After reading “The Lottery” for the first time, you stop and ask yourself, why didn’t I see this ending coming? You really have to read the piece a second time to even begin to notice all of the small subtleties that Jackson uses as clues that lead to the grim conclusion of the story. A lottery usually brings images of some lucky person receiving a great prize. Lotteries are usually associated with a winner having a moment of extreme happiness. So when we find out at the end of the story that the winner is actually unlucky instead of lucky, it comes as quite a shock.
Jackson does give several clues to the outcome of the story though. In the beginning the lottery is described as an annual tradition that takes place on June 27th. The first indication of something being out of the ordinary is when it’s mentioned that the lottery takes place in other towns and some of the larger ones have to start one day earlier. A normal lottery doesn’t take two days to take place. So you kind of get the feeling that something out the ordinary is going to happen. Another hint to this not being a happy occasion is the line that tells the lottery begins at ten o’clock and only last two hours so the villagers can get back to their ever
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Later in the story the winner is determined by a black spot. If the event were not serious then playful behavior may have been acceptable or maybe even encouraged. Old Man Warner makes a reference to Joe Summer joking with everyone. 863) The reaction of the villagers at this event raises suspicion. 866) This is just a flat out indication that the lottery in not an innocent event. The realization that Joe Summer’s behavior was not acceptable is another clue that the events to come are quite serious. “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” (Jackson, Shirley p. “The villagers keep their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. After the children gather then the men begin to fill the square, and next the women.
The next flag that goes up for the reader is when the children begin to gather in the Village Square.
When reflecting back on the story it is easy to pick up on the foreshadowing Jackson uses to give small glimpses to the end result of the story. She makes her way through the crowd and “She tapped Mrs.
Approximate Word count =
1071
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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