Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a story rife with irony. The title itself is an ironic statement, as the lottery is usually associated with winning something positive, like a large sum of money. However, in this story, the lottery is anything but positive – it results in the death of whomever is chosen.
This dark twist is made all the more ironic by the fact that the villagers seem to treat the lottery as if it’s a happy occasion. They gather together every year on the same day and sing and dance while they wait for the drawing. The winner is even given a small prize – a token that is supposed to make them feel good about themselves.
In the end, though, the irony of “The Lottery” is that no one wins. The person who is chosen to die is simply unlucky, and the rest of the villagers are left with a sense of dread and horror. Jackson’s story is a perfect example of how irony can be used to create a chilling effect.
“The Lottery” is a short story written by American author Shirley Jackson. “The Lottery” is about a lottery held in the small town of Saint Mirren, Maine. The overall theme of the tale is that nothing is as harmless as it appears to be at first sight. Point of view, situations, and the title are all ironic in the story “The Lottery.” The conclusion in “The Lottery” is ironic. When writing “The Lottery,” Jackson used third person dramatic point of view. The use third person dramatic point of view allowed the author to keep the ending a secret.
The readers are not let in on what is going to happen until it actually does, just as the characters are not let in on what is going to happen. The villagers do not know that the lottery they have been participating in for years includes human sacrifice. The fact that they have been sacrificing people all along and no one has questioned it, makes the situation ironic. The title of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is also ironic. The title “The Lottery” gives the story a false sense of happiness because when most people think of a lottery they think of winning something such as money.
The lottery in this story is the complete opposite, it involves losing something which is much worse than simply not winning anything. The lottery in this story is a tradition that has been passed down for generations and no one questions it. The villagers go about their daily lives and do not think twice about the lottery until it is their turn to participate. The irony in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is cleverly written and makes for a very suspenseful story.
The outcome is curious since the readers are led to believe that everything is okay because we don’t know what anybody’s thinking. This point of view enables for an ironic ending. The situations in “The Lottery” are ironic. The author’s choice of words implies that everything is normal and everyone is fine. The tale begins with a description of the day as being “bright and sunny” (309). People in the village go about their lives as if it were any other day.
The children are playing and the men are talking about planting. The women gossip about other people in the town. The reader gets a sense of normalcy from the start. The whole town is together and no one is left out, even the littlest kids know what is going on. Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing to let the readers know that something is not right, but we do not know what it is. “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and he sat down on the ground with them beside him”(310).
The kids gathering stones could be seen as preparing for a snowball fight. But, since this story takes place in the summer, it could also be interpreted as them getting ready to stone someone. The author also uses symbolism to hint at what is to come. “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box”(310).
The black box is a symbol of death and destruction. It is also a symbol of the way things have always been done and no one wants to change that. The ending of the story is very ironic. The reader expects something bad to happen, but we do not expect it to be as bad as it is. The lottery is a game where someone gets stoned to death by their own community. The person who wins the lottery is chosen by random and does not get to choose who stones them.
The lottery is a tradition that has been going on for many years and no one knows why. The people in the town seem to think that it is necessary, even though it is clearly barbaric. The irony in the story is that the lottery is supposed to be a good thing, but it is actually a bad thing. The people of the town are unwittingly participating in a cruel and unusual practice. The lottery is an ironic example of how traditions can be harmful.
In reality, when the reader reaches the conclusion of the narrative, he or she discovers that everything was different. Every day appears to be another summer day for Jackson. By stating, School had just finished for the summer… Bobby Martin had already filled his pockets with pebbles, and other boys soon followed his example by choosing the finest and roundest stones; …eventually formed a pile of pebbles in one corner of the square, keeping it safe from attacks by other youngsters.
The boys treated the matter as a joke, but Mrs. Hutchinson was very serious about it The lottery is not to be taken lightly and is not something to be joked about. The villagers treat the lottery as an annual tradition that they must perform even though they know it is wrong. The irony in “The Lottery” comes from the fact that the reader knows that the lottery is bad but the characters in the story do not. The reader watches as Mrs. Hutchinson draws the paper from the box and her name is announced.
The look on her face shows her realization of what has just happened; she knows that she has been chosen to die. The ironic part is that Mrs. Hutchinson was one of the people who thought that the lottery was a joke. The reader is aware of the true danger of the lottery while the characters in the story are not. This builds suspense and makes the reader feel horror as he realizes that these characters are going to die.
The irony in “The Lottery” is that the characters in the story do not know what is going to happen to them even though the reader does. The reader watches as each character gets their turn to draw a paper from the box, knowing that one of them will be killed. The look on their faces shows how unaware they are of what is about to happen to them. The final irony in “The Lottery” comes when Mrs. Hutchinson is killed.
