I.
Introduction
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story published in the June 26, 1948 edition of The
New Yorker. Written immediately after World War II, it explores ideas such as communal
violence, individual vulnerability, and the dangers of blindly following tradition. Set in a
fictional town in mid 20th-century America, the story begins as a straightforward tale about a
small town’s annual lottery. By the end, it evolves into a horror story featuring the public stoning
of the lottery's winner. Told from an objective, third-person point of view, the plot is advanced
primarily by dialogue but is also full of symbols and allusions that enhance its themes.
The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable. It is a place where things are not what
they seem; even on a day that is sunny and clear, "with the fresh warmth of a full summer day,"
there is the threat of darkness looming, of things taking a turn for the worse. Hers is the ever-
observant eye, the mind's eye, bearing witness. Out of the stories rises a magical somnambulist's
ether—the reader is left forever changed, the mark of the stories indelible upon the imagination,
the soul.
II. Body
The concept that human beings need to feel ‘control’ over hostile environments applies to the
story “The Lottery”. In the beginning the children take control when they set up piles of stones,
then the men when they draw from the box, and finally the village takes control when the stoning
takes place.
To have the upper-hand, or control, in a hostile situation is to survive and to survive is a
human’s purpose. The act of the lottery itself has only been kept for the sake of society’s
tradition. Traditions can occasionally be due to superstitions and the village’s saying, “Lottery in
June, corn be heavy soon”, hints at a superstition of some sorts. The villagers might be carrying
on a tradition from their past that is meant to bring prosperity and fertility to the crops as
sacrifice is often attributed to these. This is how the concept of superstition ties in with the story.
Sacrifice for the greater good is one of the main topics in the story. I believe since all of the
villagers agree to keep the tradition of the lottery they have all agreed to be the sacrifice if
chance makes it so. If the individuals agree before the event then the requirement of an
individual to sacrifice there life is not actually morally wrong. This makes their sacrifice, even if
it is required, acceptable by the community.
Stoning is a very brutal method of killing as the killer must be close to the victim and the death
is painful and slow. Stoning as a method of sacrifice significantly applies to the story. It shows
how the villagers wish to stick with ancient tradition no matter how brutal. The fact that the
villagers stone the sacrifice also shows how tradition can blind us all to the gruesome fact of
reality.
III. Conclusion
To conclude The Lottery literary analysis, the unfolding of the short story reflects how humans
mistreat each other. Presumably, it happens in compliance with cultural beliefs and practices.
The lottery act undermines human nature. So, the individuals seem to condone such evils with
less consideration for their negative impacts.
At the end of the story, the “light of hope” for liberalization represented by Mrs. Hutchinson
dies. That proves the existence of a corrupt and evil nature of man. Generally speaking, the short
story describes the social malpractices that society conducts to each other as if they were
ordinary occurrences.
IV. Bibliography
1. Hyman, Stanley. The Presentation of Evil in “The Lottery”. 2000, New Jersey: Bantam
Publishing Co.
2. Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. 1948, New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers.
3. Marshall, Garry. Analysis of “The Lottery” a Short Story by Shirley Jackson. 2003, New
York: Lori Voth Publishers.
THE LOTTERY
Prepared by:
Brunwen D. Bangayan
11-MIRIAM
Presented to:
Ma’am Nayza Pengad and Ma’am Juvie W. Watig
Reading and Writing 11
