The Meaning of a Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story â€Å"The Lottery† (Hicks). â€Å"The Lottery† was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elements. There are some important elements of the story that develop the theme of the story: narrator and its point of view, symbolism, and main conflict. The story â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, argues practicing a tradition without understanding the meaning of the practice is meaningless and dangerous. First important element of the story is the narrator of the story and its point of view. Jackson does not mention who is the narrator of the story, but it seems the narrator is a woman which is Jackson herself, and she is part of the society because she knows the townspeople’s character and the event that happens in the town. Although the narrator is part of the society, she seems to be a trustworthy narrator. She tells the story in third point of view with an objective omniscience. She does not bias to any character and describes the story based on what she sees. The point of view in the story is important because it leads the reader to think the reason why the townspeopleShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small New England town. The town’s people have performed the lottery for more than seventy years. Shirley Jackson gives â€Å"The Lo ttery† a whole different meaning . The lottery is used for a public stoning, opposing to the very first thing that approaches to a reader s mind when they think of the lottery; a big amount of money . The reader sees both literal and metaphorical meaning of the Shirley Jackson’s short storyRead MoreAnalysis of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson993 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome automatons. We cease to grow. Shirley Jackson was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. She is most well known for her short story titled â€Å"The Lottery† which was first published in The New Yorker to overwhelming and mixed reviews. The lottery, as portrayed in the short story, is a religious, annual ceremony in the afternoon of June 27. This event is said to be older than Old Man Warner and has lost most of its meaning. 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Once they are all together withRead MoreSymbols in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson 649 Words   |  3 PagesIn most peoples minds, the word â€Å"lottery† signifies huge winnings, but for the townspeople in the story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson the word brings forth fear and devastation. The lottery starts off as a seemingly innocent event which immediately turns into feared, mass chaos in the town. The symbols Jackson incorporates into the story contribute to the fact that everything in this town must be replaced and that some things we must let go of to start fresh with. Although, having said that, peopleRead MoreHuman Corruption Of Human Nature1140 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Corruption in â€Å"The Lottery† â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is a classic short story in U.S literature. Written in 1948, the short story has been published in multiple languages around the world. It is still a required reading in U.S today. The story was later adapted into both a TV short and a play (â€Å"Shirley Jackson’s Bio†). Jackson uses irony and symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery† to show the corruption of human nature. The story opens up on a clear June day. It continues to describe an ominousRead MoreThe Lottery Shirley Jackson Analysis1089 Words   |  5 Pages In Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery,† the story conducts a â€Å"lottery† that involves the families of the town to go into a drawing. Once the drawing is done, the winner of the lottery is used as a sacrifice in the town and is pelted by stones thrown from the community, including children. Furthermore, the basis of â€Å"The Lottery† has to do with psychological problems and influence. Psychoanalysis is built upon Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychology, which asserts that the human mind is affected by theirRead MoreArgument Essay on the Lottery by Shirley Jackson with Works Cited Page1615 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is about Symbolism The Lottery, a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about an inhumane and horrific tradition that a community celebrates every year between 10 a.m. and noon on June 27, a sunny day, in a New England village (â€Å"Cummings Study Guide†). Not only is this story about tradition but it also hides the meaning of symbolism as well. The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred people. OnRead MoreLiterary Elements in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1334 Words   |  6 Pagesthink it was innocent because of how they blindly followed a tradition? The short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson communicates this theme by showing how the villagers participate in a lottery every year. In life, there are people who follow tradition because the have to, or they are used to following without question. The author, Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1937, Shirley Jackson attended Syracuse University where she began to write short