Lisa Rutherford
English 101
10/1/13
Luck of the Draw
Introduction
Tradition is a powerful thing, especially if it causes others harm. We take a look into the tradition of the black box and the drawing of a name in, “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson. Throughout the story we are guided through a series of seemingly meaningless events, leading up to the drawing of a lucky winner of the town Lottery. According to Webster’s dictionary the definition of a Lottery is ‘A system used to decide who will get or be given something by choosing names or numbers by chance.’ Unfortunately as it is, the lottery is just front for an even crueler event: the winner of the Lottery will be stoned, presumably to death. This paper analyzes the elements of the one sorrowful day in town using; Setting, Characters, Symbols, and Tone.
Setting
The setting of this story is a one we are all quite familiar with: a rural town full of farmers and hardworking individuals. Today is the day that one lucky person will win the Lottery. Jackson describes everything in a very positive light, for example ‘"Well, everyone," Mr. Summers said, "that was done pretty fast, and now we've got to be hurrying a little more to get done in time."’ When referring to the stoning of Tessie. You are never given the opportunity to think that something is wrong until everyone starts picking up their stones. The setting is an amazingly strong façade for a terrible event that is happening.
Characters
Throughout the story there are only a few characters that stand out and make a difference. Mr. Summers, a kind man whose wife is a nag, is the man who calls out the names of all of the families. Mr. Graves a quiet man, he carries the stool the black box is to sit on. They both had written the names of the families names on the slips inside the black box the night before. The last character that stood out was Tessie. Tessie was the one woman who was stoned at the very end, and the only one who didn’t want the stoning to happen in the first place by being a little late.
Symbols
There are quite a few symbols in the story that are subtle but very important. For example when Old Man Warner was saying, ‘"Well, everyone," Mr. Summers said, "that was done pretty fast, and now we've got to be hurrying a little more to get done in time,"’ symbolized that tradition ruled most of these people’s lives. Another thing was when the kids were stacking the stones, they were being conditioned to enjoy the stoning and have it become a regularly accepted holiday. Lastly when Tessie had come late is symbolized that she was reluctant to support the stoning any longer.
Tone
Throughout the entire story Jackson uses a very happy tone and you are tricked to believe that today is a happy occasion. She used alluring words like ‘soft laughter’ and ‘"Don't be nervous, Jack,"’ to make you believe that the towns people are accepting and very much for the Lottery. You are never led to expect that the Lottery would be a troubling or even a distressful situation. Even throughout the subtle clues she placed into the story, you were never given any hints through the tone that something was out of place. Throughout the whole of the story the tone is a very nice and happy and it never lets you know that something bad is going to happen.
Conclusion
“The Lottery” is a story in which a town pulls names from a box and the lucky winner is stoned to death. The town’s traditions take control of their lives and block them from seeing or even thinking
"Lottery." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.
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