A Review of Shirley Jacksons Short Story The Lottery

Shirley Jacksons short story The Lottery offers a disturbing vision of small-town life, mob mentality, and social conformity. The author uses a number of literary techniques to capture the mood, tone, and theme of The Lottery. One of those techniques is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing in The Lottery helps build the suspense that makes the story so effective. The meaning of the titular lottery is not fully revealed until the end of the story. Jackson compels the reader to discover why the children are carrying stones in their pocket, and what is inside the little black box. Some of the foreshadowing is tongue-in-cheek: such as by deliberately setting the story on a cheerful, sunny day. A careful study of foreshadowing in The Lottery helps Jackson to execute the main themes of the story: the lottery represents the ominous nature of social control, mob mentality, and conformity. Foreshadowing establishes the primary tone of the short story, which is ominous. The story opens on a bright, sunny day. By setting the story during fresh warmth of a full-summer day, Jackson is able to juxtapose the evil that is to come. It is as if the sunlight is casting a figurative shadow on the rest of the day. Then, the narrator states that of course, the children assembled first. Why should the children assemble first, of course, and what is the reader supposed to know? By including the phrase of course in the first line of the second paragraph, Jackson accomplishes the goal ofShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery Essay617 Words   |  3 Pages Over the years many critics have wrote articles on Shirley Jacksons numerous works. Many critics had much to say about Jacksons most famous short story, quot;The Lotteryquot;. Her insights and observations about man and society are disturbing; and in the case of quot;The Lottery,quot; they are shocking. quot;The themes themselves are not new, e vil cloaked in seeming good, prejudice and hypocrisy, loneliness and frustration, psychological studies of minds that have slipped the bonds of realityquot;Read 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 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 MoreResearch Paper on Shirley Jacksons â€Å"The Lottery†1141 Words   |  5 PagesShirley Jacksons â€Å"The Lottery† is a short story about the annual gathering of the villagers to conduct an ancient ritual. The ritual ends in the stoning of one of the residents of this small village. This murder functions under the guise of a sacrament that, at one time, served the purpose of ensuring a bountiful harvest. This original meaning, however, is lost over the years and generations of villagers. The loss of meaning has changed the nature and overall purpose of the lottery. This ritualRead MoreEssay about The Life and Literary Works of Shirley Jackson4264 Words   |  18 PagesShirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. Her surroundings were comfortable and friendly. Two years after Shirley was born, her family with her newborn brother moved from San Francisco to Burlingame, California, about thirty miles away. According to her mother, Shirley began to compose verse almost as soon as she could write it (Friedman, 18). As a child, Shirley was interested in sports and literature. In 1930, a year before she attended Burlingame High SchoolRead MoreThe Lot tery By Shirley Jackson811 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† was published by Shirley Jackson. The story was true expression of Jackson’s genuine thoughts about human beings and their heinous competence in an annual village event for corn harvest . First, her used to word symbolized main point of the story. Second, Jackson was inspired by few historical events happened in the past and a life incident in her life. Lastly, She was able to accomplish the connection between historical and biographical with the story. Therefore, Shirley Jackson’sRead MoreEssay about Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson488 Words   |  2 PagesSymbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Thesis: The short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson found in Perrines Literature written by Thomas R. Arp is a story full of symbolism. I. Names are used to represent different aspects of the story. a. Mr. Summers is a bright and cheerful man. His attitude, demeanor, and name represent the summer. Mr.Graves name represents what is about to happen. They are sending someone to their grave. These names are obvious as to what they mean. b. MrsRead MoreHuman Corruption Of Human Nature1140 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Corruption in â€Å"The Lottery† â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is a classic short story in U.S literature. Written in 1948, the short story has been published in multiple languages around the world. It is still a required reading in U.S today. The story was later adapted into both a TV short and a play (â€Å"Shirley Jackson’s Bio†). Jackson uses irony and symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery† to show the corruption of human nature. The story opens up on a clear June day. It continues to describe an ominousRead MoreExpect the Unexpected1898 Words   |  8 PagesExpect the Unexpected What thoughts come to mind when you think of â€Å"The Lottery?† Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery†. Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, instead they are gambling for their life. A shock that surprises the reader as she unveils this horrifying tradition in the village on this beautifulRead MoreAbstract the Lottery by Shirley Jackson2321 Words   |  10 Pages2012 Abstract for â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson Although Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery† is widely read, it has received little critical review in the decades since it was published. This analysis of the text illuminates Jackson’s intertwining of the story’s theme, point of view and language. One finds that each of these three an integral part depends on the other. One must examine Jackson’s linguistic techniques in order to understand how the point