The Lottery

Written three years after World War II, Jackson's "The Lottery" can be read as satirizing the high levels of conformity that existed in American society. Wars demand a higher level of social...

The setting of Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" takes place in a small, nondescript town located in rural America on the morning of June 27th. Jackson describes the weather on the day of...

Determining the climax must be considered in terms of the conflict. The conflict is brought to its highest peak at the climax, after which the conflict is resolved. When reading this story for the...

"The Lottery" is told from the point of view of a third-person omniscient narrator who stands "above" the action, observing the scene without being part of it. It is as if they are the cameraman,...

The lottery is conducted in the town square, where the entire community gathers to participate in the savage tradition. Mr. Summers is the lottery's officiant and begins the ceremony by calling...

This is one lottery that you would NOT want to win. The premise of this chilling story is that every year, residents of a small fictional town in New England gather in their town square to take...

In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," the nondescript rural town holds an annual ritual at the end of each June, where the community gathers in the village square to participate in the...

Shirley Jackson's purpose in writing "The Lottery" has confused many readers. In 1948, when the story was first published, The New Yorker (where it was first printed) did not distinguish between...

In the beginning of "The Lottery," the author effectively lulls the reader into a false sense of tranquility. The first words used to describe the scene are "clear and sunny." She goes on to tell...

Check out all those beautiful and calm adjectives in the opening paragraph. The day is clear and sunny. The grass is "richly green." People gather for a lottery and hope to be home for "noon...

“The Lottery” is as relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1948. The theme of society versus the individual is a perennial one, not least because so many people the world over feel...

The main conflict of this short story is character versus society because it is society that insists upon the continuation of the lottery as a tradition, and it is this tradition—upheld by...

One bit of irony is Tessie Hutchinson's arrival to the lottery. Arriving a bit late, she jokes with Mrs. Delacroix, telling her that she "clean forgot what day it was." This indicates that the...

Jackson's work examines the issues such as human cruelty, social sanctioning of violence, as well as marginalization leading to victimization. These themes encompass specific traditions,...

Every year, the citizens of the little village in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" hold a lottery. Each head of the family draws a slip of paper. Each member of the family with a mark on...

In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," she creates tension and builds suspense by foreshadowing the horrific nature of the annual ritual as the reader anxiously anticipates the grim...

The theme, or central idea, of "The Lottery" is the need to examine the traditions we follow and to abandon or radically modify those that are harmful. We shouldn't stick to a tradition, the story...

In "The Lottery," Jackson says that the black box represents tradition, hence the villagers' reluctance to replace it, despite its shabbiness. The box also implicitly symbolizes death. This...

Shirley Jackson's attitude towards the brutal, uncivilized tradition of the lottery in the small New England village is incriminating and negative. In the short story, Jackson depicts the citizens...

The lottery could really represent any tradition or practice that now seems outdated, meaningless, or even inhumane. The story conveys just how important it is to keep evaluating traditions for...

We could also describe this as situational irony. Irony occurs when a discrepancy exists between what we expect and what actually happens, and situational irony occurs when events arise that defy...

Shirley Jackson intentionally leaves the original purpose of the lottery a mystery. It is important to the story that none of the characters should know why or when it started and what was its...

The townspeople in "The Lottery" are depicted as being entirely unremarkable: types and stereotypes one might find in any small town in America. Mr. Summers and Old Man Warner are the two clearest...

This saying is evidence of the superstition that underlies the lottery. The lottery derives from outmoded ideas that a human sacrifice appeases the gods and leads to a bountiful harvest. Even...

"The Lottery" is written from a third-person point of view with limited scope. This objective perspective allows the reader to experience the lottery as it is happening, which allows suspense to...

A good summary of any literary work will enable someone who has not read the story to get the gist of what happens just by reading your summary. A summary of "The Lottery" would need to include...

Mrs. Hutchinson did nothing wrong, nor was she accused of wrongdoing. Her death was not a punishment for a crime. It was a ritual sacrifice: the community believed, even though the story takes...

From her first appearance in the story, Tessie is shown to be a charismatic character. She shows up late to the lottery, but her absence doesn't go unnoticed. When she finally arrives, the crowd is...

Bentham, a name mentioned only once in the story, is almost certainly an allusion to Jeremy Bentham, founder of the theory of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism argues that happiness is derived from...

The point of view of a story can be identified by considering who is telling the story. Is it a person who is part of the narrative? Is it the protagonist of the story, telling the events of the...

Near the end of "The Lottery," Bill Hutchinson draws the slip with the black spot in the first round, which means that someone in his family will be stoned to death. This immediately begins to...

Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” was first published by The New Yorker in 1948. The magazine received an unprecedented response when it ran the short story, including many negative...

The famous short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson begins deceptively. The author describes a beautiful day, warm and sunny, with blossoming flowers and rich green grass. Villagers gather in...

The 1948 short story, "The Lottery," exposes the secrets of a tight-knit society whose otherwise normal facade hides a barbaric practice that has been kept alive for generations, only because...

The shocking ending of the story is made all the more effective by Jackson's presentation of this small New England village as the epitome of normality. The story takes place on a beautiful...

In short, a long time. The continuation of the lottery is dependent on its acceptance as tradition, and this sense of tradition is well ingrained in the minds of the townspeople. The lottery has...

There are several indications throughout the story that the ritual of the lottery has been going on for a very long time. For example, we are told that the black box, from which the names of the...

Here are a few examples of irony in "The Lottery": The title of the story, "The Lottery," is ironic. The word 'lottery' has a positive connotation and implies the people playing want to win. A...

In "The Lottery," Tessie's final scream is both horrifying and ironic. After receiving the "winning" drawing that marks her as this year's sacrificial victim, she cries out that what is about to...

When writing "The Lottery" Jackson's use of "common people" and lack of specificity in time period, location, etc is purposeful. She wanted the themes in the text to resonate and be timeless. If...

The central conflict, or problem, in "The Lottery" is that the people blindly accept the traditions of their ancestors without questioning whether those practices are necessary in their own...

Shirley Jackson examines the dangers of blindly following traditions and rituals throughout her short story "The Lottery." While Jackson is not suggesting that all traditions and rituals are...

At the beginning of "The Lottery," the mood is light. People are excited to gather together in town to play a lottery organized by Mr. Summers, who organizes all their town events. The weather is...

One thing that Jackson is saying about people in general is that behavior that is not examined in light "clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day," is dehumanizing of self as...

It is a bucolic setting of sunshine, rich green grass, and blossoming flowers that lies in contrast to an atmosphere of uneasiness in "The Lottery." This mood is generated through Shirley Jackson's...

One major difference that changes the story is that Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” originally published in 1948 in The New Yorker, doesn’t focus on one main character. It’s an overview of the...