The Lottery Short Story Essay - 989 Words

The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson published in the New Yorker in 1948. The setting takes place in a small town in America made up of about 300 residents on a beautiful sunny June day. The main characters in the lottery are Tess Hutchinson a housewife, Mr. Summers the town leader who officiates the lottery and Bill Hutchinson. Tessas husband. Some supporting characters are Miss Delacroix, Tessas friend Mr. Graves and Davey Hutchison, Tess and Bills young son. The plot of the lottery is that every year the people of this town come together to hold a lottery but its not a lottery for money or things like that. The lottery consists of each family in the town having to drawl from a black wooden box filled with blank†¦show more content†¦Tess Hutchison ends up having the slip with the black dot and at this moment the climax begins. All of the villagers and people of the town start to pick up stones and a towns member even gives Davey Hutchison a stone and the y all begin to stone Tess to death while she is screaming how this isnt fair and how it isnt right but the townsfolk continue to stone her to death regardless of her scream. The lottery is actually one of my favorite short stories. I read it when I was in junior high and Ive seen a few short movies on the lottery as well and although there are more questions than answers, I believe that there are multiple meanings to the lottery. My first thought is its a story about conformity and how sometimes we do things in society that are not right but because everyone else is doing them or because its tradition we continue to do things even though we know they are morally or ethically wrong. Ill take for example something like discrimination and segregation in the United States Jim Crow laws were totally acceptable and they were even encouraged and mandated in many parts of United States and a lot of people went along because they didnt know any better and it was tradition and it was what their mother did and their father did and the grandparents did and how they treated other people who are different from them so they just assume that this is just the way that th ings have to be when it comes to traditions they can beShow MoreRelatedEssay on Comparison of Jacksons Short Story The Lottery to the Film 602 Words   |  3 Pagesmay have. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, a sacrifice of one’s life becomes the â€Å"jackpot† of an annual event held in a small town. This society’s traditions have caused the people to do away with their rational thoughts and the values of their lives as they have become so stuck in their own cultural beliefs. In the short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson’s use of symbols reveals a twisting plot that isn’t recognizable until nearly at the end of the story. Her use of third person pointRead MoreEssay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: an Analysis1522 Words   |  7 PagesKouyialis EN102: Composition II Professor Eklund The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: An Analysis The short story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson was written in 1948 and takes place in a small town, on the 27th of June. In this story, the lottery occurs every year, around the summer solstice. All families gather together to draw slips of paper from a black box. When reading this story, it is unclear the full premise of the lottery until near the end. The heads of households are the firstRead MoreUse of Symbols in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson981 Words   |  4 PagesMany great authors use symbolism numerous of time in their stories. A symbol is a noun or word that represents a different idea. An author displays the symbols as a hit rather than blurting it out. Symbols are not only used in novels or poems, they are also used in everyday use. For an example, the American flag has fifty stars on it which each star represents a state. On the other hand, the thirteen stripes plays the part of our thirteen colonies; the beginning of our country. Even with our h ighRead More Shirley Jacksons The Lottery 946 Words   |  4 PagesJackson wrote many short stories and even some books. They are more on the dark, witchlike side, however. Kelleher explains that Jackson stated in some interviews that she practiced magic. No one really knows if she was serious while practicing witchcraft or not, but it ended up helping her write her stories http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/shirley_jackson_bennington.aspx). A major story that throws people for a loop is â€Å"The Lottery†. This was Jackson’s first short story and many peopleRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson And A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner960 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner The use of symbolism is used in literature to enhance writing and add meaning to a story, this is evident in the two short stories â€Å"The Lottery† written by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† written by William Faulkner. With the authors use of symbolism Jackson and Faulkner are able to add depth to their writing in a way that connects with the readers. By adding symbolism to the short stories the authors manageRead MoreThe Use of Selective Exposition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1315 Words   |  6 PagesA typical story is littered with details, explaining the history of the world the story takes place in, who the characters in the story are, all the while remaining correlated to the plot and subplots that drive the story forward. The story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson however does not follow these conditions, as the reader is left to interpret a majority of the story on their own as it progresses. Jackson is not the only writer to incorporate a style of selective exposition in their work; RaymondRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson. 1. Focus/Thesis For Your885 Words   |  4 Pages THE LOTTERY by Shirley Jackson 1. Focus/thesis for your essay on the story you are researching The traditions and the rituals of the lottery authored by Shirley Jackson seems to be just as old as the town itself, more so since most residents don’t actually recall any of the old rituals, ven the Old Man Warner, who celebrates his 77th lottery. This implies that they are archaic in some ways and they are rooted in the traditions and superstitions that seem to include the crops and the human sacrificeRead MoreFiction Essay1407 Words   |  6 PagesFormat Compare and Contrast Short Story Fiction Essay Jessica Jack Liberty University English 102-B43 Outline for Compare and Contrast Essay Thesis: â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† by D.H. Lawrence and â€Å"The Lottery†, by Shirley Jackson provide two contrasting uses of Setting in a short story which accentuate the importance of the element in a story. One author has the ability to distract the reader, while the other author creates the structure of the story. 1. Introduction a. ARead MoreComparing and Contrasting Young Goodman Brown and the Lottery925 Words   |  4 PagesComparing and Contrasting â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Lottery† By: Wayne Gillard II Professor C. Givens ENGL 102-B19 Wayne Gillard Prof. Givens ENGL 102-B19 Essay 1 Outline Thesis: The literary works of â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† both appear to show the fallibleness of human behavior and judgment. I. Introduction/Statement of Thesis II. Themes and Author’s Purpose a. The Lottery i. The hazards of following tradition or living according toRead MoreCharacterization Of The Lottery, And The Rocking Horse Winner Essay952 Words   |  4 Pages 1 Running head: CHARACTERIZATION OF STORIES Characterization in â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† CHARACTERIZATION OF STORIES 2 Thesis Statement The essay is based upon,†The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson and â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner† written by D.H