Analytical Essay: The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Cultural rituals, close mindedness, unwillingness to change or speak out and do what is right in the face of one’s beliefs or cultural norms. In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the characters are faced with a custom that has been handed down from generation to generation, some question the current significance, while others blindly accept the outcome. Shirley Jackson, begins her story with show and narrative, it is a normal day, just like any other in the town, children playing and filling their pockets with stones, but for what? Both children and adults are slowly assembling at the town square yet, from the beginning you can feel a sense of hesitation though it is non-verbally communicated.

Traditions are meant to be symbolic, as well as, sacred and are mainly used to share significance with the past-however in this small town, it is determined otherwise. In the short story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, it has been proven that traditions can leave one blindsided. This becomes clear when Old Man Warner thoughtlessly and mindlessly disagrees to the idea of quitting the dreadful lottery; When Tessie and Bill willingly wish to place their daughter and son-in-law in the lottery- knowing that if they had been put in the lottery, one of them would have stoned; and; When Tessie was chosen to be stoned, she suddenly became a victim and everyone (including her kids, husband and friends) was against

Literary Analysis of “The Lottery” Laws are set in order for society to function; however, when the boundaries of law are pushed to extreme lengths they can cause more harm than good. Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” illustrates rules putting society at risk. This can be shown through formally analyzing the narrative elements within the text. By examining key aspects of the plot along with multiple characters Jackson implements the message of rules and tradition being corrupt.

Traditions are an important part of our culture and what makes us individuals. They are passed down from generation to generation through following what our parents and grandparents have done. This shows our respect for our ancestors. However, there are some traditions that have no logical need to be followed, but still are blindly followed. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the villagers follow the tradition of the lottery, even though they question why they still do it.

In the short story, “The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson, Edgar Award Winner for best short story, the plot mainly surrounds tradition. The small village in the story is preparing for their annual “lottery”. The author uses dialogue to convey the fact that this lottery has been a tradition in their village for many years. The reader soon realizes the dark turn on this lottery. The “winner” suffers the fate of being brutally stoned to death by the rest of the villagers.

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a presumably cheerful story but leads to a grotesque, unpredictable, and twisted ending. The main focus, with in “The Lottery”, is primarily about the sadistic ritual in which the townspeople of an agricultural town murder one of their fellow citizens in a raffle styled lottery. One may ask why this type of system is held in order to decide what person will be executed and then ask whether or not it is fair to the unfortunate winner of the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson even called out the lottery system, after her family was chosen for the next pick, yelling “It wasn’t fair!” (Jackson 45).

The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. This piece is widely regarded as one of the best examples of a suspense story and was one of the original stories to have a surprise ending. The story is set in a small town of about 300 people. The story is split into two distinct parts. The first, in which the reader does not understand what the lottery is about and the second in which the reader is able to understand the horrors that the lottery incurs.

Shirley Jackson is the author of this book “The Lottery”. Shirley Jackson was born December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, CA. Shirley’s death date was on August 8, 1965 in Northern Bennington.

Shirley Jackson: The Lottery When you think of a tradition what comes to mind? Perhaps it is linked with your family’s core values, beliefs, or has significant meaning. Specifically, traditions are beliefs passed down from generations, they are not declared righteous or sinful, why they were born or still exist. Why do people follow traditions so mindlessly without knowing the purpose of it?

Shirley Jackson was born in 1916 in California. Her early works, including “The Lottery”, was highly controversial. Shirley moved to New York City after she graduated college in 1940. Her writing started appearing in many publications, including The New Yorker. In 1948, The New Yorker published "The Lottery" a short story by Shirley.