Essays on The Lottery. Free Examples of Research Paper Topics, Titles GradesFixer

The Concept of ‘The Greater Good’ in “The Lottery” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

Written during separate times of war, Shirley Jackson’s 1948 short story “The Lottery” and Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” written in 1974, both chillingly demonstrate the concept of the scapegoat. By definition, the scapegoat often represents a person or object…

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery4 Pages

Social Stratifications and Racial Presumptions in “After You, My Dear Alphonse”

“Racism is not about how you look, it’s about how people assign meaning to how you look.” (Robin Kelley, an American History Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles) People tend to judge each other based on social constructions that society has subconsciously implemented….

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery2 Pages

Anyone Can Be A Monster

Primo Levi, an Italian Jewish chemist, writer, and Holocaust survivor, once said that “Monsters exist, but they are far too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.” When…

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery3 Pages

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s 1948 short story ‘The Lottery’ is an exploration of what it means to belong, or not belong, to a culture and set of traditions. Jackson sets the scene comfortably, describing a traditional little village from the 1920s to the 1940s, where everyone knows…

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery2 Pages

Gothic Elements in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “The Lottery

Horrific, extraordinary, macabre, or supernatural events and “an atmosphere of mystery and suspense” are the essentials of the American Gothic genre of literature (Phillips). The Southern Gothic sub-genre sets the events in the American South, makes extensive use of irony, and includes eccentric, deeply flawed…

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery5 Pages

“The Interlopers” and “The Lottery” Comparative Essay

In the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Interlopers,” the authors Shirley Jackson and Saki (respectively) use pacing, text structure, and strong moods to build suspense. Through the use of the literary elements mentioned above, the reader is left surprised at the end of both…

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery2 Pages

Prominent Themes in The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is an alarming parable that explores the concept of senseless violence whilst featuring many other prominent themes. The short story revolves around an annual lottery that a village holds to ensure that “lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (6). Appallingly,…

Shirley JacksonThe Lottery3 Pages

Tessie's Revenge in The Lottery, a Short Story by Shirley Jackson

The crowd of villagers threw the stones at Tessie with all their might. “NO! Stop it! Please!” Tessie shouted with tears in her eyes.”What’s happening?” Little Davy asked Mr. Hutchinson. With tears falling down his face, Mr.Hutchinson said “Oh, it’s nothing you have to worry…

The Lottery1 Page

Human Morality in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Humanity is best known for confusing one thing for another and doing things in the name of following cultural guidelines or social expectations. But, is that action justified? Is it even a rational mindset? Most times, such behavior is very harmful and dangerous to individuals….

The Lottery2 Pages