, Symbolism, And Themes In The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, is a realism story that was written for the main purpose of entertainment. Jackson writes about a small village that gathers every year for an event they call â€Å"The Lottery†. Every head of households comes up and draws a slip of paper from the box. Bill Hutchinson draws the first slip of paper with the black dot but Tessie Hutchinson quickly exclaims the lottery is not fair. Mr. Summers then puts five slips of paper back into the box, one for each of the family members, and has them all draw out a single sheet. To determine who will be stoned. When they open their slips, they find that Tessie has the slip with the black dot. Everyone in the village then begins to stone her to death. Throughout the story,†¦show more content†¦The villagers also act very nonchalant about the entire ordeal. Summers has a pleasant name, which matches his description as â€Å"a round-faced, jovial man†. Mr. Summers is the mayor of the town a nd also runs the coal company. When a person thinks of summer one generally thinks of pleasure and happiness. His name is ironic because his job is contradicting to these thoughts. Summer is in charge of the killing of a villager, which barely seems pleasurable. As the plot progress some of the characters make ironic statements. There is a passage about the Watson boy drawing for him and his mother, which can be understood as his father was the one who was killed last year. One voice from the crowd says â€Å"Good fellow, lack† and another says â€Å"Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.† These two statements make it sound like Jack is a warrior, and his father was not a man because he was sacrificed to the lottery. Another ironic statement is made by Tessie after her family was chosen. She says â€Å"It wasn’t fair† referring to her husband drawing the piece of paper with the black dot. It is ironic that she is the only one who sees that the lottery really is not fair and is eventually killed because of it. The black box of which the pieces of paper are drawn out of represents the tradition of the lottery and the unreasonable loyalty of the villagers’ to the tradition. The black box is worn andShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson960 Words   |  4 Pagesshall be purged with death. The beauty of this world is just a mere mask to hide its monstrosity.Tear off its mask and you shall be bestowed upon the gift of the cruelty of this world. Shirley Jackson’s short story the â€Å"Lottery† illustrates the character Tessie Hutchinson as a figure of symbolism as it leads to the theme that the norms of society isolates those who are a victim of labels and expectations because they decorate the origins of sins therefore premonition of the ruin to some extent becomesRead MoreGreat Theme of Symbolism in the Short Story, The Lottery, by by Shirley Jackson1033 Words   |  4 Pagesthe short fictions read in the Grade 11 English curriculum, The Lot tery by Shirley Jackson is by far the most important story read because of the theme, the characters and the symbolism. The Lottery is a story about a community, who every year draws the lottery for someone in the village. A lottery is often associated with positive things such as prizes, and money, however, this story has a twist; whoever gets the black marked lottery ticket is stoned by the community people as it is a long traditionRead MoreAnalysis of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson993 Words   |  4 PagesSpanish author, When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow. Shirley Jackson was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. She is most well known for her short story titled â€Å"The Lottery† which was first published in The New Yorker to overwhelming and mixed reviews. The lottery, as portrayed in the short story, is a religious, annual ceremony in the afternoon of June 27. This event is said to be olderRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson910 Words   |  4 PagesL iterary Analysis of the Short Story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson Shirley Jackson explores the subject of tradition in her short story â€Å"The Lottery†. A short story is normally evaluated based on its ability to provide a satisfying and complete presentation of its characters and themes. Shirley describes a small village that engages in an annual tradition known as â€Å"the lottery†. Narrating the story from a third person point of view, Shirley uses symbolism, foreshadowing and suspense to illustrateRead MoreLiterary Elements in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1334 Words   |  6 Pagesshort story, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson communicates this theme by showing how the villagers participate in a lottery every year. In life, there are people who follow tradition because the have to, or they are used to following without question. The author, Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1937, Shirley Jackson attended Syracuse University where she began to write short stories. She was famous for the short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† and her best sellerRead MoreSymbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay example1173 Words   |  5 PagesWhen most people play the lottery today, they think about having wealth. Generally, people who win are happy about it whether they win one dollar or a million. The lottery in our society has grown to support education and it is often worth several million dollars. Usually, the winner of the lottery gains a lot of recognition for the money they win. But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the â€Å"winner† was the member of the town who was not sacrificedRead MoreThe Unexpected Surprise of Violence1009 Words   |  5 Pagesvalued once risks are taken, but the outcome is never expected. Shirley Jackson, reader of witchcraft books, horrifies people with her perspective on the understanding of merciless rituals that kept communities at ease. Shirley Jackso n develops her theme of unexpected violence in her short story â€Å"The Lottery† through the use of irony, symbolism, and denouement. On a summer day in a small town in the short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson takes advantage of the peaceful environment and adds a convolutedRead MoreThe Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Analysis876 Words   |  4 PagesUrsula K. Le Guin and â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson address the theme of religious and traditional symbolism.† The Lottery† demonstrates how something that seems so perfect on the outside isn’t all that great on the inside. Symbolism shows the reader that there is a deeper message within the diction. â€Å"The Lottery† addresses the theme more successfully than â€Å"The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas† with the greater use of religious and traditional symbolism. The symbolisms in â€Å"The Ones Who Walk AwayRead MoreAnalysis Of Shirley Jackson s The Lottery Essay878 Words   |  4 PagesMichael Espinoza English 1302-5003 Professor Johnson June 22, 2015 Research-Based Argument Essay Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† Born on December 14, 1916, in San Francisco, California, Shirley Jackson was an American author whose novels and short stories are still relevant today. Jackson grew up in California and moved East with her family when she was 17 years old. She began her college career at the University of Rochester, withdrew for one year to practice her writing skills at homeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1220 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Lail April 27 2016 The Unlucky Winner â€Å"The Lottery† is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in late June of 1948. Jackson was born into a middle class family and her parents are Leslie Jackson, who was a stay at home housewife, and Geraldine Jackson, who was an employee of a lithographing company. Jackson loved to write in her early years, as a child she would always write poems and always kept a journal. Although Jackson spent her first few years in California, around her teenage