Foreshadowing In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

People prefer to feel good about themselves, so when a belief they hold in high regard turns out to be false, it makes them feel awful, so therefore people look for evidence to confirm their preexisting belief. Shirley Jackson concealed her use of foreshadowing and understanding of it. Jackson employs a lot of irony in his narrative. In “The Lottery” she has a variety of conflicts. Shirley Jackson creates a sense of horror from the elements of what should be an innocent story about small-town America.
Shirley Jackson withheld the knowledge and usage of foreshadowing. During the lottery, the villagers kept their distance from the lottery box. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson stated, “The feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them” (1). The children are nervous; the boys talk initially, and the girls talk among themselves. Boys are piling up stones and putting it and their pockets. She uses the stones that are in their pocket as an innocent game until the purpose of the stones becomes clear at the end. Shirley Jackson also stated, “Their jokes were quiet, and they smiled rather than laughed” (1). The men’s jokes are quiet like they were at a funeral and so they smile for do not laugh. Shirley Jackson employed foreshadowing throughout the lottery to give the locals a sense of freedom.

Irony was in the title and its connotation; today’s state lotteries promise people a lifetime income. According to Thomas Du Bose, “No one in the village shows any concern for justice and kindness expect Tessie and she, too, starts to complain about lottery only when she realizes that it is going to directly affect her own family.” Jackson uses Tessie Hutchinson’s concern about leaving the dishes in the sink as an irony. Also, Tessie Hutchinson was willing to participate until her husband Bill Hutchinson drew the black dot. Shirley Jackson showed one of the ironies through Tessie Hutchison’s hesitation and desire to