Shirley Jackson In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a story of a town whose citizens are required to participate in an annual “lottery”. We soon find out, however, that unlike most lotteries, this is not a lottery that one hopes to win. With her ingenious use of setting, characters, themes, she creates a suspenseful and exciting tale that left me in awe when I finally put it down. The setting of Jackson’s story is a very deceptive one, and makes us, as readers, wonder where and when this story takes place. She does not give a name to the town, nor the time of year it takes place, but what I found very odd was that she gives specific details about the exact day of the lottery. She tells us the date, June 27th, the time, around 10:00 a.m., and the temperature,
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When she arrives late to the lottery, admitting that she forgot what day it was, she immediately stands out from the other townsfolk as someone different. The crowd must part for her to reach her family, whereas, the other women arrive at the square calmly and on time, standing next to their husbands. On a day when the townspeople’s main focus is the lottery, this lack of priority seems inappropriate, almost intolerable. This shows that she is somewhat of an individualist who is able to forget about the lottery entirely as she performed her chores. And this may be the reason why she was the only one who spoke up against the lottery (Cellania 2). Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, had participated in seventy-seven lotteries and is a huge supporter for keeping things exactly the way they are. He dismisses the other towns and people who have stopped having lotteries as “crazy fools,” and he is threatened by the idea of change. He also believes in what seems to be an old wives’ tale, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (Jackson 5). He fears that if the lottery stops, the townspeople will be forced to eat “chickweed and acorns” (Jackson 5). This proves how strongly he believes in superstition, and how dangerous it is to follow tradition
When she arrives late to the lottery, admitting that she forgot what day it was, she immediately stands out from the other townsfolk as someone different. The crowd must part for her to reach her family, whereas, the other women arrive at the square calmly and on time, standing next to their husbands. On a day when the townspeople’s main focus is the lottery, this lack of priority seems inappropriate, almost intolerable. This shows that she is somewhat of an individualist who is able to forget about the lottery entirely as she performed her chores. And this may be the reason why she was the only one who spoke up against the lottery (Cellania 2). Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, had participated in seventy-seven lotteries and is a huge supporter for keeping things exactly the way they are. He dismisses the other towns and people who have stopped having lotteries as “crazy fools,” and he is threatened by the idea of change. He also believes in what seems to be an old wives’ tale, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (Jackson 5). He fears that if the lottery stops, the townspeople will be forced to eat “chickweed and acorns” (Jackson 5). This proves how strongly he believes in superstition, and how dangerous it is to follow tradition