Shirley Jackson's most popular short story "The Lottery" possesses many characteristics of shock and flaws in human nature. The shock is created with the contrast between the society and the savage act that they commit. The flaws in human nature that murder is a tradition in the vil...

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...

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson has two main characters, a housewife named Tessie Hutchinson, who is the person who wins the lottery at the end, and Mr. Summers, the man who organizes the lottery. Mr. Summers had brought the black box for the drawing with all the little white pieces of paper in it ...

Obedience Blindly obeying authority often results In disobedience to one's personal morality. Since rules were established and exist for the common interests of the general population, some would say adhering to the rules is obedient. Contrary to popular belief, disobedience does not ce...

Winning the lottery takes on a whole new meaning in the short story, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson. It is told in third person and in an objective manner. The title itself indicates something positive when in fact the story is quite the opposite. The story reveals how a small t...