What literary devices are used in the short story The Lottery?
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: Literary Devices
- Setting. Jackson establishes the setting of “The Lottery” at the beginning of the story.
- Narration. Jackson’s narrative technique, the way she recounts the events in the story, is often described as detached and objective.
- Symbolism.
- Irony.
- Parable.
- Gothicism.
What is Jackson’s message in the lottery?
The main message that Jackson conveys in “The Lottery” is that people can be a part of such cruel activity and not think anything of it.
What type of literature is the lottery?
gothic horror fiction
What is the moral lesson in the lottery?
In “The Lottery,” the moral lesson or theme is that one should not blindly follow traditions simply because they’re tradition.
What is the main message of the lottery?
The main themes in “The Lottery” are the vulnerability of the individual, the importance of questioning tradition, and the relationship between civilization and violence. The vulnerability of the individual: Given the structure of the annual lottery, each individual townsperson is defenseless against the larger group.
What is Shirley Jackson trying to tell us about ourselves?
She is trying to tell us that we should be guided by our moral compass, not merely by the expectations of society. If something is unjust or wrong, we should stand up against it.
What happens to Mrs Hutchinson at the end of the story?
Jackson defers the revelation of the lottery’s true purpose until the very end of the story, when “the winner,” Tess Hutchison, is stoned to death by friends and family. This shocking event marks a dramatic turning point in how we understand the story.
Why is Mrs Hutchinson upset in the lottery?
Hutchinson upset? Mrs. Hutchinson is upset when she draws the slip of paper with the black spot because this indicates that she has “won” the lottery, meaning she will become the town’s annual sacrifice.
Why did Tessie Hutchinson die?
Tessie Hutchinson The unlucky loser of the lottery. Tessie draws the paper with the black mark on it and is stoned to death. She is excited about the lottery and fully willing to participate every year, but when her family’s name is drawn, she protests that the lottery isn’t fair.
Why was Tessie unhappy with the first drawing?
Tessie is unhappy with the first drawing because it means that someone from her family will be stoned to death that day, but it seems as though the thing that upsets her most is her own increased chance of being selected.
What does Tessie Hutchinson symbolize?
Tessie is symbolic of the scapegoat in “The Lottery,” which is sacrificed in ritual atonement for the sins of the tribe. However, she is also an average member of the tribe who sees nothing wrong with the system until she is selected.
What kind of character is Tessie Hutchinson?
mwestwood, M.A. Three character traits of Tessie Hutchinson are tardiness, resistance, and suppression. Mrs. Hutchinson is late arriving at the designated place where the annual lottery is held.
What type of character is Tessie Hutchinson?
dynamic
How is Tessie Hutchinson selfish?
Mrs. Hutchinson is selfish because she is willing to literally sacrifice and kill her darlings to save herself. The selfishness from the crowd prevents themselves from assisting Tessie in her distress, realizing that helping Tessie would put their lives at risk.
Is Tessie Hutchinson a hypocrite?
Ultimately, Tessie is a hypocrite as she would gladly take part in the ritual stoning to death but will attempt anything to get out of it when she is selected.
Who is the most important character in the lottery?
Tessie Hutchinson
Why did they throw stones at Tessie?
For the final drawing, one slip is placed in the box for each member of the household: Bill, Tessie, and their three children. Each of the five draws a slip, and Tessie gets the marked one. The townspeople pick up the gathered stones and begin throwing them at her as she screams about the injustice of the lottery.
What is the main conflict in the lottery?
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 society—which is responsible for the brutal end of Tessie Hutchinson’s life.
What does Mr Graves symbolize in the lottery?
Who/what does Mr. Graves symbolize in The Lottery? Mr. Graves is walking behind Mr Summers, “graves” symbolizes death, darkness, sadness, but is behind “summers”, which is happiness, and joyfulness.
What does the black dot represent in the lottery?
In the story, “The Lottery,” the black box symbolizes the judgment of the members of the town. The list of names represent those who will be judged—one of whom will die. The black spot is symbolic of the person from the town who is chosen to die.
What does June 27 symbolize in the lottery?
Well, the story opens as follows: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day: the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” The lottery takes place on June 27th. It is the Roman festival of the beginning of summer.
What do the stones symbolize in the lottery?
Stoning is one of the oldest and most common forms of execution (417). The stones symbolize death, but also the villagers’ unanimous support of the lottery tradition. Even as Tessie protests the drawing, the villagers collect their stones and move into throw them.
What does Mrs Delacroix symbolize in the lottery?
In “The Lottery” the names of some of the characters and the black box in the story are loaded with significance. The symbolic name of Delacroix, means “of the cross in Latin” (Dictionary.com). It also implied to Tessie Hutchison’s sacrificial killing. At the beginning of the story, Mrs.
What does the paper symbolize in the lottery?
The slip of paper that denotes the annual victim of the lottery is marked only by a single dark dot. The commonness of the object reminds us that the marked slip of paper holds no power in itself, other than the power that the villagers give it by adhering to the tradition of the lottery.
What was ironic about the ending of the story the lottery?
The plot as a whole in “The Lottery” is filled with ironic twists. The whole idea of a lottery is to win something, and the reader is led to believe that the winner will receive some prize, when in actuality they will be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers.
Why is the ending of the lottery so shocking?
Hover for more information. A shocking realization comes to the reader at the end of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson: the community have not been drawing for any prize or reward in the traditional sense. Instead, lottery has the ancient meaning:they have drawn lots.
How does Jackson start to foreshadow the ending?
Jackson starts to foreshadow the climax by creating some anticipation with the children and when the black box was pulled out. She also foreshadows it when Mrs. Hutchinson says that it is not fair, when the Hutchinson family was pulled the first time.
How did the villagers feel about what they were doing at the end of the story?
The ending was ironic because the winner of the lottery technically did not win and instead received death. How did the villagers feel about what they were doing at the end of the story? The villagers just think of it as an ancient tradition and that there is nothing wrong with it.
What is the significance of Tessie’s final scream?
The significance of Tessie’s final scream “it isn’t fair it isn’t right” is that she is objecting to the fact that she is the the sacrifice. She doesn’t want to die, and is protesting merely the fact that she has to die, not that people die in general because of tradition. She only questioned it when it came to her. 2.
What is the climax of the story the lottery?
In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the climax is when Tessie is declared the “winner,” the falling action includes the townspeople gathering around her and stoning her, and the resolution is when the town’s life returns to normal.