The Lottery Essay: Literary Analysis Example,�� The Lottery: Protagonist & Antagonist
Web“The Lottery”, is a short story written by Shirley Jackson and was published in , just three years after World War II. If you didn’t know anything about Shirley Jackson, one WebThe Lottery Shirley Jackson Analysis. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a literary exploration of society’s obsession with tradition, even when it crosses the line of morality. WebAccording to Mr. Warner, the lottery is the only thing keeping society stable. As a man of superstition he thinks that a human sacrifice is the only logical answer for insuring that Web“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a small village where they have a strange annual tradition. The tradition is a lottery where whoever “wins” is stoned to death by the other ... read more
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 The black box in the story symbolizes an outdated ritual.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 Society should be able to protest to challenge an outdated status quo.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. Though the ritual of stoning to death has certain historical basis, its meaning is rather symbolical and should not be taken literally by modern readers. The examples of scapegoating the others, including the limited rights of immigrants for finding a good job and the so-called glass ceiling due to which women receive lower salaries than men doing the same job and have lower chances for career promotion clearly represent the phenomenon of scapegoating in modern community. After the short story was published in The New Yorker in , the author received hundreds of hostile letters from the readers objecting to the brutal ending of the story.
The debates concerning the actual location of these rites prove that the line between the fiction and reality as perceived by the readers appeared to be unclear. Hypocritically concealing their fear of becoming a scapegoat, not feeling empathy with Tessie Hutchinson who becomes a victim and not having moral strength and common sense to abandon the meaningless rite, the characters of the short story have a strong resemblance to modern readers. Thus, the plot of the short story can be regarded as the exaggerated reflection of the phenomenon of scapegoating as the imaginary solution to the real problems of the modern community. Hattenhauer, Darryl. State University of New York Press, Murphy, Bernice.
Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy. Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you? Learn More. 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. Henry David Thoreau: A Challenge to Become Better The two views of the Mississippi. GET WRITING HELP. Cite This paper. Copy to Clipboard Copied! APA-7 APA-6 Chicago N-B Chicago A-D MLA-9 Harvard. Reference IvyPanda.
Writers , Books. Shirley Jackson , The Lottery. In this the lottery essay, it will be analyzed as a twisted story that delves into the darker nature of humans and how far people are willing to blindly following traditions. Essay due? We'll write it for you! Any subject Min. On this day, one lucky villager gets to be the center of attention as stones are hurled at them by their family, friends, and neighbors with every intention of killing them. Summers, who has a lot of free time and energy to devote, seems to take his job very seriously. Throughout the years, a lot of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded and even in some villages, the lotteries were completely given up. The black box, not the original one that was handed down by the first settlers, had been aging and originally used wood chips for the drawing.
Due to the population growth of the village, it was no longer feasible to use the wood chips in the black box and in substitution, uses paper slips now. In the middle of one of the slips, there was a black dot that determined the fate of the unlucky individual. Today, that unlucky individual was Tessie Hutchinson. Tessie Hutchinson has a family of seven; her husband Bill, a teenage daughter Nancy, two sons Bill Jr. and Little Dave, and two daughters Don and Eva, that had been married off. On this unfortunate day, maybe her fate had already been predetermined. She had been late to the square because she wanted to ensure that the dishes had been cleaned.
When Mr. Bill Hutchinson drew the unlucky slip for the family, Tessie made an unsightly commotion about Mr. Summers not giving her husband enough time to draw and she felt it was unfair that he had been rushed. Tessie tried to push the draw onto her own married daughters but that was not how it works. As her husband and children drew the slips for the second round, Tessie kept saying it was unfair and trying to get the villagers to side with her. Her family had accepted their fate if it was meant to be but Tessie just kept on fighting it all the way to the end where she was stoned to death.
It was very alarming, that the villagers felt natural in the way they spoke and picked up the rocks. Shirley Jackson wrote a fantastic short story that can contribute to the discussions about cultural or historical events, attitudes or even rituals awareness that should be changed. Throughout our world history, there have been significant historical events that have happened where people have blindly followed and were able commit atrocious acts of violence against another human being. From the religious violence of the Crusades to the Holocaust during World War II and even more current, the acts of terrorism against people with different views or way of life. An act of self preservation is justifiable and in some states, it is even a law. What if the individual commits those acts following orders out of fear for self preservation?
The draft has been employed by the U. Federal government in five conflicts: the American Revolution, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War to include both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The United States of America now has an All Volunteer Armed Forces and no longer relies on conscription but still maintains the Selective Service registration as a back up. There other countries that has compulsory and volunteer military services as well. As society, the younger generation tends to follow the crowd because it is the trend and it is cool. We must determine what is right over wrong and chose the hard path over the easy path.
Get quality help now Prof Essil. Proficient in: Writers , Books. In the story, the village Lottery is a game that we usually associate with some amusement parks, driving from roller coaster to another carousel or other occasional entertainment events with a joyous color. You can easily imagine the buzz of talks, the The story illustrates the process and which The symbols in the story make the readers aware of impending events and to communicate deeper messages. The Lottery is a story about a small town using an annual Obeying authority figures can cause various problems throughout a society without the society even being aware of the problems that are present. Blind obedience, as noted by Stanley Milgram, has been a factor in helping lead to A successful work of literature is timeless and placeless.
The themes and messages conveyed in a good piece of literature are important despite the era or place the reader is. A successful work of literature also allows readers In the conclusion of the book, you are shown the death of Eleanor. I came to the realization that a very similar death was described previously in the book. Eighteen years before, a man left Hill House in darkness and his horse We use cookies to offer you the best experience. You cannot copy content from our website. If you need this sample, insert an email and we'll deliver it to you. Get quality help now Prof Essil Verified writer Proficient in: Writers , Books.
I have already hired her twice! Hire writer. More Essay Samples on Topic Theme of the Loss of Innocence and Humanity in The Lottery and a Perfect Day for Bana Literary Analysis Based on "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson Essay. Use of Foreshadowing and Dramatic Irony in The Lottery Essay. Insights into the Terror of The Lottery Essay. Symbolism as a Mean for Deeper Understanding of the Novel The Lottery Essay. How Shirley Jackson Uses Imagery in The Lottery Essay. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Literary Analysis Essay. Clock is ticking and inspiration doesn't come?
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Essay on The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson,�� Most Interesting The Lottery Topics to Write about
WebAccording to Mr. Warner, the lottery is the only thing keeping society stable. As a man of superstition he thinks that a human sacrifice is the only logical answer for insuring that Web“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a small village where they have a strange annual tradition. The tradition is a lottery where whoever “wins” is stoned to death by the other WebThe Lottery Shirley Jackson Analysis. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a literary exploration of society’s obsession with tradition, even when it crosses the line of morality. Web“The Lottery”, is a short story written by Shirley Jackson and was published in , just three years after World War II. If you didn’t know anything about Shirley Jackson, one ... read more
This essay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson aimed to provide a close look at it. It starts around 10 in the morning, with the participants going back to their homes for lunch at around noon. Use discount. The lottery that occurs is not quite what the reader expects, and in order to grasp what the lottery is, the reader must understand the plethora of symbols that are utilized throughout the story. The main reason that they stone the people to death is for religious purposes and for human sacrifice to the gods as a form of thank you of what God did to them. The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an Hour Comparison.
The examples of scapegoating the others, including the limited rights of immigrants for finding a good job and the so-called glass ceiling due to which women receive lower salaries than men doing the same job and have lower chances for career promotion clearly represent the phenomenon of scapegoating in modern community. Any way you chose to compare the situations, essay the lottery, our essay the lottery depends heavily upon the allowance of evolution through our present standpoints and how we select to alter it. The story illustrates the process and which Get instant essay writing help! Also, one would not dare to think that winning the lottery would bring such repercussions as injury or death. Summers who runs the lottery mixes the slips of paper in a black box, checks if everyone is in place and invites the heads of the families to draw the papers. That is where the townspeople have their town lottery, essay the lottery.
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