“ The Lottery ” Shirley Jackson

““The LotteryThe Lottery””Shirley Jackson

Notes on the story

Shirley JacksonShirley Jackson• Shirley Hardie JacksonShirley Hardie Jackson was born December 14,

19161916 in San Francisco, CA. Jackson received her BA in English from Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University. She married Stanley Edgar Hyman, a staff writer and literary critic at the New Yorker in the 1940s. She and Hyman had 4 children. Jackson's writing career flourished with publications in The New Yorker, Mademoiselle, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Charm, The Yale Review, The New Republic, The Saturday Evening Post, and Reader's Digest. She also published several collections of stories. Jackson died of heart failure on August 8th, 19651965 in Bennington, VT.

Ancient Ritual SacrificeAncient Ritual Sacrifice

• In ancient Athens, Greece, Athenians believed that human sacrifice promised fertile crops.

• Each year in ancient Athens, as one story goes, during the Each year in ancient Athens, as one story goes, during the annual festival called annual festival called ThargeliaThargelia, citizens would stone to , citizens would stone to death a man and a woman selected for this purpose.death a man and a woman selected for this purpose.

• Death is thought to bring prosperity to the community• By transferring one's sins to persons or animals and then

sacrificing them, people believed that their sins would be people believed that their sins would be eliminatedeliminated, a process that has been termed the ""scapegoatscapegoat"" archetype

• A similar ritual sacrifice occurs with Tessie Hutchinson.• This explains the village member's remark, “Lottery in June,

corn be heavy soon.”

Historical ContextHistorical Context• After World War II America experienced a trend

toward general social conformity.• People tended to imitate those around themimitate those around them rather than

follow their own separate paths. • Encouraging this conformity was the spread of

televisiontelevision, which broadcast the same set of images to Americans scattered through the country.

• Meanwhile, patriotic rhetoricpatriotic rhetoric dominated the public mood in politics. Fears about fascist dictatorships and communism, issues that had been highlighted by the war-induced paranoia and suspicion among seemingly peaceful American communities.

• In the story, the townspeople are swept away by the tide of conformity, and the lottery goes ahead as always.

Historical ContextHistorical Context• By 1943 news of the Nazi concentration camps

had finally reached America. • A number of Americans responded with horror and

concern that communities could have stood by and communities could have stood by and silently allowed the Holocaust to occursilently allowed the Holocaust to occur.

• Jackson hints at a similar situation in her story when the townspeople are unable to fully question or prevent the brutal lottery practice.

Historical/Sociological ContextHistorical/Sociological Context• During World War II, Jews and other targeted groups

were torn from their communities and sent to their death while the world stood by in silence.

• In “The Lottery,” Tessie is similarly suddenly ostracized from and killed byostracized from and killed by members of her own community.

• A few of the townspeople disagree with the ritual, but they merely mutter their displeasure under their breath, afraid to speak out more boldly against the practice.

• Not only do humans blindly perpetrate evil, the story tells us, but they are also capable of closing their eyes to and even participating in terrors that occur in their midst.

““Let he who is Let he who is without sin, without sin, cast the first cast the first

stone"stone"• “The Lottery” certainly alludes to Gospel of St.

John, 8:7, in which Jesus frees an adulterous woman, directing the scribe/Pharisee who is who is without sinwithout sin to cast the first stone. No one throws stones at her.

• Unfortunately, no one in “The Lottery” rebukes the powers so forthrightly as Jesus does in John 8:7. Tessie becomes their scapegoat; she pays for their sins.

Ritual without meaningRitual without meaning• Because there has "always been a lottery“,

the villagers feel compelled to continue this horrifying tradition.

• They focus, however, on its gruesome rather than gruesome rather than its symbolic natureits symbolic nature, for they "still remembered to use stones" even after they have "forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box“.

• The story may be saying that humanity's inclination toward violence overshadows society's need for civilized traditions.

POV: 3POV: 3rdrd Person Person ObjectiveObjective

• There is very little conflictvery little conflict in the story—only Tessie’s objections present any conflict at all.

• At the end of "The Lottery," the reader discovers with horror what is about to happen, but the story ends with the casting of the first stones. Jackson prefers to leave the gruesome Jackson prefers to leave the gruesome details to the reader's imagination.details to the reader's imagination.

• The conflict occurs within the readerconflict occurs within the reader as the reader notes foreshadowing in the story with growing uneasiness

Male vs. FemaleMale vs. Female

• A conflict between male authoritymale authority and female female resistanceresistance is subtly evident throughout “The Lottery.”

• Early in the story, the boysboys make a great pile of stones in one corner of the square, while the girlsgirls stand aside talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at the boys.

• When Tessie draws the paper with the black mark on it, Tessie does not show it to the crowd; instead her husband Bill forces it her husband Bill forces it from her hand and holds it upfrom her hand and holds it up.

WomenWomen’’s roless roles

• Tessie Hutchinson defies the concept of the passive and passive and selfless womanselfless woman.

• Tessie's actions are decidedly unlike decidedly unlike the behavior expectedthe behavior expected of the ideal wife and mother in the era. Tessie is Tessie is hardly self-sacrificing. hardly self-sacrificing.

• She even jeopardizes her married jeopardizes her married daughterdaughter by suggesting that she join the Hutchinson family in the final lottery drawing.

Women vs. WomenWomen vs. Women

• At the beginning of the story, the girls stand together watching the boys gather the stones, but as those girls become women, the involvement in marriage and childbearing that the lottery encourages pits them against one another, blinding them to the fact that all power in their community is male.

• A most grievous betrayal of another womanA most grievous betrayal of another woman occurs when Tessie turns on her married daughter and attempts to jeopardize her safety.

• Jackson emphasizes women's turning against one another, too, through her pointed depiction of depiction of the brutality of Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. the brutality of Mrs. Delacroix and Mrs. Graves in setting upon Tessie. Graves in setting upon Tessie.

Mob violenceMob violence• The heinous actions exhibited in groups (such

as the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson) do not do not take place on the individual leveltake place on the individual level, for individually such action would be deemed "murder.""murder."

• On the group level, people classify their heinous act On the group level, people classify their heinous act simply as "ritual."simply as "ritual."

• When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives at the ceremony late, she chats sociably with Mrs. Delacroix. Nevertheless, after Mrs. Hutchinson falls victim to the lottery selection, Mrs. Delacroix chooses a "stone so large" that she must pick it up with both hands.

• Whereas, on the individual level, the two women regard Whereas, on the individual level, the two women regard each other as friends, on the group level, they betray each other as friends, on the group level, they betray that relationship, satiating the mob mentality.that relationship, satiating the mob mentality.

Foreshadowing…Foreshadowing…

• Setting is idyllic; readers expect the lottery to be a positive experience

• Some of the boys create a "great pile of stones in one corner of the square."

• the men of the village arrive they stand away from the stones, joke quietly, and smile instead of laugh.

• since the lottery is to take only two hours, the villagers plan to be home in time for lunch. (how can they eat after this?)

• Mr. Summers, a jovial man who conducts the lottery ceremony, sets the tone of the event with both his name and his mannerisms.

• The lottery takes place every year when the nature cycle peaks in midsummer, a time usually associated with cheerfulness.

SymbolismSymbolism

• Black:Black: the color for deathdeath, mourningmourning, punishmentpunishment, penitencepenitence in western civilization.

• The black boxblack box used to draw lots and the slip of paper with a black markblack mark pointing out the 'winner' are mentioned too frequently to be coincidental.

• Black box:Black box: coffin? Evil secret hidden away?• Black spotBlack spot on paper: sin? A “black mark” on

one’s record is negative; black mark: unclean?

SymbolismSymbolism• StonesStones are a universal symbol for punishment, burialpunishment, burial,

and martyrdommartyrdom: they indicate a morbid ceremony. • Chips of wood:Chips of wood: now discarded for slips of paper,

suggest a preliterate/ancient originpreliterate/ancient origin, like the ancient sacrificial rituals for crops.

• The setting:The setting: no specific name/place indicates this is anytown, USAanytown, USA; the contrast of the town with the ritual helps build suspensehelps build suspense

• Square:Square: (village square) (village square) may represent the four may represent the four corners of the earth—earthly opposed to heavenly; corners of the earth—earthly opposed to heavenly; human-created as opposed to natural; boxed in; human-created as opposed to natural; boxed in; concealed. concealed.

Symbolism: Symbolism: NamesNames

• Tessie Hutchinson:Tessie Hutchinson: Most likely an allusion to Anne HutchinsonAnne Hutchinson ( (1591-1643), American religious enthusiast who founded the Puritan colony of Rhode Island. She had new theological views which opposed her to other ministers. After a local trial banished her she was tried before the Boston Church and formally excommunicated. Anne and fifteen of her children were subsequently murdered by the Indians in 1643.

• The parallelism between her story and Tessie's is clear: to her, excommunication meant spiritual death just as to Tessie being cast out from the to Tessie being cast out from the group = death.group = death.


• Tessie Hutchinson:Tessie Hutchinson: • Anti-ritualAnn Hutchinson held that neither

church nor state was needed to connect a believer to his or her God. (In the end, Tessie rejects the lottery ritual, saying “it isn’t right.”)

• Tessie, diminutive for Theresa, derives from the Greek theizein, meaning “to reapto reap””, or, if the nickname is for Anastasia, it will translate literally “of the resurrectionof the resurrection””. (sacrifice for sins; contrast with Delacroix—“of the cross.”)


•DelacroixDelacroix (“of-the-Cross”)• vulgarized to Della-croy (no longer truly of the cross)

• Some critics suggest that Mrs. Delacroix represents the duality of human natureduality of human nature: she is pleasant and friendly on the outside, but underneath she possesses a degree of savagery.

• CrossCross has many connotations crossroadscrossroads (faced with 2 directions); to cross something offto cross something off; to be angryangry; to cross overcross over or to pass bypass by; pass from one pass from one side of to the otherside of to the other; to opposeoppose, as in crossing one’s path; a burdenburden; combination of 2 elementscombination of 2 elements; To make or put a line acrossput a line across; To betray or deceivebetray or deceive, double-crossdouble-cross……


•Summers:Summers: the season of summer is the season of summer is associated with youth, strength, growth, prime of associated with youth, strength, growth, prime of life, warmth, leisure, prosperity, happiness, life, warmth, leisure, prosperity, happiness, blooming, blossomingblooming, blossoming

• Mr Summers is the head of the Mr Summers is the head of the coal businesscoal business, which could , which could symbolize close contacts with the underworld, evil; lurking symbolize close contacts with the underworld, evil; lurking just beneath the surface.just beneath the surface.

• CoalCoal is earthly (as opposed to heavenly); black; formed in the process of many years (long-term process); formed from compressed, decaying matter; early chemistry used a black spot to symbolize coal.

• MarxistMarxist critics point out how Mr. Summers, who would have been one of the wealthier citizens, leads the lottery— those with money control the peoplethose with money control the people’’s activities.s activities.


•GravesGraves : the obvious grave = place of entombment/death

• Mr. Graves quietly assists Mr. Summers, with “Graves” hinting at a dark undertonedark undertone.

• Grave = seriousGrave = serious; hints that the lottery may not be a frivolous contest (“Mr. Graves said gravely”)

• Critics have said that Jackson creates balance by creates balance by juxtaposing Mr. Summers and Mr. Gravesjuxtaposing Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves to share in the responsibilities of the ritual: Life brings death, and death recycles life.


•AdamsAdams : reference to the first man, reference to the first man, the first sinnerthe first sinner

• While he seems to be one of the few who questions the lottery when he mentions that another village is thinking about giving up the ritual, he stands at the front of the crowd when the stoning of Tessie begins. Like the biblical Like the biblical Adam,Adam, Adams goes along with the sin; he Adams goes along with the sin; he follows others in their evil. follows others in their evil.


•Old Man Warner:Old Man Warner: Resistant to change and representing the old social order, he warns about how important the event is to the survival of the village.

• Old man Warner is 77 years oldOld man Warner is 77 years old the number 7 has many connotations, but one common connotation is that 7 is lucky7 is lucky …he has been lucky to avoid the lottery so many times.


•Martin : associated with Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war. The following are just FYI:

• St. Martin:St. Martin: Patron of drunkards, to save them from falling into danger. (The origin came from St. Martin’s day coinciding with the feast of Bacchus, god of wine.)

• St. MartinSt. Martin’’s gooses goose.. The 11th of November, St. Martin’s Day, was at one time the great goose feast of France. The legend is that St. Martin was annoyed by a goose, which he ordered to be killed and served up for dinner. He died after eating dinner, and a goose has been ever since “sacrificed” to him on the anniversary.

• St. Martin’s bird is the ravenraven, long associated with death and departed spirits


• Dunbar:Dunbar: breaking this name down into its 2 syllables, one can come up with:

• 1. dun1. dun – to treat cruelly; or a dull, brownish gray color

• 2. bar2. bar - Something that impedes or prevents action or progress; relatively long, straight, rigid piece of solid material used as a barrier, support, or fastener; A standard, expectation, or degree of requirement;

ThemesThemes• (almost done…)

• Not all rituals are beneficial, positive or Not all rituals are beneficial, positive or civilizedcivilized

• Acts of violence, hatred, murder are not Acts of violence, hatred, murder are not acceptable just because many people participateacceptable just because many people participate

• Traditions and rituals should be questioned; Traditions and rituals should be questioned; group mentality can be harmfulgroup mentality can be harmful

• People are not all good or all evil but a mixture of People are not all good or all evil but a mixture of both.both.

• Many more ideas/themes can be applied to Many more ideas/themes can be applied to ““The LotteryThe Lottery””

““The LotteryThe Lottery””: : More than you expected,

right…? End of presentation.

(Finally)(Finally)

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“ The Lottery ” Shirley Jackson