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The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Summary | Themes | Characters
Short Story
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
ABOUT STORY
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The short story 'The Lottery' was first published in The New Yorker on June 26, 1948. This is considered one of the most haunting and shocking short stories in modern American fiction. The story takes place in the town square of a small village on a June morning.
Amidst gossip and laughter, the families take out slips of paper from a ballot box until housewife Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson finds a slip with a black mark.
Despite her protests about the inappropriateness of the drawing, the villagers stoned her to death as a ritual sacrifice. The impact of this unexpected ending is intensified by Shirley Jackson's distinct narrative style, the civility with which the villagers carry out the brutality, and the serene environment in which the story takes place.
Following the story's publication, The New Yorker received hundreds of letters and telephone calls from readers expressing their disgust, bewilderment, and curiosity, and Jackson received letters related to "The Lottery" up to the time of her death.
Most critics view the story as a modern parable or fable that addresses a variety of themes, including the dark side of human nature, the subjugation of women, the danger of ritualistic behaviour, and the possibility of cruelty if the individual submits to the tyranny of the status quo.
PLOT SUMMARY
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The story "The Lottery" is written by Shirley Hardie Jackson. The story starts with a description of a hot June day in a town of about 300 people and an annual event in the town, a tradition that is apparently also widespread in the surrounding villages. At first, the children arrive at the town square and engage themselves in "vigorous play". Some of the boys make a "big pile of stones in one corner of the square".
When the village men arrive, they stand away from the stones. They joke quietly and smile instead of laughing. Next, the women reach there. As soon as they meet their husbands, they call their children. A mother's voice carries no weight, and it is her husband who attracts Bobby Martin's attention.
The event for which they have gathered is a lottery organised by Mr. Summers, a neatly dressed, pleasant businessman who has a wife but no children. Although many of the traditional customs associated with the lottery have disappeared over time, Mr. Summers still has "a great deal of fussing to be done" before declaring the lottery open. He has made a list of the families, their heads, and their members. He and Mr. Graves, the postmaster, spent the previous night preparing slips of paper to be placed in a shabby black box. That ballot box has been used for lotteries for as long as Mr. Summers can remember.
Just as Mr. Summers is about to start drawing, Tessie Hutchinson comes hurriedly to join the crowd. She had forgotten that there was a lottery today and remembered it while washing the utensils. She talks briefly to Mrs. Delacroix about her forgetfulness and makes her way to stand by her husband. Later, Mr. Summers begins calling out the names of each family in the village. As the name of the household is called, the male head of the family approaches Mr. Summers and takes a slip of paper from the ballot box. Everyone has been asked not to look at the slip until the last name is called. During the time it takes to complete the drawing, Mr. Adams notes that some cities have started talking about eliminating the lottery. Old Man Warner, participating in his seventy-seventh lottery, snorts at the idea and says it will only lead to trouble.
After the last name is drawn, there is a long pause before Mr. Summers asks people to look at the slips of paper. When Tessie Hutchinson discovers that her husband has a marked slip, she screams that the procedure was not fair. The reader learns at this point that the lottery does not offer any prizes or rewards in the traditional sense. Tessie claims that her husband had to rush to choose the slip of paper and said that their daughter and son-in-law should be included in the next round. Her husband tells her to be quiet as Mr. Graves puts only five slips of paper in the box, one for each family member living in the Hutchinson home.
The Hutchinson children choose first, followed by Bill and then Tessie. The two older children look at their slips and are happy. Mr. Hutchinson looks at his and shows Mr. Summers the blank paper. It then becomes clear that Tessie has drawn the unlucky lottery slip, and Mr. Summers asks the townspeople to complete the lottery quickly. They start collecting stones and throwing them at Tessie.
CHARACTERS
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Mr. Adams:
Villager who questions the lottery but participates in the stoning.
Mrs. Adams:
Questions the lottery, but her actions are contradictory during the stoning.
Joe Summers:
Powerful community figure, administers the lottery, symbolizes tradition.
Bill Hutchinson:
Tessie's husband, enforces patriarchal system, accepts the lottery results.
Old Man Warner:
Oldest villager, staunch defender of the lottery, resistant to change.
Tessie Hutchinson:
Protests the fairness of the lottery, becomes the victim, symbolizes rebellion.
Dickie Delacroix:
Tessie's acquaintance, initially friendly, active in stoning.
Horace Dunbar:
Wife draws for family, accepts patriarchal system, shows compassion during stoning.
Baxter Martin:
Grocer holding the lottery box.
Davy Hutchinson: Tessie's son.
Steve Adams: Another villager.
Jack Watson: Another villager.
Harry Jones: Another villager.
THEMES
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
1. Violence and Cruelty:
We find violence as a major theme in the story, highlighting the brutal act of stoning.
Here ordinary people participate in a horrifying act, emphasizing the potential for violence anywhere.
2. Custom and Tradition:
Blind adherence to tradition, even when aspects are forgotten, is explored.
Symbolism of the black box represents resistance to change.
3. Victim and Victimization:
The concept of sacrificing someone for the perceived good of the village.
Examines society's capacity to victimize others without wrongdoing.
4. Sex Roles:
Critiques patriarchal societies where women are treated as possessions.
Tessie's fate illustrates the authority of men over women.
5. Irony:
The story's tranquil setting contrasts with the brutal reality.
The matter-of-fact narration prompts readers to question morality.
6. Parable:
Characterized as a parable, prompting readers to reflect on moral implications.
Characters represent abstract ideas without extensive development.
7. Gothicism:
While not graphic, the story fits the Gothic genre, generating horror through suspense.
Gothic elements include horror, the supernatural, and violence.
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