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Symbolism in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", 2002.
This essay examines the emotional turmoil, obedience and defiance in Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery".
1,230 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 1 source, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the feelings and emotions of the townspeople in Shirley Jackson's tale of perverse ritual and strict conformity in "The Lottery". The author discusses the cruelty and blind obedience of certain characters, and the intense guilt and defiance felt by others in participating in the lottery.
From the Paper:
"In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery we see an exciting game of chance turn ugly, as the winner of this lottery is subsequently sentenced to death at the hands of the town people. The town runs amok with various rebellious, evil, and utterly insensitive people who lie in wait for their next annual victim. Playing the role of judges, juries, and executioners, many of Jackson's characters depict a strong underlying theme of the evil, prejudice, and rebellion that is so prevalent in our everyday lives. All the characters' roles, as well as their names, were precisely chosen in order to awaken our hearts and minds to the callousness and rebellion that lies at the heart of every man in the face of habitual conformity."
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A Synopsis of Shirley Jackson?s ? The Lottery?, 2006.
A book review of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery".
890 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
In this synopsis of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson the author looks at many features of the book. He starts with a look at the false feeling of normal life that Jackson gives in the beginning of the book talking about how the villagers are carrying on with their regular chores at the beginning of the big lottery day. But as the author progresses he points out how Jackson introduces a dichotomy between tradition and change, youth and age, as one of the characters declares that several neighboring villages have abandoned the lottery. The author concludes that Jackson portrays the villagers as being locked in an immature developmental state, an unyielding, unquestioning, and mindless obedience to tradition as they are unwilling to abandon the lottery.
From the Paper
"Ms. Jackson's short story begins with the gathering of a small village's inhabitants as they prepare for their community's yearly lottery. As the lottery box is brought out, mothers are noted rushing with morning chores, as children boisterously play about the town square, while the men of the village slowly gather, discussing diurnal aspects of village life. These early elements of normalcy combine to allure the reader into false sense of security-a sense that what is about to happen is a positive event steeped in tradition. For example, Mr. Summers, who oversees the lottery, "spoke frequently about making a new box, but no one like to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the [old and dilapidated] black box" (Jackson 384). Here, the reader logically equates tradition with merit, for as Erich Fromm notes, "obedience to tradition [is] identified with virtue . . ." (381)."
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Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", 2006.
A paper on the character of Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."
750 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper talks about Tessie Hutchinson's role in Shirley Jackson's macabre short story, "The Lottery." The paper shows how Tessie Hutchinson is presented as a good neighbor and member of the community, but is later turned into the story's victim. The paper then explains how Tessie turns from an upstanding member of the community into a rebel against the community's tradition.
From the Paper
"Tessie Hutchinson is chosen by "the lottery" to be stoned to death by the villagers. Jackson writes, "People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand" (Jackson). There is no reason given for the lottery. The story only tells the reader that the lottery happens every year. Tessie is late to the drawing, and makes a joke of it with her friend. She says, "'Thought my old man was out back stacking wood,' Mrs. Hutchinson went on, 'and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running'" (Jackson). She is likable and neighborly, and the reader immediately begins to like her. Tessie laughs and jokes throughout the drawing, until the end. However, Tessie is not laughing when she sees the villagers in the lottery have selected her name, and she is the winner."
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Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", 2000.
An analysis of the reasons and effectiveness of the use of the omniscient third person narration used in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery".
1,033 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 1 source, $ 36.95
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From the Paper
"...The ?reality? that an author presents is colored by the way that the story is told to the reader. Jackson selected a narrative window where the reader sees the action of a story unfold. Because of the narrative windows that she chose, "The Lottery" possesses a unique narrative perspective that bends and colors the way that the author presents reality to the reader. "The Lottery" stands out from other stories because of the unique way that the story is told to the reader. "
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Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", 2005.
An analysis of Shirley Jackson's famous story, "The Lottery", and what it says about a crowd's influence on individual behavior and obedience.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at obedience in relation to the story, "The Lottery", by Shirley Jackson. More specifically, the paper explains that the story is about how people are affected by the group around them and tend to go along with the group decision even when they know it is wrong.
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Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", 2006.
A summary and analysis of this fictional short by Shirley Jackson about an archaic ritual practiced in many small villages.
1,037 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper summarizes the plot of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and examines the theme of the story about rebellion against capitalism and capitalist patriarchs. The paper focuses primarily on Tessie, the chosen victim of the stoning ritual and how she is representative of this rebellion.
From the Paper
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a story of a senseless, superstitious, archaic ritual that is still practiced yearly in many villages at ten o'clock on the morning of June 27th (Jackson pp). Jackson begins by describing how the people of the village gather in the square on the clear and sunny morning of June 27th, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day, the flowers blossoming profusely and the grass richly green (Jackson pp). This first sentence paints such a quaint picture that it leads the reader to believe that this tale will be filled with joy and luck. The author informs the reader that in some towns, there were so many people that the lottery took two days, but this village, had only about three hundred people, so the whole lottery took less than two hours, "so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner" (Jackson pp). It sounds as if this is a kind of yearly gathering in which some type of prizes are awarded, for everyone gathers so hurriedly and matter of fact, such as Tessie Hutchinson."
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Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", 2000.
A Comparison of narrative techniques in "The Lottery" and "The Tell-Tale Heart".
1,356 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, $ 45.95
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Abstract
In this paper, the author compares and contrasts the narrative techniques in Shirley Jackson's ?The Lottery? and Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" to see how the authors have used narrative point of view to achieve their unique qualities.
From the Paper
"Poe?s choice of first-person narration lends a great ironic twist to the story: the narrator thinks that he is sane and that his view of reality is rational, but we readers see that he is a madman. The subjectivity of the narrative is never open to any other point of view but of the narrator. Had "The Tell-Tale Heart" been told from any other narrative point of view, had we heard the story from the police or from the neighbors who heard the shriek, the effect upon the reader would have been quite different. "
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"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, 2006.
An analysis of Shirley Jackson's book, "The Lottery".
1,060 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 0 sources, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. The paper examines the book's theme of human society's tendency to hold on to redundant traditions and ideas, linking "The Lottery" to class-based system economics. The paper also discusses how the darkness created by the lottery is a reflection of the town's social inequality.
From the Paper
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a shocking tale of a town's sacrificial lottery that satires society's obsolete traditions and rituals. By taking a far extreme, the idea of sacrifice, the author questions our obsolete traditions. However, she also criticizes our social system by putting the three most powerful men in charge of the lottery. Jackson used "The Lottery" to satirize human society both on our pointless traditions and superstitions that we continue to carry out, regardless of whether we see a point in them or not, and our ruthless class-based system, the most powerful being in control of society's welfare and the lower-class sheepishly following the guidance of their overlords.
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?The Lottery? by Shirley Jackson, 2005.
This paper discusses the significance of ritual and tradition in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
990 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, although ritual and tradition are bound up within Shirley Jackson's American Gothic tale "The Lottery", the best way to understand these two motifs is to examine one of the central characters, namely Mr. Summers, the conductor of the lottery. The question remains as to why Mr. Summers and the rest of the villagers continue the tradition of the lottery for it is obviously somewhat dated and rather redundant; but the writer points out that due to her skill as one of America's most talented storytellers, Shirley Jackson allows the reader to ponder this question alone. The paper concludes that the evils associated with certain cultural manifestations in the book, especially those related to ritual and tradition, can do far more harm than good.
From the Paper
"Mr. Summers's desire to "finish quickly" seems to indicate that he views the stoning of Tess Hutchinson, the person whose name was on the slip of paper withdrawn from the "black box," as an act of utter necessity, due to the age-old tradition of the ritual, part of which has been forgotten except for the use of stones as lethal weapons. This is highly reminiscent of certain passages in the Old Testament and in the New Testament where Jesus prevents the stoning of a prostitute by saying "Let the man who is without sin cast the first stone." It is almost as if Shirley Jackson has taken the ritual of stoning to new heights, for the luckless victim has not been found guilty of any kind of a crime and has not committed any acts against society; thus, the ritual appears to supersede any and all ethics linked to society and human behavior."
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?The Lottery? by Shirley Jackson, 2002.
This paper discusses the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, which generated more mail than any other story published in the "New Yorker" magazine.
1,066 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
An analysis of the short story "The Lottery" that explains the way in which Jackson's literary style adds to the tension created by the narrative itself. The writer gives examples of places in the text that begin to alert the reader that a surprising and perhaps shocking ending is in store.
From the Paper
"This hint of trouble approaching is carefully countered by the matter of fact way that Jackson describes the next set of events. Even the box that holds the papers, so old that it was made from pieces of the original box from the very start of the lottery, is not given a special position in the village after the lottery is over. ?The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent one year in Mr. Graves's barn and another year underfoot in the post office. and sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there.? (Jackson)"
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A Look at Human Nature in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, 2000.
A look at how Shirley Jackson portrays the weakness of human nature, including the inability to accept responsibility and challenge popular morality.
885 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 1 source, $ 31.95
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From the Paper
"The short story "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, takes a deeper look at human nature by displaying at least three typical attitudes of man while living and interacting in a society. These attitudes include man's unwillingness to accept the consequences of societal actions, man's tendency to turn against his neighbor if he or she is dubbed an outcast, and man's acceptance of a tradition that may be immoral simply because he has always done so. "
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Jackson: The Lottery, 1986.
Reviews Jackson's short story THE LOTTERY. Focuses on the authors use of shock in the story & relates it to Milgram's work on obedience to authority.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 2 sources, $ 23.95
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From the Paper
""The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson was a very shocking story when it was published in 1948, and it was carefully designed to be shocking because the author presents an image of conformity that seems benign but proves to be horrifying. By doing this, she brings home to the reader how debilitating conformity itself is as something that saps individual will and responsibility and substitutes a community sense of right and wrong. The people of this small village are more frightening to the reader precisely because they are so normal. Until the last moments of the story, they seem very normal, and their activities are such as might be found in villages across the country. Yet there is also a certain sense throughout the story that something is wrong, that this normalcy is an illusion, and that the people have surrendered too much of their autonomy to the group."
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Shirley Jackson's Writing, 2005.
Examines statements relating to the writing of Shirley Jackson.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 6 sources, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper focuses on 6 statements regarding Shirley Jackson and her writing. It analyzes quotes relating to the topic and presents meanings in relation to the citations. As Shirley Jackson was a writer who often wrote horror and tales of evil, it reflects on the fact that Jackson was a talented individual who was capable of writing in any genre.
From the Paper
"Surely such outrage was not prompted by a perception of negative treatment of ignorant villagers enslaved by primitive custom. It can only be explained as the public's visceral revulsion toward Jackson's extremely cynical view of human nature as devoid of any shred of goodness or even decency" (Coulthard 207). This statement contends that Shirley Jackson's personal view of society was one of cruelty and evil. It relates to her work, The Lottery, in which Jackson writes about a town that stones to death the lottery "winner" to ensure a good harvest. The quotation suggest that Jackson's writing of The Lottery outraged individuals who read her work, and then attacked the writer personally in an effort to undermine her talent."
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The Short Stories of Shirley Jackson, 2002.
An examination of a number of short stories by Shirley Jackson, looking at the alternative themes she tends to portray in her stories.
1,080 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
Shirley Jackson is a short story writer known for writing disturbing stories that focus not on horrific events, but on normal events that occur in society. The writer shows how her stories add new meaning to common events that everyone can relate to, often also making a comment on our society. Three of her stories which have these features, are examined - "The Witch", "An Ordinary Day, With Peanuts", and "After You, My Dear Alphonse". These stories are compared in terms of theme, style, irony, and characters. The common features of Jackson?s work can easily be identified.
From the Paper
"In each of the three stories, the theme makes a comment on our society, using everyday events to accomplish this.
"In The Witch, a mother is on the train with her four-year old son. A man enters and noting that the boy needs entertaining, tells him a story. The story, however, is a horrific one and what would be considered an inappropriate one. The mother must then deal with the social situation of reacting to the man?s inappropriateness. The aspect of the story that communicates the theme is that the boy is actually entertained by the story, even though it is considered inappropriate. This leads the reader to consider why these types of stories are so entertaining and why the mother is more disturbed by the story than her son. This leads to the questioning of the conventions of society, especially the idea of what is considered inappropriate."
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Cruelty in "The Lottery", 2005.
The theme of cruelty is examined in Shirley Jackson's story, "The Lottery".
867 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 30.95
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Abstract
Cruelty often comes in many forms. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the writer points out that we see human cruelty in its worst form because there is no excuse for it. It explains how, in this story, cruelty manifests itself in the form of a ritual that makes no sense except for the fact that the ritual has been passed down for generations. It discusses how Jackson's example illustrates how mankind can become a victim to its own mindless traditions and that the theme of cruelty emerges through the words and behavior of the townspeople.
From the Paper
"The behavior of the townspeople is very telling. We know that the people gather in the same place every year to participate in this customary ritual. It is interesting to note that the history of this lottery is lost. For example, we read that the "original paraphernalia" (Jackson 619) from where this lottery survives was lost "long ago" (619). The people are like drones because they did not like "to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box" (619). This is fascinating considering what is happening. Rather than question their behavior, they would rather sit back and let the madness continue. Instead, they allow innocent people to be killed. This illustrates how they have become desensitized to what is happening. We can also see how they are desensitized when Mr. Adams tells Mr. Warner that a town nearby is considering giving up the lottery, to which Mr. Warner replies that they are a "pack of young fools" (622). Mr. Warner is old and he is as much a creature of habit as the rest of the town is. His reply to Mr. Adams indicates a truth about humanity in general, which is that if people do something long enough, they begin to believe that it is acceptable and perhaps even right. Here we see how tradition becomes essential to a community because it gives them a sense of belonging and strangely, a sense of purpose."
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