1. “The Lottery”p.251 By
Shirley Jackson
"The Lottery"

2. Shirley Jackson http://www. courses. vcu. edu/ENG-jkh/ http://www
Born in San Francisco
Died at age 48
Published short stories in many magazines
Mother of 4 and faculty wife
Peak of her writing career occurred in
Bennington, VT
"The Lottery"

3. Person against social environment
Types of Conflict
Plot
Person against person
Person against social environment
"The Lottery"

4. Tone and Movement of Plot
Exposition:
Very little conflict
Holiday picnic atmosphere
Complication:
Mrs. Hutchinson is late.
Gradually builds to horrifying conclusion
Climax:
We discover the true nature of the lottery.
Contrast contributes to horror.
Denoument
What is it?
"The Lottery"

5. Irony and Tension
These are derived from the discrepancy between the friendliness and good will of the community and the cruelty and meaninglessness of the practice they perpetuate
"The Lottery"

6. Setting: Effectiveness
Small town
Could be anywhere (small town, USA)
No specific locale or year given
Widespread attitudes - anywhere, any era
"The Lottery"

7. Flat Characters: Mr. Sommers Mrs. Hutchinson Characterization
Represents civic duty
Reasonably progressive
BUT - doesn’t question the ritual itself
A man of ignorant good will
Mrs. Hutchinson
Self-centered
Accepts lottery without concern until it falls on her
Protests it is unfair
Would eagerly shift her fate elsewhere—even upon her own daughter
"The Lottery"

8. Stock Characters: Mr. & Mrs. Adams Liberals
At least question the necessity of lottery
Do nothing to protest against it or change it
Old Man Warner
Bigoted reactionary
Contempuous of younger generation
"The Lottery"

9. PROTAGONIST= the villagers
ANTAGONIST= the villagers’ own blind acceptance of tradition
"The Lottery"

10. Title Point of View Does it contribute to the theme? Objective
Allows for a gradual realization
“Matter-of-course” view adds to the horror
Title and Pt. of View
"The Lottery"

11. Symbolism
The Lottery: An Open-Ended Symbol for Unquestioned Social Practices
Social segregation
Class distinctions
Racial prejudice
Religious prejudice
War
The Draft
Other ideas?
"The Lottery"

12. More Symbols The black box Slips of paper Other Symbols?
Symbolizes the determination to cling stubbornly to certain relics that are preservable
Slips of paper
Symbolize the illogical willingness to be flexible about aspects of the ritual that are not preservable
Other Symbols?
"The Lottery"

13. TRADITIONS Not a direct attack on traditions
Theme
Not a direct attack on traditions
Thrust of story is against the unquestioning acceptance of cruel or irrational traditions or social systems
"The Lottery"

14. THEME
Essentially decent and kind people may perform cruel, irrational actions through the unquestioning acceptance of traditions and customs that have lost their original meaning.
"The Lottery"