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Diction And Language In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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Shirley Jackson uses specific diction and language in order to convey an ominous tone in her short story “The Lottery”. In this short story, a small town holds a lottery every year, but this “lottery” is unlike any other. In the end, who ever wins this lottery is stoned to death, as all part of a ritual. According to the short story on pages 32 to 33, it states, “She hesitated for a minute, looking around defiantly, and then set her lips and went up to the box.” (32-33)The author uses the word “defiantly” which means “boldly, or rebelliously”. This leaves the reader to wonder why would this particular character be acting defiantly as she did. The author chose this specific word to convey that something bad is going to happen in the future.

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