Literary Analysis of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Essay,Works Cited
WebJun 6, · The Lottery: Analysis Essay Introduction The “lottery” in the story is an annual event. Family members and friends randomly select a person in the city to be WebTradition Turns To Violence. In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” she uses imagery, irony, symbolism, and allegory to reveal her perspective on the themes of Web21 rows · Jul 21, · This essay is a literary analysis of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It describes the story’s WebDec 10, · Literary Analysis of The Short Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. Remember! This is just a sample. You can get your custom paper by one of our expert WebApr 19, · Tessie Hutchinson is the best example throughout The Lottery of the hypocrisy that occurs in society when it relates to the treatment of people. Mrs. ... read more
In summary, The Lottery is a compelling and symbolic story about life and demands which have to be met by every people in a particular community. Among the variety of aspects described in the story, the reluctance of many people to reject cruel traditions and stop violence seems to be the most powerful. Murphy, Bernice. Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy. Jefferson: McFarland, Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you? Literary Analysis of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Table of Contents. Learn More. This essay on Literary Analysis of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson was written and submitted by your fellow student. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.
Removal Request. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Delacroix as a determined lady with a quick temper. Her action of picking a big stone expresses it. The reader expects the lottery to be advantageous in some way to the villagers. Nothing of value is achieved, though, in the form of such practice. Jackson depicts horrific and terrible things done in an ordinary manner that suggests underlying human evilness. Every evil deed in the book is done in a friendly and relaxed setting. Thus, it becomes clear that humans are deceiving in their nature.
The presentation of the whole story does not look menacing until near its end. The author seems to foreshadow this threat, as illustrated by Mr. Summers, who is in charge of the lottery, and his associate Mr. In this short story, the description makes Mr. Summers seem to be a respected member of the local society. He organizes and coordinates various social events. Summers has a modest character, but a hazardous one. Summers was very good at all this ….. with one hand carelessly resting on the black box, he seemed very proper and important as he talked interminably to Mr.
Graves and the Martins. For the reader, they represent a high degree of violation of human rights. The principal characters used in the short story represent the atmosphere of the actual events. Additionally, the name of Mr. Graves, his assistant in lottery events, symbolizes the wickedness of ordinary villagers. So, the author uses such names to portray the idea of such absurdity. In the short story, the lottery represents the weak and deceitful nature of humans. This act has been a practice for many years in this area. And yet, no one seems to doubt its detrimental effect on the local population. According to Hyman 35 , despite depriving humans of their rights for life, no one had expressed fear or disgust at the act. The kind of evil and lack of morality portrayed goes beyond human brutality.
Everything is done in a calm and consensual manner. Marshall 3 suggests, such an atmosphere is a real reflection of how people are profoundly hypocritic and wicked. It concerns even Mrs. Hutchinson, who comes out to protest and rebel against the lottery. Unsurprisingly, she becomes the victim of the lottery act the same day she protested against it. Hutchinson does not speak against the mistreatment of her fellow villagers before she is chosen to be sacrificed Hyman Such an event shows that all acts of defiance against the lottery are quickly hindered. Everything goes on as usual. Need a custom Essay written for you? HIRE A WRITER! Works Cited Jackson, Shirley.
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Check out this essay sample to get more ideas for your The Lottery analysis essay. Shirley Jackson wrote several short stories, but she is broadly remembered because of her short story The Lottery. This story is considered one of the best American short stories of the 20th century. It centers around several themes, such as the role of traditions, parenting, and scapegoating. It starts around 10 in the morning, with the participants going back to their homes for lunch at around noon. Despite this initial scene, The Lottery is a horror story.
This type of setting is very unusual for this genre. In the second paragraph, the readers learn that the children are the first ones to assemble at the square. The boys are stuffing their pockets with stones, picking the most beautiful and round ones. This type of warning at the beginning of the story is foreshadowing. Summers, a man, who represents authority in the short story, carries out a black wooden box. He stirs up the papers inside of it. The black box is ancient, meaning that this lottery tradition continued for a very long time. Until this moment in the story, there is no real indication of what is about to happen. The reader does not know what prize people will be able to win. Until the lottery starts and everyone takes its turn. A boy from the Hutchinson family draws, and the readers realize that the lottery is not about winning.
The head of the family tries to argue with Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves when he gets the results. The next step in the lottery is a ritual. Every family member of the selected household has to draw a lottery ticket personally. The one who gets a paper with a black dot on it will have to be stoned to death. A wife and a mother, Tessie Hutchinson, is the one who gets the paper with the black dot. At that moment, she starts saying that it is not just. However, it is too late. People already took the stones and started throwing it at her. Even babies have to participate in this ruthless ritual.
Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her. They showed no sympathy for her. One of the most important themes in The Lottery is the family theme. This attitude shows that in situations like this, an individual cares only about self-preservation. In The Lottery, families do not have an emotional bond, only a social one. There is another critical aspect of the family theme. It is how gender operates within the community and a family unit. The father is the one who initially draws the slip. This fact shows that men are superior to women in this society. It is peculiar to see that Tessie Hutchinson is a female character that speaks the most in the story.
Nevertheless, she is the one who will be killed by society and her family. As the readers see in the story, the parents incentivize violence from a very early age. They do not teach kids to rely on their understanding of right and wrong. Children are encouraged to follow traditions blindly. It symbolizes indoctrination and brainwashing that happens even in the modern world. Another vital issue that Shirley Jackson raised in The Lottery was the role of tradition. A man called Old Man Warner is a conservative force in the story. He implies that human sacrifice will better crop growth. The reason why the current generation does it is that they want to follow the tradition. They do it because they always have been doing it. It is also backed up by the authorities. They make sure it happens every year on the same date.
The black box in the story symbolizes an outdated ritual. Over the years, the rules remained the same with some minor changes. First, is that people should stand up against authority if something is not just. Society should be able to protest to challenge an outdated status quo. Second, in the story, Shirley Jackson criticized democracy. As we see, everyone in the story is happy about the lottery. Even Tessie Hutchinson does not oppose it before it turns against her. So, if the majority wants to do something, it does not automatically make it right. Third, Shirley Jackson criticizes small-town life.
She moved to Vermont, the villagers there never accepted her. She expresses that evil can happen even in small, peacefully looking places. Not to repeat the mistakes of Nazis, people should carefully examine their actions. Mainly because it has an open ending. One of the ways to interpret it is through the theme of discrimination. Turning a blind eye towards those who are suffering is less complicated. It is more challenging to stand up for their rights. People participate in systemic cruelty towards marginalized communities, animals, each other.
When it does not personally affect you, people are more likely to ignore it. If the readers take the example of Tessie Hutchinson, they will understand one thing clearly. She could protest against the cruelty of the tradition, only when it affected her. The readers do not see hundreds of those who were stoned before her. There will probably be more people stoned in the future. The villagers are not ready to revisit this ritual and give up on it. Regardless of the current progress, society remains cruel. Sexual and ethnic minorities are frequently blamed for all societal problems. We can connect it with the tradition of blaming the weak for the issues as they do not have a voice.
The fact that the story appeared after the Nazis were defeated is also essential. This was a historical example of following the authority unquestionably. Even after it, people are not willing to change. Americans can still show indifference to those affected by violence and unjust treatment. The idyllic setting proves that cruelty can happen anywhere at any given moment in history. As a society, misfortune is treated as a casual thing. It is very similar to the way the villagers treat the lottery. They simply go ahead with their lives after murdering a person. The aftermath of The Lottery proves that the story has a lot of similarities with our society.
People received it with a lot of criticism as well as praise. Some individuals were wondering if the lottery existed. The author received letters from the readers after the short story was published in The New Yorker in Many of them she received that summer were from people who wanted to know if such lotteries existed. They desired to watch them in real life. This essay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson aimed to provide a close look at it. We explored some of the central themes and symbols of this story. Nevertheless, there are many more aspects that one can decide to focus on. Undeniably, the short story written by Shirley Jackson is still relevant 70 years later. Now more than ever, people should fight mob mentality, injustice, scapegoating, and reject outdated tradition.
You can start your essay on The Lottery by telling your audience about the writer, her life, and her works. Talk about the initial response the work got. If you decide to go a different route, you can select a popular tradition and talk about its origins. The central problem in the story is the blind following of outdated traditions and rituals.
“The Lottery” Literary Analysis Analytical Essay,The Lottery Analysis
WebDec 10, · In “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson tells us about a town’s annual tradition. At first all of the people seemed excited and then as the tradition started everyone became WebDec 10, · Literary Analysis of The Short Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. Remember! This is just a sample. You can get your custom paper by one of our expert WebJun 6, · The Lottery: Analysis Essay Introduction The “lottery” in the story is an annual event. Family members and friends randomly select a person in the city to be WebApr 19, · Tessie Hutchinson is the best example throughout The Lottery of the hypocrisy that occurs in society when it relates to the treatment of people. Mrs. Web21 rows · Jul 21, · This essay is a literary analysis of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It describes the story’s WebTradition Turns To Violence. In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” she uses imagery, irony, symbolism, and allegory to reveal her perspective on the themes of ... read more
StudyCorgi Literature. Facts from Biography The American Dream by Edward Albee Play Analysis. But how many more can you find? Nothing of value is achieved, though, in the form of such practice. George Orwell's as a Historical Allegory Essay One aspect of that is consistently dominant, is the theme of manipulation, and how even the most overt and simplistic forms of manipulation manages to keep the citizens of Oceania so loyal so successfully.
Davy Hutchison, literary analysis essay on the lottery, the son of Bill and Tessie Hutchinson, is found near the end of The Lottery and readers may mistakenly view the youngest member of the family as having a miniature part concerning The Lottery, but this is simply untrue. On literary analysis essay on the lottery day of the lottery which is the special day, the people in the town perform a lot of activities, such young boys, gathering stones, as women gossiping and kids playing with one another. By showing that the people in the village have simultaneously forgotten how or why the lottery started in the first place yet defend its ritual as the most significant thing in society, Jackson reaches her highest level of irony in the story. The Necklace: Symbolism The Necklace is one of the most famous short stories that talks about a woman whose dreams of wealth got shattered. Hutchinson does not speak against the mistreatment of her fellow villagers before she is chosen to be sacrificed Hyman
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