Irony in the Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay

Irony in the Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson In Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† irony is an underlying theme used throughout the story. The setting is introduced as a â€Å"clear and sunny† day, but ends with the brutal death of a housewife (715). The two people who essentially run the town, Mr. Graves and Mr. Summers, also have ironic names. In addition, the characters and the narrator make ironic statements throughout the story. The plot as a whole in â€Å"The Lottery† is filled with ironic twists. The whole idea of a lottery is to win something, and the reader is led to believe that the winner will receive some prize, when in actuality they will be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers. The villagers act very nonchalant†¦show more content†¦Summers has a delightful name, which also matches his description as â€Å"a round-faced, jovial man† (715). Mr. Summers is the mayor of the town and also runs the most successful business—the coal company. When one thin ks of summer one generally thinks of pleasantness and happiness. His name is ironic because his job is essentially in contrast to these thoughts. He is in charge of the random killing of a villager, which hardly seems pleasant. As the plot progress some of the characters make ironic statements. On page 717 there is a passage about the Watson boy drawing for him and his mother, which can be interpreted as his father was the one who was killed last year. One voice from the crowd says â€Å"Good fellow, Jack† and another says â€Å"Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.† These two statements make it seem like Jack is a hero, and his father was not a man because he was sacrificed to the lottery. Another ironic statement is made by Tessie after her family was chosen. She says â€Å"It wasn’t fair† referring to her husband drawing the piece of paper with the black dot (719). It is ironic that she is the only one who sees that the lottery really is not fair and is eventually killed because of it. It is also ironic that she was the only person late to the lottery, which she attributes to not remembering what day it is. Irony is a main theme in Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery.† The irony in the story can be separated into three mainShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book The Lottery 916 Words   |  4 Pages The Foreshadowing in â€Å"The Lottery† On a warm day in late June, villagers gather in the square to participate in a lottery run by Mr. Summers. The children arrive first and begin collecting stones until their parents call them to order. Mr. Summers calls each head of the household forward to a black wooden box, where each selects a slip of paper. Once the men have chosen, Mr. Summers allows everyone to open the paper and see who wins. Bill Hutchinson wins and his wife immediately starts protestingRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson Analysis784 Words   |  4 Pagesalways as we perceive them to be and we are often very surprised by certain outcomes. Throughout her short stories, â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"The Possibility of Evil†, Shirley Jackson shocks readers with her unthinkable plot twists. During both stories, they begin very peaceful and calm but as you near the end, your view of both readings completely change. Throughout â€Å"The Lottery† if you win the lottery that year you will be sacrificed, which no one would believe would happen as the title has a positive connotation;Read MoreHuman Corruption Of Human Nature1140 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Corruption in â€Å"The Lottery† â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson is a classic short story in U.S literature. Written in 1948, the short story has been published in multiple languages around the world. It is still a required reading in U.S today. The story was later adapted into both a TV short and a play (â€Å"Shirley Jackson’s Bio†). Jackson uses irony and symbolism in â€Å"The Lottery† to show the corruption of human nature. The story opens up on a clear June day. It continues to describe an ominousRead MoreAnalysis of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson993 Words   |  4 Pageswe blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow. Shirley Jackson was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. She is most well known for her short story titled â€Å"The Lottery† which was first published in The New Yorker to overwhelming and mixed reviews. The lottery, as portrayed in the short story, is a religious, annual ceremony in the afternoon of June 27. This event is said to be older than Old Man WarnerRead MoreThe Lottery Literary Analysis1538 Words   |  7 Pagesgreen† (Jackson). In this first sentence of the The Lottery Shirley Jackson establishes a pleasant illusion, creating a sense of serenity. Jackson proceeds to mention that children begin to gather in the village, frolicing and conversing about school. The init ial scene and satirically labeled title, The Lottery, provide a somewhat satisfying first impression to the reader. The introductory scene is eminent to intentionally implement misconception of the narrative to encompass climatic irony in theRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson931 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1948 Shirley Jackson composed the controversial short story â€Å"The Lottery.† Generally speaking, a title such as â€Å"The Lottery† is usually affiliated with an optimistic outlook. However, Jackson’s approach is quite unorthodox and will surely leave readers contemplating the intent of her content. The story exposes a crude, senseless lottery system in which random villagers are murdered amongst their peers. Essentially, the lottery system counteracts as a form of population control, but negatives easilyRead MoreCreative Use of Symbolism and Irony in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery576 Words   |  3 PagesA lottery has always provided a sense of hope and a dventure to people, but the lottery takes on an entirely different significance in Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†. The story takes place in a village of roughly three hundred people. Everyone in the village gathers at the center to take part. One representative from each family comes up, to take a piece of paper from an old, black, wooden box. The Hutchinson family has the black dot; each family Hutchinson member then comes up to pick another pieceRead MoreLiterary Elements in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1334 Words   |  6 Pages The short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson communicates this theme by showing how the villagers participate in a lottery every year. In life, there are people who follow tradition because the have to, or they are used to following without question. The author, Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California. In 1937, Shirley Jackson attended Syracuse University where she began to write short stories. She was famous for the short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† and her bestRead More Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay1165 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it† (Twain). The Lottery begins during the summer. A small, seemingly normal, town is gathering to throw the annual â€Å"Lottery†. In the end, the townspeople—children included—gather around and stone the winner to death, simply because it was tradition. The story reveals how traditions can become outdated and ineffective. â€Å"I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my ownRead MoreThe Unexpected Surprise of Violence1009 Words   |  5 Pagesvalued once risks are taken, but the outcome is never expected. Shirley Jackson, reader of witchcraft books, horrifies people with her perspective on the understanding of merciless rituals that kept communities at ease. Shirley Jackson develops her theme of unexpected violence in her short story â€Å"The Lottery† through the use of irony, symbolism, and denouement. On a summer day in a small town in the short story, â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson takes advantage of the peaceful environment and adds a convoluted