The Ironies Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Essay

The Ironies in â€Å"The Lottery† Shirley Jackson made quite a commotion when her short story named â€Å"The Lottery† was first published in the New Yorker in 1948. The twist ending shocked many who first read it, readers criticize her on how she could write about a primitive village that blindly follow an age old tradition, this kind of violent behavior is below them after all. Quite ironic considering that it happens during WWII, one of the bloodiest events in human history. Jackson, herself who recognizes as the mistress of gothic horror, woven in many ironies in her short story as she shows the readers that human being is more evil to each other than we want to believe. Once the ending is reviled, it now clear that the title itself it an irony. A lottery is what we defined by giving everyone a number ticket and drawing numbers at random in which the winner gets a prize, so we consider that the lottery in the story would be a positive thing. But as it turns out, the lottery winner of the story is in fact the loser since she loses her life as the object in a brutal ritual sacrifice, the opposite of what a lottery is supposed to be. And being more conscious of that fact along with the ending, the other ironies are now obvious. In the first paragraph the irony is situational as it’s described the start of summer break. The weather is perfect, the children had just gotten out of school; â€Å"the flowers were blooming profusely and the greens were richly green† (para 1). But we wouldShow MoreRelatedIrony In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1436 Words   |  6 PagesThe lottery was authored by a renowned and most celebrated literature icon among his peers during his time and beyond; one Shirley Jackson, and the text would be first published in 1948 the 26 of June (Jackson 110). The storyline is told following a literal trajectory of a cultural performance in a remote setting, known as the lottery. The author of this text describes a chain of themes in his work, and they include; tradition and customs, society and class, as well as family setups and hypocrisyRead MoreSatire/Irony in ‘the Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson2034 Words   |  9 PagesSatire/Irony in ‘The Lottery’: T he Lucky Ticket The use of Satire/Irony within literature establishes situations where the unlikelihood of the occurrence of an event will happen. Jackson’s manipulation of his story, The Lottery, provides an unexpected twist to what one may seem to be a normal subject. Northrop Frye’s The Singing School, suggests that all stories are told in either one of four ways: Comedy, Romance, Tragedy or Satire/Irony (Frye 18). The use of Irony and its conventional associationsRead More Irony in the Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay644 Words   |  3 PagesIrony in the Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  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.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot as a whole in â€Å"The Lottery† is filled withRead MoreUse Of Situational Irony In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1156 Words   |  5 Pages Many authors use irony to make their writings more diverse, as well as to intensify the literary elements in the story. Shirley Jackson, writer of â€Å"The Lottery†, does this in her stories in order to leave the reader in suspense and confusion with her use of situational irony. She also uses dramatic irony to give the story a grotesque twist and to cause the reader more confusion about the characters’ morals. Verbal irony is used to intensify characterization as well as give the reader an insightRead MoreAnalysis 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 Pageswe 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 sacrifice d, 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 PagesSpanish author, When we 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 olderRead 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 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 initial 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 the