Essay on Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Message of...

The Message of Social Responsibility in The Lottery Often, we paint a fairytale view of life for ourselves and our children. Sometimes, an author paints a frightfully realistic picture of life and forces us to reconsider the fairytale. In Shirley Jackson’s story, The Lottery, a town each year conducts a lottery in which the winner or looser, in this case, is stoned to death by his or her own neighbors. The tradition is supposed to uphold social structure within the town, but in order to comprehend the true meaning of the story you must be able to read between the lines. The Lottery is a story about a town that has let its traditions go too far. Also, it is clear that the story contains eye-opening facts that lead me to†¦show more content†¦The bad section gets little attention from the people trying to improve the other areas, thus making the situation worse for the bad section. No one ever questioned or fought the mayor of the town in an effort to get rid of the lottery. This is why it lasted so long. From the beginni ng of the story, it is clear that the people of the town are sacred in their traditions. Tessie Hutchinson strolls in late with not a care in the world. She, along with the townspeople, jokes around saying that they were going to miss her at this years lottery. She even states, Clean forgot what day it was (Jackson, 864). No one really seems worried that in an hour or so one of their neighbors will be stoned to death. The old worn out black box suggests that Jackson used a bit of irony to bring out the meaning of death. Black being a dark gothic color, and the oldness of the box suggests that the lottery is a tradition that has lasted for years. Old Man Warner, the town grandfather, supports the lottery and tries to make sure it lasts forever. This brings out the true meaning of Shirley Jackson’s story. Are there really towns and cities out there that actually do have old traditions similar to this? The story of The Lottery is a cry or a wake up call to everyone to step forward and stand up for what you believe in. John Walden’s critical review states that in the Bible Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us. He was killed because of his loyalty to God, notShow MoreRelatedANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesdetails of appearance often provide essential clue to character. Details of dress and physical appearance should be scrutinized closely for what they may reveal about character. Details of dress may offer clues to background, occupation, economic and social status, and perhaps, as with Robin Molineux, even a clue to the character’s degree of self-respect. Details of physical appearance can help to identify a character’s age and the general state of his physical and emotional health and well-being: whether