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Essay / Literary Analysis: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
Table of ContentsIntroductionSymbolismImageryForeshadowingConclusionIntroductionThe short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson addresses several issues affecting people in modern society. The story examines a small village of around three hundred people who gather in a town to participate in a lottery exercise and sacrifice themselves to bring good to the community. Residents of some towns have already abandoned this democratic process, but in this village it happens every year. The winner, Ms Hutchinson, felt she did not deserve to win. As a result, she protests. Mrs Hutchinson ended up being stoned by her own son, little Davy Hutchinson, when he protested that the exercise had not been conducted fairly. The news is a shocking and powerful message about the cruelty that can result from mob mentality and blind adherence to traditions. The use of literary devices in “The Lottery” gives an idea of how cruelty can occur anywhere, regardless of the context. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay SymbolismSymbolism is defined as “the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings different from their literal meaning” (Langer 9). The author uses symbolism several times. The lottery itself is an example of symbolism. The lottery represents the ideas of various people in their society with diverse opinions. For the townspeople, the lottery represents the guarantee of a good harvest, the general well-being of the community or a general fun tradition for young people. Residents are involved in preliminary discussions before the democratic process begins. The men talk about reins and tractors, the women chat, while the children collect stones. This shows how residents have divergent interests. The stones picked up by the children symbolize something bad that may happen, as we see Mrs. Hutchinson being stoned by people at the end of the lottery exercise. ImageryImagery is defined as “the use of figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way.” in a way that appeals to our physical senses” (Richardson 21). An image is constructed when the author describes the black box which must have contained the ballot papers. It is said that the black box was discolored on the sides and the wood underneath the black area was easily visible. These images depicted across the box give the impression that it has been serving a similar role for several years. We hear about the climate on voting day. It was a bright sunny day, and the earth was covered with green grass. This is an example of imagery that presents the idea of a pleasant context. Given the environment of the community pre-draw, it was ironic that Ms Hutchinson refused to accept that she was a winner. Cosmic irony also occurs when the event, which is believed (by the reader) to end up having a positive outcome, ends up having a negative outcome. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Hutchinson is stoned in the head by her own son Davey Hutchinson – someone who you would think would be most likely to try to help her. The imagery in this scenario is powerful and may seem somewhat plausible given the power of the context. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing suggests clues about events that will occur in the future of the story. In the case of "The Lottery", all the foreshadowing and simple connotation of a lottery leads you to believe that the fate of the.