The Lottery
he meaning of the names in the story are different and the ways that come characters which to see someone die and others do not believe the lottery. Tessie is singled out because she was being suspicious and shouts at Mr. Summers that he did not give enough time to Bill to choose. So she thinks it isn't fair.
In what ways are the characters differentiated from one another? Looking back at the story, can you see why Tessie Hutchinson is singled out as the "winner"?
● Delacroix--of the cross which is Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. The town use this kind of sacrifice to keep their town going. ● Graves--is the place where people die,burial. ● Summers--the lottery takes place in the summer. After summer, the crops will grow well in the fall. ● Bentham--Refers to a British philosopher who advocated for the separation of church and state and freedom of expression. ● Hutchinson--which mean late arrival. ● Warner--which mean serious. "Warns" the others about the better days of the past. ● Martin--which came from the Roman god Mars, "the protective godhead of the Latins" and the Roman god of war.
Jackson gives interesting names to a number of her characters. Explain the possible allusions, irony or symbolism of some of these: ● Delacroix ● Graves ● Summers ● Bentham ● Hutchinson ● Warner ● Martin
These objects suggests me that people in the town are close to the death. The box is described as battered because of its old age and tradition possibly referring to the ancient time where stoning was being used to. Other symbols in the story are the stones which represented death.
Take a close look at Jackson's description of the black wooden box (paragraph 5) and of the black spot on the fatal slip of paper (paragraph 72). What do these objects suggest to you? Why is the black box described as "battered"? Are there any other symbols in the story?
The lottery in this story represents bad ending. However, the writer suggested that the hostile tradition shouldn't be inherited. The traditions, laws should be good harvest.
This story satirizes a number of social issues, including the reluctance of people to reject outdated traditions, ideas, rules, laws, and practices. What kinds of traditions, practices, laws, etc. might "The Lottery" represent?
During World War II, Hitler's Nazi regime took control of the people. Citizens just watched as their neighbors were taken away and killed. The similarity here is that the neighbors did nothing to prevent the unmeaningful death of their neighbors. People die when we do not challenge the negative and against the immoral authority.
This story was published in 1948, just after World War II. What other cultural or historical events, attitudes, institutions, or rituals might Jackson be satirizing in this story?
Yes, I was surprised by the ending of the story. Jackson foreshadows a peaceful and original town.( Stones repeated 3 times in paragragh 2)People in the town are seemly accustomed to this event that it comes as no surprise. They feel like it's just traditional yearly event. However, these silent phenomenons are superficial. People in the town pretended and hided their fear. The setting for me was set in the first few paragraphs. "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny around ten o'clock..." this pictured me a small town with only three hundred people and I immediately think of innocence which is why I was so shocked at the end.
Were you surprised by the ending of the story? If not, at what point did you know what was going to happen? How does Jackson start to foreshadow the ending in paragraphs 2 and 3? Conversely, how does Jackson lull us into thinking that this is just an ordinary story with an ordinary town?
The winner of the lottery didn't get any benefits but stoned by others. The title " The Lottery" is irony since when we see the lottery nowadays, we will imagine if we win the lottery, we will win the prize. However, the story showed that the person who win the lottery is not something he/she can be happy for.
What are some examples of irony in this story? For example, why might the title, "The Lottery," or the opening description in paragraph one, be considered ironic?
The writer's attitude towards the lottery is when a person pulls the paper out of the black box and if there is black dot on it that person must be stoned. I can see that the writer is against this horrible tradition. The writer let the mother Tessie repeated "It isn't fair." to show writer's reluctance of this lottery. The youngest boy Davy was told to grab some pebbles and throw them at his own mother. This also makes writer's attitude clear because it shows the way the characters act when the lottery comes around again.
What do you understand to be the writer's own attitude toward the lottery and the stoning? Exactly what in the story makes her attitude clear to us?
It takes place in a village, around 300 people live there. They believed that they need to do the lottery to sacrifice something, then the crops will grow. More likely.
Where does the story take place? In what way does the setting affect the story? Does it make you more or less likely to anticipate the ending?
