery" aroused much controversy‚ leading to that issue of the new Yorker quickly being sold out. Through the use of comedy and irony‚ Jackson demonstrates the "pointless violence and general inhumanity in [readers] own lives" The lottery takes place in a small close knit town where tradition is taken quite seriously. Each year an event is held in which
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The Lottery The community has no real knowledge of this ceremony. It seems ridiculous that a community would cling to such a barbaric tradition‚ especially when they don’t even know the correct way to do it. It becomes apparent this community is very weak-minded. Even the way they congregated at the lottery was done systematically in a sexist way. This community could be convinced to do anything. There are so many points in the story that show these people know nothing of the lottery’s history.
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Destini Lloyd Joy Surles Eng 113 March 26‚ 2013 The Lottery What is the definition of inhumanity? Inhumanity is great cruelty and a lack of humanity. Once you understand that a normal human being would then question how people could be so cruel to one another. The inhumanity of taking chance is evident in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. The author paints a vivid picture of how taking a gamble is not worth the loss. The mindset of traditionalism‚ selfishness‚ and inhumanness speaks volume
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