The Lottery is a short story by the American writer Shirley Jackson, who is known for her horror and mystery works. Published in 1948 in the New Yorker, it is among the most famous short stories in American literature. The so-called lottery is a fictional tradition followed in a small...contemporary American town during which a victim is chosen to be sacrificed by stoning to death – this is supposed to ensure the community’s well-being. Importantly, this story generated lots of negative reactions back in the days, with lots of hate mail being addressed to the author. Given the controversy around it and its fame, essays on this topic represent interesting assignments. Check through the essay samples below for more topics.
Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery,” is saturated with the use of symbolism. Symbolism is practiced to represent something else. It helps construct significance and feeling in a story by causing the reader to make connections between the piece of literature and the real world. Sometimes it...
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....
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...
The dystopian story is a kind of science fiction. It always sets up in a “what if” society that the author pushed one or more social problems to an extreme condition. ‘The Lottery’ was written by Shirley Jackson and it was first issued in 1948....
Shirely Jackson, writer of many art works, in her short story “The Lottery” (1948) argues that tradition should not be followed in every situation when men are always first, and women take the backseat. Jackson shows her argument with different examples that include traditional living...
Tradition conforms individuals and represents a critical aspect in how society reacts to certain objectives. Many people tend to be so deep in the traditions being believed, that they are unable to determine wrong versus right. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, it is mentioned...
Ever wondered what you’d do if you won the lottery? The main theme in The Lottery is blindly following tradition. In the story, there’s an annual tradition of people coming out and joining the traditional lottery. The author develops the theme of blindly following the...
‘The Lottery’ authored by Shirley Jackson was first published on June 26, 1948, just after World War II. It took place in a small village in New England. The story is such unique literature that once gets reading to it but also all attention gripping...
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” captivates readers with her peculiar point of view on humankind and its nature. Her dark literature has a lasting effect on anyone who reads her work. Shirley Jackson was influenced, mostly, by important people in her life. Her husband, Stanley Edgar...
“The Lottery” is a short story in which Shirley Jackson, the author, presents an often unheard view of tradition. Jackson reveals the many evils committed by mankind. This story takes place in a small village setting, where the people partake in traditional cultures and practices....
The Lottery Character Symbolization When one reads a story they often look for character development, traits, and symbolization to help them better understand the context. In the short story “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, she helps the reader better understand the story by using vast...
In the short story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the most prominent literary concept exemplified is imagery, which is the use of visually descriptive and symbolic language. When imagery is used correctly, it allows the reader to paint a vivid picture of the literary work....
The story of “The Lottery” takes place in a small village, where everyone seems to know each other and everyone seems to get along. It adds to the plot because we do not expect people from such a sweet little village to do something so...
The short stories, The Bet, by Anton Chekhov, and The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, demonstrate the effects of life and existence, tradition and customs, and society and class through different perspectives on these themes of life. Because the characters in the stories experience contrasting perspectives...
Symbolic Analysis of “The Lottery” In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the author uses a morbid lottery system to symbolize issues of traditions in contemporary society. Through the use of symbolism embedded in the story in the form of a raggedy black...
The events of “The Lottery” border on the absurd. Nevertheless, the story cries out for interpretation on several levels. Shirley Jackson has skillfully used the elements of several ancient rituals to create a tale that touches on the character of ritual itself and the devastating...
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 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,...
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson both illustrate the dangers of blindly following ritualized practices and traditions. The stories involve the use of an institutionalized drawing system, one which is employed to blindly choose a sacrifice...
Novelist, short story writer, and nonfiction writer, Shirley Jackson was an American gothic horror fiction author. She was best known for her short story “The Lottery,” a classic tale originally published in The New Yorker. A story on grotesque prejudice hidden in ordinary life, “The...
In most of today’s societies, we treat life as the most precious thing to hold on to. We all participate in numerous ways to keep us entertained in ways that also distract us from our regular lives; and a large part of our lives is...
One of the greatest mysteries in the human psychology is the idea of human nature, the idea that humans share similar characteristics that explain our reasoning behind our choices and morals. Two pieces of literature that explore this concept are ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson...
This short essay will analyze the representation of violence in The lottery By Shirley Jackson. The late 1940’s were a great time to be alive, it had simple ties that made each day brighter. Dancing teen-agers, playful kids, and gossiping wives filled the town, all...
“The Lottery” is a short story by Shirley Jackson where you are introduced to the traditions of a small town. It is not a fun tradition like decorating a Christmas tree, it is much darker. Every year the town has something they call a lottery...
The idea of a planned and deliberate retribution at the heart of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” reflects to some degree the vengeful ideology that inspired the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. Jackson took immense inspiration from tales of the macabre in an otherwise seemingly mundane...
The universe is full of many traditions – tailgates before a ballgame, parades commemorating holidays, and trick-or-treating on Halloween. Why does society adhere to traditions? What is the importance of a tradition? Will society ever be content with its current progression? In order for any...
The Lottery is a fictional short story by Shirley Jackson about blindly following traditions set in a small village. Every year in June, the villagers prepare for the annual ritual, most of whom do not understand the purpose of the lottery. Tessie Hutchinson is one...
Henry S. Haskins once said, ‘Tradition is a prison with majority opinion the modern jailer.’ The quote is related to the short story, ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson because tradition is substantial and important to their community. They have been doing the lottery for years...
Born on December 14th, 1916 Shirley Jackson was a well-established American writer until her death on August 8th, 1965. She primarily wrote horror, mystery, and supernatural stories. Within her two-decade long career she wrote six novels, two memoirs, and over 200 short stories, with some...
Shirley Jackson, author of “The Lottery”, writes about the possible negative consequences of blindly continuing and not questioning tradition, and how violent acts can occur in any unexpected time or place. She showcases these ideas and several others by discussing a “lottery” that takes place...
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