The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a seemingly normal day in a small village. The town has gathered together on a beautiful summers day to socialize and to support the local businesses. Typically, when one thinks of a lottery, they think of winning something pleasant, such as money or baked goods. However, after a few pages this is clearly not the case. In the beginning of the story, all the villagers are gathering while the children collect stones joyfully. Each family’s name is called, and the head of each household comes up to get a piece of paper nervously. Once all of the families have drawn a piece of paper it is quickly seen that Bill Hutchinson’s family has the only slip of paper with a black dot. They have won the lottery. However, winning the lottery is not as pleasant as was earlier assumed. Mrs. Hutchinson begins to protest, terrified of her family’s fate, proclaiming that the lottery is not fair. Her protests…
Shirley Jackson 's "The Lottery" portrays a small town in which the citizens gather for a yearly lottery. The story begins on a beautiful summer afternoon. The town 's citizens are eager, gathering in the town square in order to take part in the yearly lottery by drawing slips of paper from a traditional black box. Everyone, including Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson, awaits this yearly tradition and most of them agree that this tradition should continue to be held in their small town. The lottery seems exciting; however, unlike a typical lottery the reader finds that toward the end of this short story it is not a lottery anyone in the small town wishes to win. The unlucky winner of the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson, is a character of tardiness or procrastination, anxiety, whining and annoyance; however, she never questions the reasoning behind the lottery, only why it is her that has to die.…
The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, yet still, leaves a mark on any person who gets their hands on it today. The story starts out by setting an enjoyable atmosphere at the beginning of summer. The community gathers and the story almost fulfills the reader’s idea of a perfect town activity. However, the story has a sharp twist at the end that leaves the reader in shock. Jackson wrote the story to leave an impact and whom how quickly human nature can change. Shirley Jackson shows the duality of human nature in the characters of the children, Tessie Hutchinson, and Mr. Summers.…
Summers, who everyone follows, takes control of the lottery. By his actions he comes across as being insensitive: “guess we better get started, get this over with, so we can go back to work” (3). By Mr. Summers indicating that he is in a hurry shows his apathetic personality. He is inconsiderate about people’s emotions, thoughts and the life that will be lost. Furthermore, this also suggests that he is customary to the routine that takes place and he’s unfazed by the persecution. During the ceremony each family member is involved; unfortunately, members of the family, such as Bill Hutchinson, turn on each other as he “went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out her hand” (6). Bill Hutchinson has a less chance of getting persecuted; resulting, in his wife getting persecuted instead. This portrays the self-centeredness that an individual has to prevent them getting persecuted, and would rather see his loved one get killed which shows how easily families can fall apart due to the event. Mrs. Delacroix, who was friends with Mrs. Hutchinson, turned her back on Mrs. Hutchinson when she was about to be persecuted: “Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands” (7). For Mrs. Delacroix to pick the largest stone portrays how devious she is, because she had a choice to throw a lighter stone; however, this could be seen as Mrs. Delacroix choosing the largest stone to get the persecution over and done within a quicker time. The…
“Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon,” (pg 52, line 260-261) sounds promising RIGHT? “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a beautiful nice June 27th when people are gathering around and one person is going to hell. The lottery was created was because the village had to sacrificing someone for a good harvest and now it’s just for tradition. Let’s go into detail on why the lottery was created.…
This is a story about a small rural village that holds its annual lottery. Families in the village participate and the lottery starts by one representative from each family pulling a piece of paper from the black box the one who gets the paper with the black spot is stoned to death as per tradition of the lottery. This world that is created by Shirley Jackson in “The Lottery” is a dystopia.…
“The Lottery” begins with a community portraying an uneasiness in each person’s actions because a certain event takes place the same day, every year, casting a shadow on everyone’s lives on that day. Every person will select a slip of paper from a box and the person with the slip that has a black dot on it will be stoned to death, quickly, with stones that people have already stacked in a pile. The pile is an accumulation…
For most people the word “lottery” conjures up thoughts of winning a multi-million dollar prize, but for the villagers in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” the word brings forth a sense of dread. The lottery is an old tradition in the village that happens every June 27th and starts out as a seemingly innocent event. However as the process of the lottery begins, it is obvious the lottery is a thing the villagers fear.…
This story takes place in a small nameless village on 27th June when the villagers begin to gather for the drawing of yearly lottery. The children innocently playing around collecting stones, the women are talking among themselves and the men have their own conversation. Mr. Summer who is the man in charge of the lottery arrives while carrying a black box and the mood of the story suddenly changes. The old black box contains pieces of paper that will be used to determine the winner. After he makes sure everyone is already there, it begins. Every head of household comes to the front to take a piece of paper then followed by his entire family, but they cannot open it yet. After everyone has their paper, they open it at once, the silent atmosphere suddenly change and become tenser as everyone ask who wins the lottery. It turns out that Mr. Hutchinson wins the lottery, but suddenly his wife Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson against the result and states that it’s not fair because they didn’t give his husband enough time to take the paper and asks to re-draw, Mr. Summer agrees and everyone in Hutchinson family draws again and reveals it one by one; Mrs. Tessie is the last one to reveal her paper and everyone realizes that she wins the lottery. As she protests, the townspeople, even her family surrounds her and stones her to death.…
Agriculture is the main staple of this village and a great emphasis seems to be placed on the bountifulness of crops. This is reinforced by Old Man Warner, a long time resident of the town, when he cites the expression, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon." There is timid talk by Mr. and Mrs. Adams of nearby villages doing away with the lottery, but the notion is quickly abolished when Warner calls these new thinkers "a pack of crazy fools." He sarcastically suggests that perhaps they would be better off if they succumbed to living in caves and eating "stewed chicken weed and acorns." As far as Old Man Warner is concerned, there has always been a lottery.…
Most small towns have their own special tradition. Nokomis, Illinois has a Homecoming carnival the second weekend in July every year, Witt has Labor Day, and Hillsboro has Old Settlers. These events bring the community together in celebration. However, in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery on July 27th the community does not gather for a celebration; instead they gather nervously awaiting the yearly tradition of “The Lottery”. In this village members of the community draw slips of paper from an old worn wooden box to determine who will be sacrificed for the greater good of the village. It is suggested in the story that the sacrifice is for the growth of the corn. The ritual of the lottery has been going on for so long that the majority of people don’t know why they continue the tradition or its origin; the community only knows that they always have.…
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is set in a small New England town with a population of around 300 people. From tradition, towns all over, including this one, partake in a lottery or drawing of slips by family to pick who will b e sacrificed for success in the growing season. This novella is about the theme “fear affects the thoughts, ideas, and actions of others as well as the root of fear.” For instance, Shirley Jackson writes “There’s always been a lottery,” he said petulantly “some places have already quit lotteries,” Mrs. Adams said. “Nothing but trouble in that, “ Old Man Warner said stoutly.” (pg. 4) Old Man Warner fears the absence of the lottery when proclaiming: “Nothing but trouble in that”, he thinks that their entire town will…
years?” I said to myself. “Now I know how it felt to be the family who got chosen to do the Lottery and sacrifice one of their family members for this tradition that no longer has a purpose.” Suddenly, this anger, frustration built up inside me made me yell, “You didn’t give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair,” to Mr. Summers.…
Imagine winning the lottery but instead of some kind of monetary reward, winning causes you to lose your life! Well in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” that is exactly what happens to the characters, at first everything appears like just another normal mundane village but gradually things take a much darker turn as the lottery persist until the unlucky fellow wins. After being announced victorious the victors family (including the victor himself) have a much smaller lottery and whoever wins that is stoned by the entire town! In this village the lottery was an annual tradition that the entire village was extremely opposed to ever changing, two of the villagers that stood out most to me were old man Warner and Mr.Summers.…
In Texas about 20,000,000 citizens participate in the lottery every year. Far much larger than a village in “The Lottery” with a population of about 300. Among that 300 are Old Man Warner who is the eldest man in town, and Tessie who was the unlucky winner. Although in most lotteries the outcome of winning is usually pretty satisfying. In this narrative, Tessie soon learns to never take anything in life for granted and that since Old Man Warner has kept the tradition alive she is the winner of this lottery and now has to accept her winnings.…