Argument Essay on the Lottery by Shirley Jackson with Works Cited Page

Topics: Short story, Shirley Jackson, Stoning Pages: 9 (1606 words) Published: November 10, 2012
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about Symbolism

"The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about an inhumane

and horrific tradition that a community celebrates every year between 10 a.m. and noon

on June 27, a sunny day, in a New England village (“Cummings Study Guide”). Not only

is this story about tradition but it also hides the meaning of symbolism as well. The

setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred people. On June

twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village

wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate. A black box holds hundreds of

pieces of paper that each member of the community must choose from. There is one

piece of paper that has a marking of a dot on it. The paper with this marking means an

unfair fate for the person who has picked it. This fate is ultimately a casual murder of

being stoned to death that the whole town is guilty of.

In this lottery, the winner sacrifices his or her own life for the sake of the tradition.

Through the actions and contrast of settings, Shirley Jackson shows the inhumanity of

the traditional lottery and points out the cruelty of people and the relationship between

the people. It becomes apparent this community is very weak-minded. The people in

this community have no respect for the ritual itself, they just want to hurry up and find

out who won, and get to the stoning. In response to questions about the “meaning” of Long 2

the story, Shirley Jackson wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle (July 22, 1948):

“Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by

setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the

story`s readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general

inhumanity in their own lives.” (“Private Demons. The Life of Shirley Jackson”).

The symbols of “The Lottery” become a bit clearer when you consider and

understand that the author was a woman in 1948 America (Modern Short Stories).

This made her someone who had a lot of reason to find the longstanding traditions to

be just as vile as those traditions in "The Lottery". Whether this was segregation, the

lack of free voting rights or any of the many other traditions which still exist primarily

because they have always existed. These are traditions which are often difficult for

those who are not hurt by them to see clearly and that stories like “The Lottery” help to

illuminate. In addition, a woman being the one chosen by the lottery is important. This is

in some way the author putting herself symbolically into the place of the victim. Just as

important, it shows the tradition has subverted the natural instinct men have to protect

women. It also made the victim of the lottery someone who was hurt by tradition in the

nonfictional world as well. slide 6 of 6

"The Lottery” is filled with symbols. This story is in many ways

a parable more than a traditional story. A society so mired in its traditions that it has lost

the ability to even look at the reasons for those traditions, but instead follows them

blindly even when they hurt its citizens. Since this is a danger every society faces “The

Lottery” remains relevant in part because the symbols in the story are never fully

explained ("The Lottery: Symbolic Tour").

The Lottery is just another day to the people of this community. The people pile the

stones high in the corner and gather on-time before the drawing. The women are

gossiping and the children are playing with the stones that are piled in the corner,

seeming oblivious to the horror that they agree with yet you can tell they are almost

trying to hide their nervousness. The stones are a symbol for tradition. Rocks are...

Cited: Madeleine Sackler. The Lottery. Video documentary, 2010.
Continue Reading

Please join StudyMode to read the full document

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Analysis Essay

    ...Short Story Analysis The Lottery Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery", uses irony and comedy to suggest an evil hypocrisy and weakness of the human race. The story takes place in a small village, where the people are close and tradition is dominant. A yearly event, called the lottery, is where one person in the town is randomly chosen in a drawing. To be violently stoned by friends and family. The drawing has been around for over seventy-seven years and is practiced by every member of the town. The unusualness of this idea is most clear through the tone. Jackson’s use of friendly language among the villagers and the presentation of the lottery as an event, similar to the square dances and Halloween programs, illustrate the lottery as a joyful event. The social atmosphere of the women prior to the drawing is also described: "They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip…” The lottery is conducted in a particular manner, and with so much anticipation by the villagers, that the reader expects the winner to receive a prize or something of that manner. It is not until the very end of the story that you learn of the winner's fate: Their prize being death, by friends and family. The lottery is set in a very ordinary town, where everyone knows everyone and individuals are typical. Families carry the very ordinary names of Warner, Martin and Anderson....

    Read More
    889 Words 3 Pages
  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    ...If this were how the story were written we would just be reading about a bunch of people who are at the park and what they are doing feeling and thinking, with not much purpose. The story was written in third person limited so that the reader could gain an understanding of merely Miss Brill and her thoughts and feelings. In the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson the narration is in third person point-of-view objective. The narrator speaks about the characters but not their thoughts or feelings. This point of view is appropriate for this story because the author wants the reader to be ignorant of what type of lottery is taking place until the very end of the story. If the story was written in third person omniscient the reader would gain knowledge of everything each character was feeling and know exactly what type of lottery it was from the beginning. There would be no element of surprise and therefore would lose some of its suspense. If the story was written in limited point-of-view the narrator would know the thoughts and feelings of one character of the story thus still allowing the reader to figure out what type of lottery it was. For these reasons, third person objective is the best type of narration for this story....

    Read More
    487 Words 2 Pages
  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay

    ...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. Shirley Jackson has combined the convention of symbolism into ‘The Lottery’ to create a deep and more profound meaning. The black box a symbol/ icon used in the story is an old, worn, well used box. This box is an important feature of the villagers’ annual tradition. For example, “Mr Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was...

    Read More
    890 Words 3 Pages
  • Analysis of THE LOTTERY by Shirley Jackson Essay

    ...The short story, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson is one pf the most shocking stories I have ever read. It caused controversy when it was published in a New York newspaper and for good reason. The ending is very unsettling and I would even categorize it as a horror story. The picture the story paints prepares you for the exact opposite of what actually happens, making this a confusing, yet unforgettable story. It is hard to figure out what the message is in this story. Starting from the beginning there are many things one must notice upon a second reading. Subtle symbolism is used in a genius manner so that only on a second reading can the reader understand what the author is doing in every paragraph she writes. Throughout the story we are never sure about what exactly this lottery is, which keeps the reader in suspense. The story begins with a cheerful mood. It is summertime in a small town of 300 people. Every character comes off as friendly and full of positive energy. Jackson sets the scene for a beautiful day by describing growing flowers and beautiful grass. The reader is reeled into a peaceful mood and becomes comfortable in "knowing" this is peaceful story. The only confusion in the beginning is when the children are gathering stones and making piles of them. The reader may indicate the children will be throwing the stones, yet in a childlike playful manner and no violent premonitions can be...

    Read More
    810 Words 3 Pages
  • 'the Lottery' by Shirley Jackson Essay

    ...‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses plot. characterisation and suspense to develop several themes. In doing so Jackson deepens our understanding of people and the nature of society. The story begins in a growing village which holds an annual lottery, but instead of being rewarded the person who receives the marked paper gets stoned to death. This itself demonstrates one of the main themes of man’s inhumanity to man. Jackson also shows this by telling the reader that it is a small community that murders one of its own members which shows the shocking and cruel nature achieved by humans. We can see this by looking at the start of the story when a group of boys play at the lake: “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example” This shows inhumanity in an unclear way because the reader doesn’t know why they are doing collecting stones but soon realise at the end that it was so they could throw them at the person who was about to get stoned. Another aspect which shows that the civilisation is inhumane is that the village barely conceal the savagery of killing a member of its own community. Jackson shows this by telling us that the...

    Read More
    1260 Words 4 Pages
  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: an Analysis Essay

    ...Professor Eklund The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: An Analysis The short story “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 first to draw a piece of paper from the black box. The paper with the black dot on it indicates which family is to draw again. Then pieces of paper for each family member are placed in the box and each family member must draw again from the black box. The paper with the black dot on it determines which of the family members is to be stoned to death, as stated in the story towards the end. There is much symbolism in this tale, from the black box used to store the papers, the papers themselves, to the wooden stool used, the time and day the lottery takes place, the names of the participants, the method for killing the chosen one, and the chosen one herself. Though the story can be construed as somewhat morbid, there is much to be learned from the story “The Lottery”. The black box used in this story is described as being shabby and “in some places faded or stained”....

    Read More
    1518 Words 4 Pages
  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay

    ...‘The Lottery’ By Shirley Jackson Mode: Reading Genre: Prose Task: How does Shirley Jackson build up suspense in the short story ‘The Lottery’? The story ‘The Lottery’ was written by Shirley Jackson, throughout the piece the author builds up suspense towards the climax. The story takes place in a small village, where the people are close and tradition is paramount. A yearly event, called the lottery, is one in which one person in the town is randomly selected, by a drawing, to be violently stoned by friends and family. This is a traditional event that is said to encourage a good harvest. The drawing has been around for over 77 years and is practised by every member of the town. The beginning of the story is very different to the ending, at first we have know idea what the lottery is, we do not know it is the cause of someone’s death every year, we ought to think it is a normal lottery where numbers are picked, but by the end of the story, we find we could not have been more wrong. The mood is surprisingly happy at the beginning of the story and there is a real sense of normality. This builds up suspense as we get a big surprise at the end as we finally find out that ‘The Lottery’ is not our average lottery. Shirley Jackson withholds...

    Read More
    1368 Words 4 Pages
  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay

    ...of Human Services Pre-Class Assignment Communications Skills 2 The Lottery By Bobby Sampson 2/2/13 The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is the story of a village following a tradition that results in the sacrifice of one citizen each year by stoning. The author Shirley Jackson shows the reader how following the unknown may result into sorrowful actions if one is too apprehensive to ask questions. Although the villagers do not know why they follow the tradition they willingly participate until they become the victim. Shirley Jackson provides a story full of brutal undertones about a village that performs human sacrifice and blind fellowship that is similar to the mentality of racism. While reading The Lottery the story has a brutal undertone that is evident in the atmosphere and the personality of the characters in the story. From the opening Shirley Jackson describes a peaceful setting but it is full of tension. The first example that something is discomfiting is the children’s attitude when they are dismissed from school, “the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them” (Jackson, 1948). Jackson sets up an ideal summer day, but as her descriptions become more in depth the young boy’s actions also show signs of a slow shift in the atmosphere. Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets...

    Read More
    971 Words 3 Pages

Popular Essays

Become a StudyMode Member

Sign Up - It's Free