The Lottery Group

Question:

cskaggs30
cskaggs30
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What is ironic about the conversation in "The Lottery"?

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Posted by cskaggs30 on Tuesday May 26, 2009 at 4:50 PM and tagged with conversation, irony.

Answers:

  1. dalepowell1962
    dalepowell1962 Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", the conversation takes on an ironic tone in at least two places.  One is the commonplace tone of the talk of taxes and everyday life when a death is imminent.

    Perhaps more ironic is that Mr. and Mrs. Adams casually suggest that it may be time for the community to quit lotteries with one of them even adding that some communities have already quit. They are, of course, opposed by Old Man Warner who says there has always been and should always be  a lottery. Ironically, the text points out that both the Adams couple and Old Man Warner are up front participating in the communal stoning of Tessie.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/lottery/

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    Posted by dalepowell1962 on Tuesday May 26, 2009 at 5:15 PM