Category: The Lottery

One of the prominent themes, commonly explored in the works of literature, is a blindness of one’s fate. Apparently, it is being quite impossible for the people to proceed with indulging in a variety of cognitive activities without noticing that it is namely the factor of uncertainty, which defines the actual outcome of their even seemingly well-planned undertakings.

In its turn, the exposure of fate’s blindness is best achieved by the mean of authors utilizing the rhetorical element of irony. The reason for this is simple – by emphasizing ironic undertones of how characters go about addressing life’s challenges, authors increase the emotional appeal of their stories.

After all, just as it is being the case with many literary characters trying to adjust the surrounding reality to correlate with their deep-seated idealistic/irrational anxieties, the members of reading audiences are being naturally inclined to seek purposefulness to their existence.

However, given the fact that such their inclination stands in striking opposition to the actual essence of nature’s workings, it does not come as a particular surprise that eventually, most of them end up experiencing certain disillusionment, as the result of having realized the sheer erroneousness of their idealistic attitudes towards life.

Therefore, upon being exposed to a literary irony, concerned with accentuating fate’s blindness, readers are able to confirm the validity of their own experiences, in this respect. In its turn, this causes them to them to think of the stories/novels that feature the prominent elements of irony, as such that represent a particularly high literary value.

In this paper, I will aim to explore the legitimacy of an earlier suggestion in regards to how the deployment of a literary irony had helped Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne to emphasize the philosophic significance of their short stories The Lottery and The Ambitious Guest.

As people go through life, they tend to assess the qualitative essence of their experiences, concerned with addressing life’s challenges, in terms of ‘fairness vs. unfairness’.

Such their tendency, however, appears highly irrational, because it is often being the case that what people tend to consider the emanations of ‘fairness’, in regards to the lives of others, seem highly ‘unfair’, when assessed through the lenses of their own existential experiences. The validity of this idea can be well illustrated in relation to Jackson’s short story.

After all, even though that is it appears from this story’s context, the character of Mrs. Hutchinson used to participate in playing the lottery on numerous occasions, it never occurred to her that there was any unfairness to the stoning of lottery’s previous ‘winners’.

In fact, she even had a hard time while trying to conceal her excitement, in respect of having been provided with an opportunity to observe the spectacle of a next lottery’s ‘winner’ being put to death: “I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running” (Jackson).

Nevertheless, after having realized it is was her husband Bill who pulled out the ‘lucky’ chip this time, Mrs. Hutchinson started to exhibit the sings of uneasiness with what was about to follow. Yet, while being unable to prevent the stoning of her husband by the mean of appealing to participants’ sense of rationale, Mrs.

Hutchinson could not think of anything better to do but to accuse Mr. Summers of the fact that he did not allow Bill to take his time, while deciding on which wooden chip he should have picked.

To substantiate the legitimacy of her claim, Mrs. Hutchinson invoked the notion of fairness: “Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers. ‘You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you.

It wasn’t fair!’” (Jackson). Given the fact that, as it was the case with Mrs. Hutchinson, village residents were just as concerned with ensuring ‘fairness’, as their lives’ foremost prerogative, they did allow lottery’s redraw. As a result, Mrs. Hutchinson ended up pulling out the ‘lucky’ chip herself.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that this time she did not have any formal excuses to complain about the ‘unfairness’, Mrs. Hutchinson proceeded with referring to her ‘luck’ with picking out the designated chip as being utterly unfair: “’It isn’t fair,’ she said… ‘It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,’ Mrs. Hutchinson screamed” (Jackson).

It is needles to mention, of course, that there is a prominently defined irony to Jackson story’s conclusion. After all, nobody forced Mr. Hutchinson to start making public appeals to ‘fairness’.

Therefore, it is utterly ironic that, while referring to her rather acute sense of ‘fairness’, as the driving motivation behind her demand for lottery’s redraw, Mrs. Hutchinson had in fact brought about her own demise.

In its turn, this point out to the full validity of a highly ironic saying – ‘be careful about what you are wishing for’. Apparently, the actual tragedy of one’s existence is not being concerned with the fact that, as time goes on, he or she is having a hard time, while trying to assure ‘fate’s smiling’, but with the fact that very often such ‘fate’s smiling’ appears to have strongly defined negative connotations to it.

Essentially the same argument can be utilized within the context of discussing the significance of a literary irony in Hawthorne’s story. As it appears from this particular story, the character of young traveler never ceased experiencing an acute sensation that he was destined for something great.

Moreover, traveler’s greatness-related anxieties were not as much concerned with his intention to become a socially prominent individual in physical life, as much as they were concerned with his desire to attain post-mortem fame: “The secret of the young man’s character was a high and abstracted ambition. He could have borne to live an undistinguished life, but not to be forgotten in the grave” (Hawthorne).

Apparently, the traveler was endowed with a so-called ‘Faustian’ psyche, the workings of which are being concerned with an affiliated individual’s subconscious and highly idealistic desire to live for something greater than simply the satisfaction its animalistic instincts, as it is being usually the case with people endowed with a so-called ‘Apollonian’ mentality.

Nevertheless, ‘Faustians’ are being just as subjected to the objective laws of nature as ‘Apollonians’ are. Given the fact that the principle of uncertainty (Heisenberg’s principle) defines the very essence of how natural laws affect the surrounding reality, it does not come as a particular surprise that idealistically minded people’s strive to ensure the ‘purposefulness’ of their lives often falls short of its objectives.

After all, it is specifically their exposure/non-exposure to purely accidental events, which define these people’s actual chances to attain social prominence – whatever the emotionally uncomfortable such a suggestion may sound.

Therefore, the novel’s scene in which traveler dies during the course of an avalanche (which presupposes that his grave will forever remain anonymous), cannot be referred to as anything but highly ironic.

It is not only that the cottage where traveler had stopped for the night was left untouched by the avalanche: “Down came the whole side of the mountain, in a cataract of ruin.

Just before it reached the house, the stream broke into two branches – shivered not a window there, but overwhelmed the whole vicinity” (Hawthorne), which means that the traveler would have survived, had he stayed inside, but that contrary to traveler’s expectation, his death proved essentially futile.

Thus, just as it is being the case with highly ironic sounding of Jackson novel’s conclusion, the highly ironic conclusion of Hawthorne’s novel was meant to emphasize fate’s blindness.

I believe that the provided earlier line of argumentation, in regards to what should be considered the significance of both stories’ clearly ironic sounding, is being fully consistent with paper’s initial thesis.

By utilizing the rhetorical element of irony, Jackson and Hawthorne were able to increase the emotional appeal of their stories.

Even though that the settings of both stories imply the apparent incompatibility between earlier discussed characters’ existential modes, these stories’ reading does advance the idea that, regardless of what happened to be the particulars of people’s cultural or social affiliation, they are being equally subjected to the strikes of a blind fate.

Therefore, even though that formally speaking, both stories can be best described as being rather depressing, they nevertheless emanate a strong humanist spirit. After all, these stories do encourage readers to consider the possibility that there is no ‘fairness’ to be found in life – hence, increasing their chances to adopt a proper attitude, when it comes to tackling life’s inconsistencies.

Bibliography

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Ambitious Guest. Classic Reader, 2010. Web.

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. American Literature, 2003. Web.

The symbolism used by Shirley Jackson is designed to allow readers to understand the meaning of the story better. The characters in the story, the objects, and the figures used make up the universe of the literary work. Moreover, the author includes readers in the process of actively interpreting and analyzing the story’s plot. This is achieved through the use of symbols conveying the writer’s idea and revealing the essence of the story.

The black box used by the characters to conduct the lottery symbolizes the residents’ distorted ideas of justice. It also shows how outdated traditions can persist in society, hindering its development. When Jackson writes about the box, she always mentions its black color. The author gives a detailed account of how this object “grew shabbier each year” (Jackson 2). Despite the dilapidation of the box, it holds tremendous power to control the destinies of the villagers. Similarly, many social laws adopted many years ago and remaining in force can destroy the lives of those who fall under their action.

Old Man Warner is a character who symbolizes the thoughtless adherence to tradition. He believes in justice for what happens in the village. In response to Mr. Adams’ comment that some places have already abolished the lottery, Old Man Warner says that he sees it as “nothing but trouble” (Jackson 4). The hero is convinced that the abandonment of this tradition will lead to a return to wild times. This is ironic, for, on the contrary, it is the killing of innocent people with stones that is absolute barbarism. Old Man Warner is a symbol of savagery; through this character, the author shows how easily evil can arise in people’s souls. In essence, the villagers justify murder with tradition – the need to follow a norm established many years ago makes them forget that the victims of their arbitrariness are those with whom they have lived side by side.

In addition, there is a certain symbolism associated with the use of numbers in the story. For example, Old Man Warner managed to avoid the lottery by living to the age of 77. The number seven in American and worldwide tradition means good luck. The doubling of this numeral indicates a double dose of blessing that this character receives. When his last name is announced, the hero twice tells everyone in the crowd that it is his “seventy-seventh time” (Jackson 5). It is interesting that while being a man who so strongly supports the preservation of tradition in the village, he at the same time managed to avoid his participation in this. Perhaps the author wants to show that if he were in the place of those who were unlucky, Old Man Warner would change his mind about the lottery.

Jackson’s use of symbolism was driven by the author’s desire to initiate a more profound response in her readers. The numbers, characters, and objects mentioned in the text are elements of the story that help deepen understanding of its meaning. In addition, the vagueness of the symbols allows for an ambiguous interpretation of their meaning, which creates space for readers to think creatively about the short story’s plot. Shirley Jackson’s use of symbolism makes the narrative more colorful and helps in revealing the societal and political issues that exist in the village.

“The Lottery” and “Cleveland and It Hurts”

I will make a comparison of the above two stories in the light of suspense, foreshadowing and flashback. I chose to use the above elements of literature because the two stories are heavily dependent on those elements.

The Lottery examines the dark side of a human being, the results of one’s ritualized doings, as well as hidden and probable cruel nature of a person.

The story by Swanson Cleveland and It Hurts is full of remorse and disappointment which the main characters experience. Swanson effectively used flashback to tell his story and to create suspension. Swanson did not start his story in a conventional manner, “when your wife is killed by hit-and-run you get on an Amtrack and head West” (Swanson 1).

From the very first line, the suspense is created. It helps the reader to immediately get interested about the way the incident took place. The author depicts some distant past to show the kind of life that he had with his wife. It is not very hard to realize that the narrator is thoughtful.

It is likely that the couple was newly married because the narrator goes in details about their wedding ceremony but he fails to mention anything about their children. Within the same first line of the story, I find more suspense in the reasoning of the narrator – why did he head west after his wife had died? what were the reasons for that? The author uses flashback to reveal more about the life they had with his wife before she passed away.

On the other hand, the story Lottery used foreshadowing to reveal the flow of events in the story. This is in contrast to the story by Swanson which used flashback to build the story backwards. For instance, the piling of the stones by the children at the beginning of the story was a foreshadowing of the stoning which was to take place at the end of the story.

Though the piling of the stones does not raise any suspicion for the readers, a keen reader can easily point out the purpose of the stones when the crowd at the end of the story gets nervous. I found it quite suspending that the author was not giving enough information about the lottery at the beginning of the narration. The reader is given very scanty information about the lottery. The author only reveals this information at the very end of the story, therefore, effectively keeping a reader guessing what is going to happen (Jackson 1).

“Things Fall Apart” and “Death of a Salesman”

For the second part of this essay I chose the two stories above so that I could analyze their main characters. Okonkwo is the main character in Things Fall Apart and Willy Loman holds the story together in Death of a Salesman. I found an amazing resemblance between Okonkwo and Wily Loman; actually, the titles of the books can be exchanged –both characters have similar lives and both of them die in the end.

Another resemblance that caught my attention is the determination that both character wanted to succeed in life by means of improving their financial position. Willy went to extreme ends in order to make a fortune for Biff – the fortune that would make it possible for Biff to live the American dream. (Miller 1).

What about our man Okonwko? I choose to call him a gladiator since he was extremely strong, worked all day round and never showed weakness. He hated laziness and weakness with passion and he could even kill to prove he was a man: “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his matchet and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Chinua 43). Okonkwo believed that it was laziness and weakness that made his father Unoka a disgrace of the village.

Okonkwo was determined to reverse this image by ensuring that he became the most successful man in his region which consisted of nine villages. Okonkwo and Willy are two characters in different worlds who struggled against all odds to ensure that they gained respect from the society, and above all that they got more than wealth. The passion to be prosperous motivated both Willy and Okonkwo.

There is one contrasting thing which comes out clearly. In his lifetime Okonkwo was able to command huge respect from the society because of his achievement. There are many achievements that Okonkwo achieved unlike Willy who managed to know one fact that the product that he sold as a salesman was himself.

As Things Fall Apart and Death of a Salesman came to their ending, the main characters of the two stories, Okonkwo and Willy, decide to behave similarly. Being disappointed by their lives, they made up their mind to end their tragic living by committing suicides since they did not manage to achieve things they strived for all their lives.

Works Cited

Chinua, Achebe. Things Fall Apart. London, UK: Heinemann, 1996. Print.

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. New York, NY: Creative Company, 2008. Print.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a salesman: play in two acts. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Services, 1980. Print.

Swanson, Thea. Cleveland and It Hurts. New York, NY: Pacific Ocean, 2006. Print.

A good literary work is usually expected to teach the reader, and it often tells something significant about human nature and the nature of social relations. Thus, a piece of literature can be discussed as significant or worthy when its content is used to focus the readers’ attention n on controversial issues that are often not expressed openly in the society; when the work can reveal the aspects of social relations that are often misunderstood; and when the work can provoke the readers to face problems that are usually ignored in the society.

In this case, an author can choose to be sarcastic, ironical, or straightforward while conveying the main idea. In her short story titled “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson concentrates on representing the members of the American ‘typical’ community who hold the controversial customary lottery during the years.

While making their neighbors become sacrificial victims of the tradition that is mistakenly meant to lead to high harvests, the villagers appear to be in the situation when the largest public fear is not human death, but the rejection of the tradition (Jackson 6).

From this perspective, a good literary work points at significant controversial and hidden issues that need to be discussed openly, and it provokes readers to look at the problem from the new side, as it is in Jackson’s “The Lottery”, where the human sacrifice is perceived as normal, the role of tradition is overestimated, and conformity is associated with ignorance.

Thus, Jackson’s short story discusses the possibility of the human sacrifice in the American society as a metaphorical illustration for a range of controversial rules, traditions, and customs that can be the part of the community during many years. The brutal character of these activities is usually hidden under many peaceful names, like a ‘lottery’, in order to avoid the public’s resistance.

The characters of Jackson’s short story perceive a lottery like a normal event, that is similar to “the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program” as “civic activities” popular in the village (Jackson 1). It seems that almost no one in the village sees and understands the violence and threat of this lottery as an ‘ordinary’ event.

The problem is in the fact that even if the villagers see their tradition as outdated, they seem to hide the fact that it is brutal and immoral. From this point, the author intends to accentuate the idea that strange and negative events happen in all societies, and it is necessary to find strength the to admit and then oppose these events, traditions, and rules.

It is also necessary to note that the tradition of a lottery is highly overestimated by the people in the village, as it is described by Jackson in the story. The reason is that the villagers chose to link or associate the human sacrifice with the prosperity and stability in the village, and this wrong opinion is one of simple case uses of people’s annual deaths in this community. The lottery seems to be reasonable because it emphasizes the civilization that is proved to be characteristic for the villagers (Jackson 4).

Thus, a single path for those people rejecting the tradition is “to go back to living in caves” (Jackson 4). The human sacrifice is perceived as the origin of the good for the villagers because they say, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (Jackson 4). In this context, Jackson stresses on misconceptions and misunderstandings associated with following traditions in the society. The author masterly uses the image of a lottery in order to state that people are often misled in society, and they need to look at issues from many perspectives.

Conformity that is the cause and consequence of ignorance typical for the villagers is associated with their fear to reject the strange and even pagan tradition and stand against the opinion of the majority. Any attempts to speak about forgetting this aggressive tradition are prevented by those villagers who do not know how to live the other way. People can only guess that “over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” (Jackson 4).

However, they even try to avoid thinking about that scenario in their village because everyone has doubts even regarding changing the box for the lottery (Jackson 1).

In this case, the village is an example of the society where conformity and absence of the public’s opposition can lead to obvious tragedies and to individual victims stoned to death. In this significant literary work, the author attracts the audience’s attention to the issue of the public’s indifference that is often connected with observed conformity. From this point, Jackson discusses the important questions about the nature of conformist societies and about the role of an individual’s opposition to the views of the majority.

However, the story by Shirley Jackson can also be discussed as too horrific and unrealistic in order to be considered as a worthy piece of literature that makes the public think about the important issues. The supporters of this idea can state that the readers’ main feelings associated with this short story are fear, disgust, and antipathy. As a result, any important social lessons cannot be understood and perceived adequately.

Nevertheless, it is significant to state that the metaphorical content of Jackson’s short story is even more effective to catch the audience’s attention than everyday reportages. While focusing on the nature of the villagers’ aggression and misconceptions, the readers become to understand that conformity is the main cause of tragedies in the village where brutal traditions seem to be more significant for people than the lives of their family members.

From this point, Jackson’s short story is most effective to represent the opposite sides of conformity in the society while discussing how the life of one community member can be sacrificed for the good of others without any sound reason to support the choice.

It is important to focus the readers’ attention on the literary piece written by Shirley Jackson because “The Lottery” is a perfect example that demonstrates how the society can be ignorant and misled while focusing on the wrong beliefs that are in opposition to the world principles of morality.

The writer concentrates on the controversial situation when conformity leads to corrupting and destroying the basic social rules. In “The Lottery”, the understanding and vision of the rules of the stable and peaceful life can be discussed as substituted with the focus on outdated pagan traditions according to which the choice of a scapegoat can help the community to resolve the problems. This problem is typical for many modern societies following the traditions of the past.

Works Cited

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. 2010. Web.

Introduction

The lottery is a masterpiece by Shirley Jackson, tackling traditional issues in a small town in North Bennington. Villagers come together for an annual lottery. The village accommodates only 300 people. Everyone in the village has to participate in the lottery with a representative from every family drawing a slip from the black box. As the story starts, children collect stones and put them in their pockets. Mr. Summers is the one in charge of the lottery and his arrival sends shivers across the crowd.

As he mixes slips in the black box, Tessie Hutchinson hurriedly finds her way to where her family members are standing and says that she had forgotten the day of the lottery. Her late arrival and the fact that she had forgotten the lottery day, make Tessie stand out in the crowd. Another outstanding character is the Old Man who thinks people are becoming crazy by planning to quit this annual exercise. While Tessie is a free-spirited woman, the Old Man is superstitious and full of fears of the unknown.

Relationship

As aforementioned, Tessie Hutchison is a free-spirited woman who cares less about traditions and superstitions. She arrives at the gathering late and makes it clear that she had forgotten the exact date of the lottery. She says, “Clean forgot what day it was” (Jackson Para. 8). Her forgetfulness symbolizes how inconsequential this superstitious event is to her. It is only after realizing the kids were gone that she realizes that it is 27th of June when the lottery takes place.

Her free spirit leads her to protest against the lottery results after her husband draws the marked paper. She says, “I tell you it wasn’t fair. You did not give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that” (Jackson Para. 21). All people should respect traditions and the fact that everyone attends this event shows how important it is.

However, Tessie; driven by her free spirit, gathers the courage to question the results of the lottery and makes it clear that the results are not fair. This shows that she is not superstitious and does not care about the traditions for she is not tied to them.

On the other side, the Old Man is superstitious and anti-change. His superstitious character comes into light when Mr. Adams posits that, people in the north village want to quit participating in the lottery. He says, “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody works anymore, live that way for a while” (Jackson Para. 16).

He calls young people ‘crazy fools’ and indicates that nothing good can come out of them. According to this Old Man, if young people abandon the lottery, they will go and live in the caves. This is superstition and he thinks the punishment of abandoning this exercise would be going back to cave age. He is anti-change and wants to maintain the status quo.

He says, “There’s always been a lottery…Nothing but trouble in that” (Jackson Para. 18). According to the Old Man, the only reason why there should be a lottery is that there has always been one and anything short of that will fuel nothing but crisis. This behavior is illogical and fears the unknown.

Conclusion

Tessie and the Old Man have contrasting personalities. While Tessie is a free-spirited woman, the Old Man is superstitious and full of fear of the unknown. Tessie does not see the importance of this event; on the contrary, the Old Man holds fast to it and even thinks that abandoning it is tantamount to abomination.

He condemns those who are willing to give up on the exercise noting that they are bound to go back to hunting and gathering era. On her side, Tessie even forgets the day of the lottery and has guts to protest against the lottery’s results for she is free-spirited.

Works Cited

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” American Literature. Web.

In the movie entitled The Day the Earth Stood Still the protagonist said that people change when faced with a life and death situation. There is truth to this statement because human beings will do everything to survive. In the face of danger the normal reaction is to flee or fight the source of threat.

Everything must be done for the sake of safety and security. The change in demeanor and even change in character is evident in many cases. One good example of a character that manifested change in the face of danger is the character that can be found in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.

The person who manifested change in demeanor and character was Mrs. Hutchinson. In the early part of the story, Mrs. Hutchinson was seen as friendly and carefree. She was a person that was not easily bothered by the things that were going on around her. In fact, she forgot about the lottery.

It was the most important event in the calendar because it meant the death of a member of the community. Furthermore, there is a degree of randomness in the process and therefore anyone can lose his or her life that day. But Mrs. Hutchinson completely forgot about the event, testifying to her carefree nature.

Aside from her carefree ways, Mrs. Hutchinson also projected friendliness. She was friendly to every person that she met along the way as she inched closer to her husband and to the platform where the proceedings were conducted. She knew everyone on a first-name basis and she was kind with her words. The people who knew her reciprocated the same feeling of respect and admiration. But when her name was chosen as the year’s victim and sacrifice, her character changed drastically.

When the arbiter called the name of Mrs. Hutchinson, the woman suddenly became combative. Her anger manifested through her words and she said things contrary to her character and standing in the community. She barked at the presiding officer Mr. Summers and said that he was not fair to her and her family. She said that Mr. Summers did not allow her son to choose the paper that he wanted to draw out from the lottery. In effect, she accused Mr. Summer of fraud.

It was important for the author to develop the character of Mrs. Hutchinson and gave her that particular identity. Her character was infused with kindness and generosity. These are traits that enabled Hutchinson’s character to stand out of the crowd. It contrasted her from the anxiety-ridden members of the community. More importantly it created an atmosphere of irony because she was the only person who did not believe that she would be sacrificed in the community’s religious altar.

The way she was characterized was important and critical because it amplified the impact of her reaction. Consider the effect of her statement when she accused Mr. Summers of breaking the rules. It can be argued that in normal conditions Mrs. Hutchinson will not even dare to look Mr. Summers in the eye.

The way she was characterized enabled the readers to believe that she was not capable of confronting Mr. Summers. Prior to the selection, Mrs. Hutchinson was seen as friendly and gentle. But after she was chosen her demeanor changed drastically and she became aggressive and combative.

The main explanation for the change was her desire to live. She knew that a piece of paper with a blackened center could spell the difference between life and death.

When Mrs. Hutchinson realized that there was no way out, she behaved like a cornered animal. She forgot about rules of etiquette and how to behave in a social setting. In a life and death situation, nothing else matters except safety and security. Mrs. Hutchinson need not worry about shame and social backlash because there was only one thing in her mind and that is to survive the ordeal.

The severity of the situation was made more evident because of the person in the center of the lottery and that was none other than Mr. Summers. He was highly respected in the community. He can be compared to the local judge of this city. The judge is a man of impeccable character. Therefore, the community gives him the power to make decisions even on matters that involve life and death. The same thing can be said by Mr. Summers’ position in the story.

Conclusion

It was contended earlier that people change when faced with a life and death situation. The explanation is easy to understand because human beings will do everything to survive. One of the best examples of this phenomenon is the character of Mrs. Hutchinson in the story entitled The Lottery.

Mrs. Hutchinson was projected with character traits that are related to kindness and generosity. But these were replaced with anger and slander when she desperately looked for a way out of her predicament. The author developed this particular character and infused her with these particular traits to highlight the tension and danger of the events that surrounded the lottery.

Works Cited

Arp, Thomas and Greg Johnson. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense.

Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. Print.

Introduction

Literary works are usually filled with meaning throughout their entire texts. Understanding what an author wants to express may require reading their story thoroughly. One significant thought is often the quintessence of a literary work that one can only comprehend through a deep and thorough analysis of the whole story. However, sometimes even a single quote, phrase, or passage can possess significant meaning. The short story named The Lottery written by an American writer Shirley Jackson can be called an exemplifying work in this case. One of the story’s characters, Old Man Warner, says that there “used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon’” (Jackson 14). It may seem like an insignificant saying, but there is much meaning to that. That quote supposedly means Warner’s disdain for those who quit lotteries and his devotion to the tradition that precedes his birth.

Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon

First of all, it appears as if Old Man Warner wanted to express his disdain for other people who now do not wish to conduct a lottery or participate in it. The lottery for the old man is something that should not change or disappear under any circumstances. When Mr. Adams informs Old Man Warner that the people of the north village think of abandoning the lottery, he calls them fools, adding that the lottery has always been there (Jackson 14). The old man cannot understand anyone who does not accept the lottery, as it is a part of life for him, just like waking in the morning or breathing the air. That is the reason why Warner assimilates the lottery with the upcoming harvest of corn: the first event is just as inevitable as the second one.

There is a high chance that Old Man Warner is not concerned about the lottery itself as he is worried about preserving the old traditions. The lottery had become a traditional event in the villages long before Warner was born, and he is now the most aged man in town (Jackson 7). Thereby, the lottery for him is equal to tradition, and he wants other people to respect it and never forget about their ancestors’ ways. Warner’s ancestors harvested corn in July, and they conducted the lottery in June, and changing that would destroy the established order and, thereby, the community itself.

Furthermore, even the saying under discussion is rhymed, making it sound like an aphorism. In other words, in Old Man Warner’s opinion, the lottery’s existence should be viewed by people living in the town and the nearby villages as ordinary and commonplace. The man is confident that there is only trouble in the fact that some places have quit lotteries (Jackson 14). Once the lottery is forgotten, the habitual way of life will be destroyed, and Old Man Warner cannot accept that.

Conclusion

Overall, the quote under discussion illustrates Old Man Warner’s contempt towards people for forgetting about the lottery and his loyalty to tradition preceding his birth. Warner believes that people from the villages that want to quit lotteries are fools since that action can only cause trouble. The lottery for him represents tradition – the way of life that his ancestors established, followed, and wanted their descendants to follow. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” sounds like an aphorism which means that the lottery is just as inevitable and natural as the corn harvests in the summer. That saying demonstrates Old Man Warner’s devotion to traditions and his refusal to forsake them.

Work Cited

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Creative Education, 2008.

There was a time in the history of the United States when all of its citizens were religious in mind and heart. Even in the present age, the majority of Americans can still be considered religious because they believe in God, and they are connected to a church, congregation, or synagogue. However, the present intensity of devotion and strict adherence to religious laws and traditions are nowhere near the lethe vel exhibited by pious men and women centuries ago.

Stories about migrants from Europe who came to this land seeking a place to practice a more serious brand of Christianity fill history books. Tales about the exploits of the Puritans are sometimes difficult to believe. But one thing is for sure, believers in that era allowed their religion to affect every fabric of society.

This high level of devotion was made evident in works of art and literary works. There were writers who used their talent to inspire others to the will of God. There were also writers who used their talent to question the level of fanaticism that has created more harm than good. Shirley Jackson belongs to the latter group.

The Plot

The story did not have a clear beginning as far as conventional stories go. The ending came abruptly, demonstrating a mastery of the short story genr,e that can be comparable to the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The story talks about the lottery. The purpose of a lottery is to pick a winner. The participants are immersed in the lottery experience that for a moment, the readers are made to think that there is an amazing prize waiting for the lucky winner.

The author also convinces the readers that the lottery is an important part of the lives of the villagers. But it is important for a different reason. The lottery is part of a tradition that stretches back to many generations. Just before the, climax, a major clue has been revealed – th,at the prize for being picked the winner is something that must be dreaded by all.

It turns out that the lottery is a mechanism used to punish the guilty and to appease the gods. There is no clear indication which religion is practiced by the people. But the use of the lottery alludes to a famous story i,n the Bible when Jonah’s ship encounters a storm; the crew decides to draw lots to determine who among the passengers has drawn the ire of the gods.

The purpa ose of the lottery is revealed by Old Man Warner when he made a quick reply to the idea of abolishing the lottery, and he said: “Used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon’” (Jackson, p.1). It is a religious tradition comparable to the practices of pagans – to assure of a bountiful harvest. This explains why the villagers are willing to kill a person that they have known for a long time. They cannot afford a drought or any form of the pestilence that can endanger their crops and their livelihood.

Setting

The story is devoid of other important details, but the author specifies the exact date and exact location. The year is unknown, but it is clear that it is at the height of the summer season when flowers are in bloom, and the sky is clear. The town square is the venue for the annual event. All the villagers have to stop what they were doing in order to gather in the town square. The lottery is facilitated by Mr. Summers who happens to be the most influential member of the community.

Characters

It is a fact that it is much easier to describe what happened to the characters in the story rather than to describe the characters “Analyzing characterization is more difficult than describing the plot, for the human character is infinitely complex, variable, and ambiguous… anyone can summarize what a person in a story has done, but a writer needs considerable skill and insight into human beings to describe convincingly who a person is” (Arp & Johnson, p.161).

In The Lottery the challenge is made more difficult because of the little background information regarding the key players.

To have a grasp of the characters of the story, it is important to remember that there are two types of characters: 1) flat and 2) round (Arp & Johnson, p.162). Flat characters are those that the author did not develop fully by providing only enough information so that the story can commence. Round characters, on the other hand, are given more detail and the author develops this character so that the reader can easily sympathize with him or her.

In Jackson’s The Lottery is contented to use a host of flat characters. Not much has been revealed except the way they look and if they are married or not. No significant information has been given to provide a clue as to their beliefs, fears, and desires. The closest that could come to this description is Mrs. Hutchinson and she is arguably the main character. Nevertheless, it can also be argued that she shares equal status with Mr. Summers.

There are other important characters like the husband of Mrs. Hutchinson. The children also played an important role especially Davy Hutchinson and Bobby Martin because they highlight the reason why the lottery has to be abolished. Although very little is known about the characters, one can argue that the heroine is Tessie Hutchinson because she is a victim of a cruel religious tradition.

She is also a sympathetic character because at the beginning of the story the author said that she almost forgot about the lottery because she was extremely busy doing house chores. Aside from her being a dutiful wife, she is also a sympathetic character because she was murdered by a system that does not establish guilt but merely an excuse to sacrifice a life to appease the gods.

Symbolism

The black box symbolizes tradition. The author provides more details about the box as compared to the characters of the story. The author said that the box has been passed on from generation to generation. The black box mirrors how the villagers tried to adhere to religious traditions and how they desperately try to hold on to it even if it is falling apart.

The piles of stones symbolize judgment. But the presence of children symbolizes innocence. When the author juxtaposes these two symbols she is able to paint a picture of the foolishness of traditions and dogma. The lottery as a religious mechanism has destroyed the innocence of the children for they too were made to experience the horror of death. In a small village of 300 people, the children are familiar with Tessie Hutchinson and when they threw the stones their lives were never the same again.

Theme and Meaning

The story has religious undertones even when the author did not make explicit references to a church or synagogue. There is no mention of any deity in the story because the author understands the mindset of her readers. She knew that even without a detailed description of the village and the religious beliefs of the people, the readers can quickly grasp that the lottery is not a game but a ritual similar to the inquisition in medieval times.

The lottery is nothing similar to its modern counterpart except of course the fact that it is a mechanism to select and isolate a person from a group of individuals. In the modern version, the winner gets to pick a prize but in this case, the winner earns a death sentence.

Other writers use their talent to inspire people to be more faithful to a certain creed or belief system. But Shirley Jackson uses her talents to question the imposition of rules that endangers the lives of the innocents. In this case, it is not only the life of the lottery winner but the lives of the children forced to witness a barbarous act.

The meaning of the story can be found in the interpretation of the message that the author wants to convey to her readers. Many are in agreement that the hidden lesson in the story is the need to resist the negative impact of a herd mentality where the power of the mob rules over reason.

Social scientists explain the phenomenon by saying that “The townspeople blindly adhere to community traditions regardless of their destructiveness; when some townspeople begin to question this practice, noting that a nearby town discontinued the lottery, an older man comments, ‘We’ve always had a lottery’, reflecting blind adherence to status quo community norms” (Beach et al., p.135).

Secondly, the lesson of the story is the need to question the relevance and benefits of blindly upholding traditions when in fact it does not guarantee life but death.

Works Cited

Arp, Thomas & Greg Johnson. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.

Beach, Richard. et al. Teaching Literature to Adolescents. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2006.

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Classic Short Stories. 2007. Web.

The Lottery, a 1948 short story by Shirley Jackson, developed the themes of adherence to meaningless traditions, parenting and scapegoating. The broad aftermath and the negative responses of the readers who did not see the line between fiction and reality prove that the plot of the short story The Lottery by Jackson reflects the real problems of the modern community.

The plot of the story depicts a two hours lottery in a small town which finishes with a ritualistic death ceremony of stoning the unlucky participant as a sacrifice for ensuring a better harvest. At the beginning of the short story, the village children walk around collecting stones.

Mr. 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. When it clears out that Bill Hutchinson gets the unlucky slip, his wife Tessie starts protesting saying that her husband had not enough time for making his choice and the lottery is not fair.

Then, each member of the Hutchinsons family selects a slip of paper, and Tessie draws a slip with a black dot on it. Then, the villagers throw their stones into Tessie as a part of their death ritual. The fact that Tessie does not question the rite itself, but protests against the choice of her family emphasizes the idea of adherence to tradition as the major theme of the short story.

The rite is regarded as sacred and the idea of doubting it does not occur to anybody. When Mrs. Adams admits that the ritual of the lottery has already been abandoned in other villages, Warner as the eldest man in this community answers that giving up the rite can cause only troubles. “Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves” (Jackson 14).

Justifying the death ritual with the fact that the lottery has been always held in the village previously, Jackson discloses the theme of parenting when in one of the final episodes, a woman puts a stone into a child’s hand, fostering the tradition of violence and lotteries searching for the scapegoats to be stoned.

Regardless of the indignation raising in the readers’ minds, after decoding the symbolic meaning of the depicted lottery rite, everyone can recollect the situations from personal experience and world’s history in which modern the community selects a scapegoat to be discriminated.

For instance, the Nazis scapegoated the Jewish people, proclaiming them the reason of their troubles. Regardless of the current societal progress, modern people frequently scapegoat sexual and ethnical minorities, blaming them for the current moral decay and other social problems. The social phenomenon of scapegoating is rooted deep in public consciousness and tradition according to which the dominating social group looks for the opportunities of self-affirmation and shifting the responsibility for their problems on the others.

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.

In other words, appealing to the readers’ feelings, Shirley Jackson provides them with food for thought not limited to the indignation with the medieval rite, but extended to the reappraisal of their own attitudes and behavior.

The aftermath of The Lottery and the readers’ reaction to the short story proves that its plot impressed the readers recognizing it as the reflection of their lives.

After the short story was published in The New Yorker in 1948, the author received hundreds of hostile letters from the readers objecting to the brutal ending of the story. “As Jackson noted in her witty essay Biography of a Story, many of the letters she received that summer were from people who wanted to know whether these lotteries are held and whether they could go there and watch” (Murphy 104).

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.

“The contradictions of myth and ideology, the imaginary solutions to real problems, emerge in the specific rituals that ostensibly endorse the myth and ideology” (Hattenhauer 44). 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.

The readers’ reaction to the short story The Lottery which became the classic of American literature proves that the depicted phenomenon of scapegoating appeals to their feelings as a topical problem of the modern community.

Works Cited

Hattenhauer, Darryl. Shirley Jackson’s American Gothic. State University of New York Press, 2003. Print.

Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Mankato: Creative Education, 2008. Print.

Murphy, Bernice. Shirley Jackson: Essays on the Literary Legacy. Jefferson: McFarland & Company Publishers. Print.

In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson enlightens her audience through a fictional annual ritual, an understanding of how eliminating the tradition makes the residents behave in an antisemitism manner. Jackson shows that opportunity is critical since in allowing the community members to choose one of them for the sacrifice, which is linked to better harvests. However, towards the end of the tale, the ceremony, the people are relieved when they are not selected. Symbolized by the villagers’ action towards Tessie, the community members cannot question why they practice the ritual. No villager can protest against the tradition despite being unaware why they keep the practice. This analysis agrees with Michael Robinson’s criticism of the short story, which argues that people use scapegoating and death selection as abstract causes of antisemitism.

In the story, Jackson and Brody (2020) show that the people have long forgotten the reason they keep the ceremonial practice and they have a poor understanding of the details of the ritual. The central theme behind Jackson’s creativity lies in the inability of the locals to question why they keep making the sacrifice, which shows that none of the community members has authority over the ritual (Jackson & Brody, 2020). The villagers follow through with their annual routine of selecting the paper slips prepared by Mr. Summers while knowing it will result in the sacrifice of one of them. However, none can excuse themselves from it or raise questions about why they keep the practice. While people are comfortable with the practice, no one considers the possibility that they might be the victim. Robinson (2019) argues that to small-town residents, routine is a part of their society. Since the people are scared of being ridiculed if they change the tradition, they prefer continuing with it, given that the others around them will still behave in ways they have been taught.

Jackson (1948) portrays the sacred and doubtful nature of the ritual in the lives of the small-town locals by emphasizing on their attitudes and behaviors towards the practice. With this, the author shows that despite the tradition being linked to some form of religious understanding, it is fast fading from their minds. In Mrs. Adams’s words, Jackson and Brody (2020) shows that the people are distancing themselves from the event’s significance, and the character admits how the surrounding villages are abandoning the ritual. Through the lens of Mr. Warner, the outcome of such separation from the tradition is, “Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves” (Jackson & Brody, 2020, p. 27). Since the adults have long forgotten the reason they keep the tradition, the children are less familiar with it hence the high level of desensitization from the murder involved in the tradition.

The story clearly expresses how violence occurs in our lives; sometimes, its cause is pointless and with no purpose. Robinson (2019) argues that with the practice comes invoking a brutal selection process that no villager acknowledges. Jackson and Brody (2020) show this by depicting the community members’ irony in the innocence they portray, yet their approach to the ritual is lethal. The villagers seem unaware of the tragic meaning linked to the stoning practice that leads to the sacrifice of one of them.

In the short story, the opportunity for evil in people’s minds and hearts manifests when the villagers fail to reason and choose to follow through with the ritual once the unlucky participant has been selected. Tessie cries foul of the selection process by questioning why the unlucky are selected once, and once chosen, they have to die for the sake of the tradition (Jackson & Brody, 2020). The evil in the villagers’ hearts and minds reveals itself towards the end of the tale when they stone the unlucky person. In agreement with Robinson’s reasoning, the villagers’ actions prove that denial of knowledge causes the secret power that makes them gratify their lust to kill (Robinson, 2019). A practice that none seem to know its meaning anymore.

From the experience portrayed in the short story, one can see its undeniable significance to modern traditions where many people practice ceremonies yet remember nothing about their significance. According to Robinson (2019), the outcomes of human forgetfulness are attributed to keeping traditions with lost meanings. In the short story, the villagers have long forgotten the meaning behind the ritual they are keen to keep. Jackson and Brody (2020) show that “the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original box, they still remembered to use stones” (p. 28). The quote proves which part of the tradition people tend to familiarize themselves with. Robinson (2019) argues that “The Lottery” highlights self-deception disguised in barbarism, a concept that lacks progress, time, and knowledge. However, due to their forgetfulness, most people, if not all, do not recall why they do what they do.

The three major themes in “The Lottery” show that the main challenge with people is the inability to change. The first theme, blind tradition, is essential in showcasing that only one character in the play, Mr. Summers, is aware of the ritual’s weaknesses and has been trying to change them relative to time. The second theme, mob mentality, proves that people’s unwillingness to embrace change is linked to their downfall. Despite the villagers demanding a change of routine, the older generation in the village remained insistent on continuing with the tradition. Coupled with their blind allegiance to the practice, the elders in the village are unaware that the tradition has long lost its meaning, which brings about the third theme of scapegoating. In the case of Tessie, the significance of the entire practice leads to an unfair death of the unlucky participant since it gives people a chance to kill without reason. The latest victim of the unfair practice is Tessie’s husband, Bill Hutchinson, whom she cries has been selected deceitfully. The disconnect between reason and choice makes the villagers unaware of the dangers linked to the tradition.

The antagonist-protagonist relationship in the story is equally significant when understanding the villagers’ choices relative to the stoning of the unlucky participant. As Tessie cries out that the selection of her husband is unfair, the small-town villagers are aware of her rebellion. However, their main concern is that her rebellious behavior and attitude might be why their crops will not be plentiful. Robinson (2019) shows that despite Tessie’s screams, ‘it isn’t fair, it isn’t right,’ the villagers have no ritualistic knowledge that would make them listen to anyone standing against the tradition (p. 40). Therefore, it becomes plain to point out why the people react faster to her cries than listen to reason. Further, every year, every individual is secretly going against the ritual by hoping they will not be picked. Therefore, their contribution to the tradition is established on the understanding and hope that after the sacrifice, they will live to see more produce in the next harvest.

“The Lottery” shows that every villager likes their participation in the ritual since it a hope of having better harvests. They ignorantly continue the practice despite being unaware of its lost meaning. In agreement with the criticism against the story, the analysis shows that people continue doing things passed down to them despite not knowing why they do what they do. Therefore, the analysis is significant to the reader since it helps them realize the disconnect between meaning and reason as people hand down information, customs, and beliefs among generations.

References

Jackson, S., & Brody, F. (2020). The Lottery and other stories. Penguin, London.

Robinson, M. (2019). Shirley Jackson’s “the lottery” and holocaust literature.Humanities, 8(1), 35. Web.