Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Thesis Statement

The confusion surrounding the lottery's meaning is the reason there was such an immense reaction to the short story.

Shirley Jackson (1919-65) is an American writer, b. San Francisco. She is best known for her stories and novels of horror and the occult, rendered more terrifying because they are set against realistic, everyday backgrounds. Her works include "The Lottery" (a short story first published in The New Yorker, 1948), The Haunting of Hill House ( 1959), and We Have Always Lived in the Castle ( 1962). The Magic of Shirley Jackson ( 1966) and Come Along With Me (1968) are posthumous collections of her stories. She was married to the critic Stanley Edgar Hyman.

'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson was published in 1948. The ending of the story is unbelieving as well as horrifyingly shocking. Patrick McGrath remarks that 'The Lottery' is a haunting and powerful collection of stories from one of America's finest writers. These stories are eerie, unforgettable, terrifying and hilarious. (Stanley Edgar Hyman, p. viii.)

Erica Bauermeister remarks that Shirley Jackson's The Lottery is a memorable and terrifying masterpiece, fueled by a tension that creeps up on you slowly without any clear indication of why. One is left gasping at the tragic end in the form of a death. It is not impossible for such a horrible tradition to have been existed in a society. In fact, even more crazy and totally brutal rituals have existed in many parts of the world. Wives are still burned alive along with their dead husbands and girl babies are killed for various reasons. (Pascal, Richard p 98)

Children killing, gender discrimination, slave butchering, burying alive, killing of a beautiful young girl as a sign of respect and plea to natural phenomenas, Gods and Godesses have all existed in various parts and societies of the world. The most stunning feature of the story 'The Lottery' is the normalcy of the society's environment. Had it been a nomadic, primitive society one would not have been as shocking. There is total contrast between the social norms of behavior with the 'must do' tradition or ritual of lottery and brutal death of Mrs. Hutchinson. It is also a fact that no one knew exactly where this "lottery" originated from but that to give it up was foolish idea. It is the human nature that when he comes under the burning flame then they start thinking of the background of the problems and the nature of the ritual. Again the person who actually conducts the ritual of the lottery drawing is a jovial man, Mr. Summers, who treats the conduction of this lottery just as he treats any other event he conducts such as the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program. In fact he was shown as someone who was appreciated for his time, effort and consideration he devotes to this horrific event.

'The Lottery' actually incorporates within a black box, which is worn and faded over the years. The color of the box ...