Preview

Analyse About Something for Nothing

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
464 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analyse About Something for Nothing
13.09.10

Something for Nothing

Characterisation:
Jake is the main character. He’s a good family man and he takes an interest in his mother and lets her spend time talking to her son. Jake lives a regular life with his wife and his daughter.

The mother is an elderly lady. Widowed years ago, who maintaines her intellect and brain power by an active social life with friends and by reading, especially the new yourk times, which is a massive publication 100 of pages long. The mother comes out as a positive character

We know nothing about Jakes wife or child because we never meet them in this short story.

Jake gets himself tested by this recent phone scam in New York, where the crooks con gullible people into a money chase, which normally ends with them losing a 100 US dollars.
Jake is naiv enough to fall for the ploy and sets out by buss halfway across New York in his chase for easy money.
In this respect, Jake is probably like many other people who can’t resist that temptation of making money by gambling on an easy bet.

The theme is something for nothing. In this context it applies to winning the jackpot with a small stake. Most people fancy themselves in that winner position. That’s why so many of us take part in all kinds of lottery and gambles which after all are legal. The scam Jake takes part in is clearly illegal. He may not break the law, but the crooks who set up the scam are lawbreakers. Otherwise they would play with open cards. The fact that they tried to cheat Jake, in a way justifies Jakes counterploy.

13.09.10

The great thing about this short story is that we expect Jake to win, which he should do under normal circumstances having escaped the claws of the conmen. The thing which makes this a good short story is it’s most unexpected ending where the winner Jake turns out to be the loser, because he destroyes his prize. The conmen who were about to become losers, are very close to regaining their loss.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “The Lottery” paints a bleak picture of a town blindly following a tradition of ritual murder. Over time, details and paraphernalia of the original lottery were either lost or abandoned, but the town continued to hold to the yearly ritual of stoning an innocent person. It is unclear why the lottery was instituted, but it is clear that many fear giving it up. “Nothing but trouble in that” (Jackson), was Old Man Warner’s response to the idea. In the end, an innocent woman is stoned to death howling, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson).…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Lottery” begins with the gathering of families—men, women, and children. It seems all innocent initially with the children playing and collecting stones, husbands and wives standing together; all waiting on the drawing of the lottery. This tradition had been followed for years, there was even one character Old Man Warner who criticized other towns for doing away with the lottery. The lottery was a drawing that leads to the persecution of the individual holding the slip with the black dot. One of…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The mother seems to be abusive, demeaning and cold. Her tone throughout the story is critical and commanding. The way she talks to her daughter makes me feel as if there were no warm feelings in their relationship. The mother gives orders, scolds her daughter and demands things “on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming.” The mother doesn’t respect her daughter and accuses her of behaving in a wrong way. She seems to be bitter and cold. The mother dictates how her daughter should act “don’t squat down to play marbles-you are not a boy, you know; don’t pick people flowers-you may catch something…” It seems that it’s important for the mother that her daughter is not rejected from the society and follows social norms. She tells her daughter “how to make a good medicine to throw away a child…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I Stand Here Ironing

    • 569 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The central idea in this story seems to be the mother’s search of an understanding of her daughter’s personality and outlook on life. The majority of the story is the mother trying to depict reasons for why her daughter is the way she is, so delicate, reserved, needless, and even unhappy at times. She seems to also defend her parenting choices by making excuses or blaming the urges of others in order to not have all the blame on her. She speaks about how she had no other option but to put her in the care of someone else at the age of two, even though she knew the teacher was “evil” (Pg. 925). “It was the only place there was…the only way I could hold a job” (pg. 925).…

    • 569 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The essay being titled “The Lottery” has nothing to do with money or gambling. It was more so a metaphorical way of expressing how ones odds were slim if and when the mobs targeted them. If the accused were innocent then it wouldn’t matter what the crime was. It seems like anyone could have started a rumor about someone and eventually the rumor would be seen as truth. Thus in turn the mob would rally for action and impose justice themselves. It’s kind of like Russian roulette. The bullet resembles the mob hypothetically targeting you. No one can control when they will strike, but if managing to avoid them equates to keeping your life, then theoretically you won “The Lottery”.…

    • 535 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Empire of the Summer Moon

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages

    At the beginning of the book, Jake and his friends are living in France in the 1920’s, most of them not originally from France and several of the World War I Veterans. Jake’s assorted escapades detail and depict the 1920’s nightlife for him and his friends, and the many people they meet along the way, which is little more than purposeless self indulgence. The prevailing problem for Jake is more of a psychological battle than anything else. Although ailed by physical disabilities from war, and perhaps worried about his own financial security, Jake’s personal demons lie more in his brain, plaguing him with self doubt and depression. Self conscious of his erectile dysfunction, depressed that Brett won’t fully return his affections, and prone to verbal lashings, Jake lives a…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that without the symbolism of its characters, would amount to little more than an odd tale about a stoning. However, because of what each character represents and the way the setting helps to magnify those representations, it becomes a short story that is anything but short of meaning. The first character is probably the most obviously symbolic character of the story. Every word that leaves Old Man Warner’s Mouth reeks of tradition. He never stops criticizing new ideas about the lottery, the way it is run, or complaining about how things have changed for the worst, etc., etc. When Mr. Adams tells him that the residents of a neighboring village are considering doing away with the lottery, he says…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kingpin Ananlytical Essay

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Max used his hacking knowledge by entering stolen PINs into bank ATMs and withdrawing the money. “He’d enter the PIN, the withdrawal amount and …the ATM spat out cash like a slot machine” (Poulsen, p. 104). His behavior is unethical because he intentionally used individual’s bank PIN numbers to victimize bank account holders by stealing their property.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this paper, I will compare two literature fiction based short stories. I will compare “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H Lawrence. These are two dynamic, but suspenseful short stories. They are very different in tone and style, but they have similar tragic ironies in areas of the stories. Both of the stories leaves the reader in suspense throughout it, but definitely at the strong emotional endings.…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    So anyway the lovely Jack Nicholson plays a character called Jake Gittes and he's this cool, charismatic and smart ex-cop turned private eye. He's a bit of a cynical asshole. Throughout the movie Jake solves mysteries and…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Avatar Technology Analysis

    • 1898 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In the beginning, Jake appears to be totally disconnected and alienated from the natural environment. He can't relax because he is afraid of it and views it as something dangerous that needs to be tamed by humans. When he starts living with the Na'vi and is taught their ways, he has difficulty assimilating. As Neytiri points out in their first encounter, Jake's alienation from nature makes him "ignorant like a child" (Avatar) and unable to appreciate and live in the natural environment. However, he slowly changes and finally becomes part of nature's network. The change starts from the outside and slowly moves to the inside. He first changes on the surface, that is a change of the body, but soon Jake feels an internal confusion. He is not sure in which world he belongs and who he really is. He admits that he can barely remember his old life and that the Na'vi's world seems more authentic. He finally realizes the energy that exists in nature and learns to appreciate every living organism. He admits that he has fallen in love with the forest and with the Na'vi's way of living. He even reaches to the point of fighting against humans to protect Pandora's natural environment and the Na'vi's way of life. Jake is transformed from a contemporary individual…

    • 1898 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Lottery by Shirley Jackson tells an intriguing, thought-provoking and disturbing story, by using conventions of symbolism, dialogue and foreshadowing. The conventions used help bring together, emphasize and create meaning for the reader, that people blindly follow traditions that have lost meaning .Jackson has cleverly used symbolism in the short story to form a multifaceted meaning that challenges the readers to broaden their thoughts in regards to the tradition. The convention of dialogue misleads the reader at the beginning to think that the community spirit is strong but toward the end it reveals dispute and injustice. Foreshadowing subtly and progressively gives the reader captivating clues to the unfolding event. “The Lottery” tells a fascinating story about an unrevealed village which blindly follows an annual tradition passed down from long ago. This tradition involves the whole community of about 300 people, one of which is stoned to death.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The sole purpose of the lottery is a theme not directly answered throughout the short story. However the motif of tradition revolves around the course of the lottery triggering debates on whether some controversial traditions should be changed or even abolished. Our forefathers created many traditions around the world centuries ago, which leaves less debate on whether these traditions are ethical. The effects of these traditions leave sometimes damaging legacies on our behaviour as humans. In “The Lottery”, the effects of their tradition had deadly and disastrous results for the community, taking the life of one of its members. When reflecting on the consequences of the lottery, we come to question how our own traditions influence our behaviour. Some traditions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas revolve around the idea of giving, and being benevolent to all. In…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The chances of winning the lottery becomes rare to the point that getting struck by lightning is a greater chance. A small town knows this in a daily routine, in which gambling for life is no metaphorical statement. In a story called “the Lottery” by Shirley Jackson demonstrates fear through symbols, irony, and imagery suggesting that hope can never be drawn in luck. Showing that winning the iconic game is not always the best for the person or those involved around them.…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Birdsong Table

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages

    | Goes from being rich to having hardly anything.Ends up leaving Stephen.Hides the child from its father.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays