Short stories go down like ice cream, but they often leave the reader with lingering sensations. What are those sensations? What do they have to do with your experience? Is "Literature" with a capital L a more effective brand of cultural meaning-making than commercials, Twitter, or the news?
Hopefully, we'll get the ball rolling on some of these questions. Featured texts describe utopian visions, bovine rebellion, freezing to death, and school shootings (among other things).
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a suspenseful short story, with a shocking ending. To start off, when we hear the title “The Lottery” one might assume it is a story about a character who wins the lottery, giving it a good connotation. However after reading, we find that it is quite the opposite. Looking back at the story, we can see that there are a few cases of foreshadowing that lead to the outcome of the lottery. In the second paragraph we learn of children who are collecting stones and creating piles of them. Being that they are young boys, we might assume that this is normal behavior for them. After finishing the story however, we come to find that the boys collecting stones have a reason for their actions. Throughout the story it is stressed that the community is one, and that they are very close. When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late to the gathering, it makes the reader feel as if something is not right about the situation and makes the reader question why this particular character is singled out. Shortly after, a comment is made by Mr. Summers that hints at her future. He states “Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie.” This suggests that an event may occur which affects her life. The ending of The Lottery is unexpected for most readers and is quite brutal. However, I believe this is a topic that is frequently thought about in today’s society. The thought of a society where there is an organized killing by which people have no choice but to participate in. Besides The Lottery, there are multiple works such as movies coming out that have a similar concept. This concept questions society today, and creates a different perspective on how life should be lived.
This short story was very interesting. When reading the title I thought that the story would have something to do with someone winning a lottery ticket or something positive. As I first started to read, I thought maybe the village was gathering for a big money prize lottery. As I got further into the story, I was uncertain as to what the ‘prize’ was going to be. The author did a very good job of making the reader have to think about what this lottery was all about. I found it interesting that when Tessie arrived late to the lottery, the town was very happy and relieved when she got there. Thinking that this story was about someone being happy about winning a lottery, I was very confused when Tessie got the black dot and the crowd went silent. I thought maybe they were jealous of her or were mad at her that she won. Once people were picking up stones and walking towards her, I knew why nobody wanted to win the lottery. I do wonder why Mr. Summers was in such a hurry to finish. Did he have other things that he wanted to do? Did he know Tessie was going to be chosen and he wanted to finish? Maybe he realizes that the lottery they are doing is wrong. Every year the town gathers to choose from a box to see who is going to get stones thrown at them. I think that instead of getting a new box, they should stop doing the lottery altogether.
When reading The Lottery by Shirley Jackson you start out thinking of it in a positive way, we think of the lottery to be as it is today. We find out at the end of the story that it’s not what a reader would expect at all. Once you figure out what the lottery truly is, you also start to see all the foreshadowing and irony that happened throughout the story. When the young boys are collecting the rocks, you think it’s just boys being boys. Then you realize the actual purpose of the rocks. When Tessie shows up to the lottery and they all joke about how she almost missed it is ironic because she ends up “winning” the lottery. The definition of Delacroix is of the cross, so when she picks up a stone so big it takes up two hands, it’s very ironic compared to her last name. Also Mr. Summers is the leader of the lottery and has a bright and happy last name. The lottery is a story that takes you in the complete opposite direction than what you are expecting. I think The Lottery is becoming more of a popular topic in our society today. With movies like The Purge out, the concept of murder and eliminating other humans for our own personal reasons are becoming a more common topic. It’s a dark and twisted idea that continues to come up in our society in books or movies. It makes you think about what our world could turn into.
When reading the title of the story "The Lottery", a reader would expect a positive outcome for the winner, such as money or some kind of reward for the family like a vacation. However, that is not the case in this story. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" has a much more morbid ending for the so-called "winner". After all of the heads of households draw a piece of paper, the family of the one who drew the slip with the black dot must all draw a slip for themselves. The "winner" is picked from the remaining family members. The family member who draws the black card is deemed the winner, and is stoned to death by the entire village, including their own family members. Looking back on the story after reading, it is clear why the boys were gathering the stones and putting them in a pile and in their pockets. It is also clear why everyone said "good luck" to the people who were drawing, and why everyone seemed sad to draw. Reading this story and seeing the ending makes me glad that the world we live in does not have events like this, where someone is killed in a ritualistic manner in front of hundreds of people, including their friends and family, with those people even helping in the murder.
While reading this story I did not find myself catching onto any of the hints given by the author of any sad endings or twist to the story. Given the title and the first paragraph of the story describing a warm sunny, gorgeous day I did not for see what the true meaning of the lottery in this case. I literally thought it would end with someone winning a large sum of money and everyone would go back to living their merry lives. It is safe to say that I was completely shocked at the outcome and what the lottery was all about. Looking back the author did a great job at giving hints that something was about to happen that was unexpected and it was not going to play out the way everyone might think it would. For example when it said the children were picking up stones and stuffing their pockets getting ready for the lottery. This should have set alarms off due to the fact that stones have nothing to do with you winning a large sum of money. Not only did the author do a good job at foreshadowing and giving hidden messages throughout the story it made me think about what is wrong with society. This makes me reflect on what people will do and what lengths they will go to, to fit in. People do not normally agree with stoning someone to death to fit in but people will alter their morals and values in order to not be the misfit. Not everyone in this village had to of agreed with this tradition, yet no one stood up and said anything. They went along with the leader just hoping that they would not be the one to die that day.
it was a horrifying story , before i read the story i thought anybody who won the lottery was going to win a huge sum of money or receive a valuable prize . i didn't really understand until the very end . in the story , people seem to be gathering up stones , especially children, then the actually lottery. it turns out to be when everybody pulls out their paper, there is a ritual then the unlucky person to pick up the paper with the black dot gets to be offered as a sacrificial scape goat. these people thought of this ritual as a fertility ritual. pretty much you sacrifice somebody and the crops will flourish and they will be able to have a good harvest. that was basically the rational of the story. i got a sense of superstition when people complained to the old folks, they say the young generation don't understand. what i really find interesting about this story is if anybody was unfortunately elected , that person is more likely to participate in stoning if they weren't in that position.
The short-story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson was one of my favorite readings this summer for sure. Throughout the story there are many components that foreshadow the ending but it is still unexpected, shocking and horrifying. The story is about a small village or community of some sort that believe in keeping and being faithful to tradition to the fullest no matter what. In this case it means stoning someone to death. It is called the lottery. All of the families gather and one by one take a slip from this black box that has also been passed down throughout the years. Whoever ends up with a black charcoal dot on their slip is the one who is chosen to die. This is an annual ritual that all participate in no matter the age. The two oldest men in the community, Old Man Warner and Mr. Summers make sure that this is carried on and to motivate the people to do so. The people are all hypocrites with each other greatly. They all act as if nothing is wrong and have conversations among each other of how their day has been and about their families, yet at the end they are perfectly fine with killing you- whether it is your best friend or husband. In the story it resulted in a young boy evening stoning his mother which was Tessie Hutchinson. But why wouldn't he? All he has been taught and raised to do is follow tradition and so he did.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a suspenseful short story, with a shocking ending. To start off, when we hear the title “The Lottery” one might assume it is a story about a character who wins the lottery, giving it a good connotation. However after reading, we find that it is quite the opposite. Looking back at the story, we can see that there are a few cases of foreshadowing that lead to the outcome of the lottery. In the second paragraph we learn of children who are collecting stones and creating piles of them. Being that they are young boys, we might assume that this is normal behavior for them. After finishing the story however, we come to find that the boys collecting stones have a reason for their actions. Throughout the story it is stressed that the community is one, and that they are very close. When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late to the gathering, it makes the reader feel as if something is not right about the situation and makes the reader question why this particular character is singled out. Shortly after, a comment is made by Mr. Summers that hints at her future. He states “Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie.” This suggests that an event may occur which affects her life. The ending of The Lottery is unexpected for most readers and is quite brutal. However, I believe this is a topic that is frequently thought about in today’s society. The thought of a society where there is an organized killing by which people have no choice but to participate in. Besides The Lottery, there are multiple works such as movies coming out that have a similar concept. This concept questions society today, and creates a different perspective on how life should be lived.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis short story was very interesting. When reading the title I thought that the story would have something to do with someone winning a lottery ticket or something positive. As I first started to read, I thought maybe the village was gathering for a big money prize lottery. As I got further into the story, I was uncertain as to what the ‘prize’ was going to be. The author did a very good job of making the reader have to think about what this lottery was all about. I found it interesting that when Tessie arrived late to the lottery, the town was very happy and relieved when she got there. Thinking that this story was about someone being happy about winning a lottery, I was very confused when Tessie got the black dot and the crowd went silent. I thought maybe they were jealous of her or were mad at her that she won. Once people were picking up stones and walking towards her, I knew why nobody wanted to win the lottery. I do wonder why Mr. Summers was in such a hurry to finish. Did he have other things that he wanted to do? Did he know Tessie was going to be chosen and he wanted to finish? Maybe he realizes that the lottery they are doing is wrong. Every year the town gathers to choose from a box to see who is going to get stones thrown at them. I think that instead of getting a new box, they should stop doing the lottery altogether.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading The Lottery by Shirley Jackson you start out thinking of it in a positive way, we think of the lottery to be as it is today. We find out at the end of the story that it’s not what a reader would expect at all. Once you figure out what the lottery truly is, you also start to see all the foreshadowing and irony that happened throughout the story. When the young boys are collecting the rocks, you think it’s just boys being boys. Then you realize the actual purpose of the rocks. When Tessie shows up to the lottery and they all joke about how she almost missed it is ironic because she ends up “winning” the lottery. The definition of Delacroix is of the cross, so when she picks up a stone so big it takes up two hands, it’s very ironic compared to her last name. Also Mr. Summers is the leader of the lottery and has a bright and happy last name. The lottery is a story that takes you in the complete opposite direction than what you are expecting. I think The Lottery is becoming more of a popular topic in our society today. With movies like The Purge out, the concept of murder and eliminating other humans for our own personal reasons are becoming a more common topic. It’s a dark and twisted idea that continues to come up in our society in books or movies. It makes you think about what our world could turn into.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the title of the story "The Lottery", a reader would expect a positive outcome for the winner, such as money or some kind of reward for the family like a vacation. However, that is not the case in this story. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" has a much more morbid ending for the so-called "winner". After all of the heads of households draw a piece of paper, the family of the one who drew the slip with the black dot must all draw a slip for themselves. The "winner" is picked from the remaining family members. The family member who draws the black card is deemed the winner, and is stoned to death by the entire village, including their own family members. Looking back on the story after reading, it is clear why the boys were gathering the stones and putting them in a pile and in their pockets. It is also clear why everyone said "good luck" to the people who were drawing, and why everyone seemed sad to draw. Reading this story and seeing the ending makes me glad that the world we live in does not have events like this, where someone is killed in a ritualistic manner in front of hundreds of people, including their friends and family, with those people even helping in the murder.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this story I did not find myself catching onto any of the hints given by the author of any sad endings or twist to the story. Given the title and the first paragraph of the story describing a warm sunny, gorgeous day I did not for see what the true meaning of the lottery in this case. I literally thought it would end with someone winning a large sum of money and everyone would go back to living their merry lives. It is safe to say that I was completely shocked at the outcome and what the lottery was all about. Looking back the author did a great job at giving hints that something was about to happen that was unexpected and it was not going to play out the way everyone might think it would. For example when it said the children were picking up stones and stuffing their pockets getting ready for the lottery. This should have set alarms off due to the fact that stones have nothing to do with you winning a large sum of money. Not only did the author do a good job at foreshadowing and giving hidden messages throughout the story it made me think about what is wrong with society. This makes me reflect on what people will do and what lengths they will go to, to fit in. People do not normally agree with stoning someone to death to fit in but people will alter their morals and values in order to not be the misfit. Not everyone in this village had to of agreed with this tradition, yet no one stood up and said anything. They went along with the leader just hoping that they would not be the one to die that day.
ReplyDeleteit was a horrifying story , before i read the story i thought anybody who won the lottery was going to win a huge sum of money or receive a valuable prize . i didn't really understand until the very end . in the story , people seem to be gathering up stones , especially children, then the actually lottery. it turns out to be when everybody pulls out their paper, there is a ritual then the unlucky person to pick up the paper with the black dot gets to be offered as a sacrificial scape goat. these people thought of this ritual as a fertility ritual. pretty much you sacrifice somebody and the crops will flourish and they will be able to have a good harvest. that was basically the rational of the story. i got a sense of superstition when people complained to the old folks, they say the young generation don't understand. what i really find interesting about this story is if anybody was unfortunately elected , that person is more likely to participate in stoning if they weren't in that position.
ReplyDeleteThe short-story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson was one of my favorite readings this summer for sure. Throughout the story there are many components that foreshadow the ending but it is still unexpected, shocking and horrifying. The story is about a small village or community of some sort that believe in keeping and being faithful to tradition to the fullest no matter what. In this case it means stoning someone to death. It is called the lottery. All of the families gather and one by one take a slip from this black box that has also been passed down throughout the years. Whoever ends up with a black charcoal dot on their slip is the one who is chosen to die. This is an annual ritual that all participate in no matter the age. The two oldest men in the community, Old Man Warner and Mr. Summers make sure that this is carried on and to motivate the people to do so. The people are all hypocrites with each other greatly. They all act as if nothing is wrong and have conversations among each other of how their day has been and about their families, yet at the end they are perfectly fine with killing you- whether it is your best friend or husband. In the story it resulted in a young boy evening stoning his mother which was Tessie Hutchinson. But why wouldn't he? All he has been taught and raised to do is follow tradition and so he did.
ReplyDelete