The Lottery The Lottery Shirley Jackson Notes on the story Slide
2 Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson 1916 Syracuse University
1965Shirley Hardie Jackson was born December 14, 1916 in San
Francisco, CA. Jackson received her BA in English from Syracuse
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 8 th, 1965 in Bennington,
VT. Slide 3 Ancient 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 annual
festival called Thargelia, citizens would stone to death a man and
a woman selected for this purpose.Each year in ancient Athens, as
one story goes, during the annual festival called Thargelia,
citizens would stone to death a man and a woman selected for this
purpose. Death is thought to bring prosperity to the community
people believed that their sins would be eliminated"scapegoat"By
transferring one's sins to persons or animals and then sacrificing
them, people believed that their sins would be eliminated, a
process that has been termed the "scapegoat" archetype A similar
ritual sacrifice occurs with Tessie Hutchinson. This explains the
village member's remark, Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. Slide
4 Historical Context By 1943 news of the Nazi concentration camps
had finally reached America. communities could have stood by and
silently allowed the Holocaust to occurA number of Americans
responded with horror and concern that communities could have stood
by and silently 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. Slide 5
Historical/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. ostracized from and
killed byIn The Lottery, Tessie is similarly suddenly ostracized
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.
Slide 6 Historical Context After World War II America experienced a
trend toward general social conformity. imitate those around
themPeople tended to imitate those around them rather than follow
their own separate paths. televisionEncouraging this conformity was
the spread of television, which broadcast the same set of images to
Americans scattered through the country. patriotic
rhetoricMeanwhile, patriotic 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. Slide 7 Let he who is without
sin, cast the first stone" who is without sinThe Lottery certainly
alludes to Gospel of St. John, 8:7, in which Jesus frees an
adulterous woman, directing the scribe/Pharisee who is without sin
to cast the first stone. No one throws stones at her.
Unfortunately, no one in The Lottery rebukes the powers so
forthrightly. Tessie becomes their scapegoat; she pays for their
sins. Slide 8 Ritual without meaning Because there has "always been
a lottery, the villagers feel compelled to continue this horrifying
tradition. gruesome rather than its symbolic natureThey focus,
however, on its gruesome rather than its 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. Slide 9 Allegorical Allusion: Names
Tessie Hutchinson: Anne Hutchinson (Tessie Hutchinson: Most likely
an allusion to Anne 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. to Tessie being cast
out from the group = death.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 group = death. Slide 10
Allegorical Allusion: Names Tessie Hutchinson:Tessie Hutchinson:
Anti-ritual Ann 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 isnt right.) to reap of the
resurrectionTessie, diminutive for Theresa, derives from the Greek
theizein, meaning to reap, or, if the nickname is for Anastasia, it
will translate literally of the resurrection. (sacrifice for sins;
contrast with Delacroixof the cross.) Slide 11 Allegorical
Allusion: Names 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. Martins day coinciding with the feast of
Bacchus, god of wine.) St. Martins goose.St. Martins goose. The
11th of November, St. Martins 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. ravenSt. Martins bird is the
raven, long associated with death and departed spirits Slide 12
Allegorical Allusion: Names Adams reference to the first man, the
first sinnerAdams : reference to the first man, the first sinner
Like the biblical Adam,Adams goes along with the sin; he follows
others in their evil.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 Adam,
Adams goes along with the sin; he follows others in their evil.
Slide 13 Your turn! Now try to fill in the rest of the chart and
respond to the questions with your group Well regroup once you
finish to discuss your findings Slide 14 irony in general, a
discrepancy between appearances and reality. Slide 15 Three Types
of Irony 1. __verbal irony____ occurs when someone says one thing
but really means something else. Donkey: Can I stay with you?
Please? Shrek: Of course. Donkey: Really? Shrek: NO. Donkey:
Please. I don't wanna go back there. You don't know what it's like
to be considered a freak... Slide 16 Three Types of Irony
2.__situational irony____ takes place when there is a discrepancy
between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to
happen, and what really does happen. Slide 17 Three Types of Irony
3.__dramatic irony____ is so called because it is often used on
stage. In this kind of irony, a character in the play or story
thinks one thing is true, but the audience or reader knows better.
Slide 18 Symbolism: Names Summers: the season of summer is
associated with youth, strength, growth, prime of life, warmth,
leisure, prosperity, happiness, blooming, blossomingSummers: the
season of summer is associated with youth, strength, growth, prime
of life, warmth, leisure, prosperity, happiness, blooming,
blossoming Mr Summers is the head of the coal business, which could
symbolize close contacts with the underworld, evil; lurking just
beneath the surface.Mr Summers is the head of the coal business,
which could symbolize close contacts with the underworld, evil;
lurking 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. Marxist those with money
control the peoples activities.Marxist critics point out how Mr.
Summers, who would have been one of the wealthier citizens, leads
the lottery those with money control the peoples activities. Slide
19 Symbolism: Names DelacroixDelacroix ( of-the-Cross ) vulgarized
to Della-croy (no longer truly of the cross) duality of human
natureSome critics suggest that Mrs. Delacroix represents the
duality of human nature: she is pleasant and friendly on the
outside, but underneath she possesses a degree of savagery. Cross
crossroads to cross something off angrycross overpass bypass from
one side of to the otheroppose burdencombination of 2 elements put
a line acrossbetray or deceive double-crossCross has many
connotations crossroads (faced with 2 directions); to cross
something off; to be angry; to cross over or to pass by; pass from
one side of to the other; to oppose, as in crossing ones path; a
burden; combination of 2 elements; To make or put a line across; To
betray or deceive, double-cross Slide 20 Symbolism: Names
GravesGraves : the obvious grave = place of entombment/death dark
undertoneMr. Graves quietly assists Mr. Summers, with Graves
hinting at a dark undertone. Grave = seriousGrave = serious; hints
that the lottery may not be a frivolous contest (Mr. Graves said
gravely) creates balance by juxtaposing Mr. Summers and Mr.
GravesCritics have said that Jackson creates balance by juxtaposing
Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves to share in the responsibilities of the
ritual: Life brings death, and death recycles life. Slide 21
Symbolism: Names 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 old 7 is luckyOld man Warner is 77 years old the number 7 has
many connotations, but one common connotation is that 7 is lucky he
has been lucky to avoid the lottery so many times. Slide 22
Symbolism: Names 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; Slide 23 Symbolism
Stones punishment, burialmartyrdomStones are a universal symbol for
punishment, burial, and martyrdom: they indicate a morbid ceremony.
Slide 24 Symbolism Black: deathmourning punishmentpenitenceBlack:
the color for death, mourning, punishment, penitence in western
civilization. black box black markThe black box used to draw lots
and the slip of paper with a black 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 ones record is negative; black mark:
unclean? Slide 25 Why are all the characters flat and static? If
the characters are round and change we care about them and the
conflict become external. Jackson wants the reader to focus on his
or her internal feelings of distress and conflict. Slide 26 POV: 3
rd Person Objective very little conflictThere is very little
conflict in the storyonly Tessies objections present any conflict
at all. Jackson prefers to leave the gruesome details to the
reader's imagination.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 details to the reader's imagination. conflict occurs
within the readerThe conflict occurs within the reader as the
reader notes foreshadowing in the story with growing uneasiness
Slide 27 Themes (almost done) Not all rituals are beneficial,
positive or civilizedNot all rituals are beneficial, positive or
civilized Acts of violence, hatred, murder are not acceptable just
because many people participateActs of violence, hatred, murder are
not acceptable just because many people participate Traditions and
rituals should be questioned; group mentality can be
harmfulTraditions and rituals should be questioned; group mentality
can be harmful People are not all good or all evil but a mixture of
both.People are not all good or all evil but a mixture of both.
Blindly following tradition without questioning the logic behind it
can lead to reckless and disturbed behavior. Slide 28 The Lottery:
The Lottery: More than you expected, right? End of
presentation.(Finally)
