ipl-logo

Internal Conflict In The Lottery

1222 Words5 Pages

The story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story of horror and realism. Residents of a small New England town come together in the town square every year and hold their annual lottery. The head of each household goes up and pulls out a slip of paper from the sacred black box. The person who pulls out a slip of paper with a black dot, wins the lottery. This time around the Hutchinsons were the family who pulled out the black dot and one of the family members gets the chance to win the lottery (Jackson 1). Although “the lottery” sounds like something everybody wants to win, Shirley Jackson uses symbols, conflict and irony to show otherwise.
In literature, a symbol is “a person, place, or thing that represents something often …show more content…

When her husband, Bill Hutchinson, pulled out the slip of paper with the black dot, she protested that they didn’t give her husband enough time to pull out the slip of paper that he wanted. The author stated that Tessie yelled out at Mr. Summers, “ You didn’t give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!” (5) Her protest caused her beloved husband, Bill, to yell at her and tell her to shut up. Other characters in the story such as Mrs. Graves and Mrs. Delacroix also went against her and told her to be a good sport about the lottery. They also told her that every family had the same chance. (Jackson)
The use of irony in this short story is impossible to miss. According the the dictionary, the definition of “irony” is, “a technique that involves surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions or contrasts. verbal irony occurs when words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning. an irony of situation is when an event occurs that directly contradicts expectations.” In this case, irony is the main literary device that makes this story a magnificent piece of literature.

Show More
Related

  • Interpretive Essay: The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    520 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Lottery” Interpretive Essay “The Lottery”, a short story by Shirley Jackson, is about a lottery that takes place in a small village. The story starts of with the whole town gathering in the town square, where Mr. Summers, the official, holds the lottery. After that, every family draws out of an old black box, and a certain family gets picked. Out of the certain family, one person gets picked as the unlucky “winner” of the lottery. In this short story, after the Hutchinson family gets drawn, Tessie Hutchinson is declared “winner” of the lottery.

    Read More

  • What Are Two Examples Of Irony In The Lottery

    245 Words  | 1 Pages

    The most obvious example of irony in “The Lottery” is in the title of the story itself. When people think about the lottery, it is usually about winning a reward or a prize, and definitely not about being stoned to death. Shirley Jackson’s intention to name the title of this story as “The Lottery”, gives the readers an idea that someone will receive a reward. In fact, at the end of the story, the readers eventually realize that the reward is not what they think it’s going to be but rather a completely opposite thing. The second example of irony is in the setting of the story.

    Read More

  • Irony In The Tell-Tale Heart And The Lottery

    471 Words  | 2 Pages

    Irony may appear in difference ways within literature. Irony changes our expectations of what might happen. It can create the unexpected twist at the end of a story or anecdote that gets people laughing or crying. Verbal irony is intended to be a humorous type of irony. Situational irony can be either funny or tragic.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

    871 Words  | 4 Pages

    When the twelve year old Nancy “[goes] forward switching her skirt, [taking] a slip daintily from the box,” the audience is struck by her innocence, making the subsequent death of her mother via the lottery outcome even more terrible and tragic. A still more effective example of Jackson’s appeals to pathos occurs at the end of the story, where “someone [gives] little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” to join the crowd in stoning his mother. This moment is incredibly poignant and elevates the disgust and pity that the audience feels as the nature of the lottery is revealed. Little Davy is too young understand what is happening, and it is reasonable to assume that the rest of the characters have long since lost touch with the purpose of the lottery, as the only explanation the audience is given for its continuation is Warner’s statement that “there’s always been a lottery.” This remarkably insufficient excuse in support of such a heinous crime secures the sympathy of the audience towards not only Tessie’s plight but also Jackson’s argument.

    Read More

  • The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

    1000 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1948, when the New Yorker published Shirley Jacksons piece, “The Lottery,” it sparked outrage among readers, but could arguably be known as one of her most famous pieces of writing. In this short story, Shirley Jackson used literally elements such as imagery, diction, and symbolism to foreshadow the negative and harsh ending of the story; the harsh ending that sparked such outrage by society in the 1940’s. One of the main ways Jackson foreshadows the ending and true meaning of her short story, “The Lottery,” is through symbolism. Jackson uses the color black throughout the story.

    Read More

  • Social Impartiality In The Lottery

    90 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Social Impartiality in ´´ The Lottery´´, by Shirley Jackson Have you ever witnessed a manifestation of injustice, but had preferred to step aside? If this is such a terrible attitude to assume, imagine how worst everything could be when the case is about a whole town keeping its arms crossed in the situation. In the story ´´ The Lottery´´ by Shirley Jackson, we can appreciate diverse uses of the literary elements of symbolism, theme and foreshadowing, used by the author to represent the degradation of a society immersed in the impartiality.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography: The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    2309 Words  | 10 Pages

    Reading Level (Lexile): 1230. , Database: MasterFILE Premier This source is incredible for its incredible recognition of the irony and symbolism that is represented in “The Lottery”. The source really states that the “The Lottery” is the underpinning definition of post-World War 2. The date of the lottery and irony of the characters names that Shirley Jackson presents, all convey a meaning that is even more shocking than the conclusion of the story.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    1675 Words  | 7 Pages

    Through my reading of Helen Nebeker's article " The Lottery: Symbolic Tour de Force, I've found many symbolic items throughout the story as according to Nebeker, "It is at this secondary point that the reader begins to suspect that a second story lies beneath the first and that Miss Jackson's "symbolic intentions" are not "incidental" but, indeed, paramount. Then one discovers that the author's careful structure and consistent symbolism work to present not only a symbolic summary of man's past but a prognosis for his future which is far more devastating than the mere reminder that man has savage potential. Ultimately one finds that the ritual of the lottery, beyond providing a channel to release repressed cruelties, actually serves to generate a cruelty not rooted in man's inherent emotional needs at all. Man is not at the mercy of a murky, savage id; he is the victim of unexamined and unchanging traditions which he could easily change if he only realized their implications. Herein is horror"(Nebeker).

    Read More

  • Essay On Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    492 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Symbolism of The Lottery One big symbol that the short story is discreet about is the black box that is repeated throughout the short story symbolizes fear to adults which could affect even the most innocent. The black box appears to be the only paraphernalia that is still being used in the tradition of having a lottery. Mr. Summers is the one who is running the lottery at the time. Mr. Summers is seen as a nice man, however, when he is introduced, he is seen with the black box. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses the black box as a symbol to convey an underlying message that when the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead a crumbling society.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Lottery

    322 Words  | 2 Pages

    Usually there’s a winner in a lottery, but not in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. This story intrigued me by it's suspenseful nature and it's chaotic events. In small town America, they come together once a year to perform an annual tradition. Mrs. Jackson demonstrates literary devices such as foreshadowing, mood, and conflict in “The Lottery”. Foreshadowing is used quite a few times in “The Lottery”.

    Read More

  • How Does Shirley Jackson Use Dramatic Irony In The Lottery

    596 Words  | 3 Pages

    It had a black spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before with the heavy pencil in the coal company office. Bill Hutchinson held it up, and there was a stir in the crowd” (7). It must have been painful and hard for Bill to take the paper from Tessie knowing the she was the winner of the Lottery. But Bill was just going along with everyone else and the reader develops pity for his lack of

    Read More

  • Duality Of Human Nature In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    262 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also, when Tessie complains that it was not fair that someone in her family was to be stoned Mrs. Delacriox says " 'Be a good sport Tessie' " (4). Immediately, Mrs. Delacroix acts selfish

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Lottery

    504 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Lottery is a story by Shirley Jackson. It is about a town that has a type of stoning event called the lottery. It is basically like gambling with your life. Each person has to pull out a slip of paper out of a black box. There are enough slips for each member of the town.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In The Lottery

    1191 Words  | 5 Pages

    The short story “The Lottery” is written by Shirley Jackson. This story takes place in a small village where everybody knows each other. In this story all the villagers gather around town for their annual lottery. Everyone in the village is compelled to follow this tradition even if the outcome ends up with someone dying. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses conflict, theme, and irony to develop this suspenseful short story.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    926 Words  | 4 Pages

    While other towns are starting to go away from this method, this village continues the tradition. Although it may seem like a simple story, Shirley Jackson implemented various symbols incorporated into the names, objects, and scenario in the story to hide the meaning and intention behind the lottery. Firstly, the names alone conceal a lot of symbolism. The author utilizes symbolic names to indicate reason

    Read More

More about Internal Conflict In The Lottery

Open Document