Most people think of the lottery as a positive event, but Ms. Jackson shatters those illusions. “When “The Lottery” was first published in The New Yorker on June 26, 1948, it generated more mail than any other article published in the magazine up to that time. » (Gale) The villagers gather in the square every year and have a competition which ends in disaster. The story is about the town and how it blindly follows tradition. “Jackson lived in a rural community and his scenes were recognizable to rural readers when they were published at the time” (Gale). Ms. Jackson uses foreshadowing to show what tragedy is to come. They accept the fact that someone has to die because of this bizarre ritual. The author's use of atmosphere creates suspense throughout the story. Irony is the “icing on the cake,” meaning there is a mind-boggling twist in this short story. The author uses foreshadowing, mood, and dramatic irony to emphasize the theme. to blindly follow tradition. The theme is shown in many ways, but foreshadowing plays a big role. An example of this is “Bobby Martin had already filled his pockets with rocks” (Jackson). This explains why the children of the village were prepared for stoning. The author talks about the outcome very subtly throughout the story. It gives clues as to how the story will end. “The theme (or central idea) provides further clues to the author's intention” (gale). This shows foreshadowing because it gives ideas of what is going to happen. Another example of foreshadowing is "Mr. Summers said soberly, 'I guess we better get started, get this over with, then we can get back to work, is there no one here?' » (Jackson). This shows that Mr. Summers wants to continue this horrible tragic act. the words “put an end to it” show that... middle of paper... his hand. There was a black spot'' (Jackson). The aforementioned quote is ironic because Tessie was late and she ended up being the "winner". “Here’s your, ma’am, Hutchinson” and “Bill, she made it after all.” (Jackson)This earlier quote is remarkably ironic because it came late and it won on a disastrous day. “and the irony becomes even more evident in the way the characters view the way the lottery is organized” (gale). It's ironic because they treat it like a holiday and blindly follow tradition. Through irony, humor, and foreshadowing Jackson developed this theme of blindly following tradition. The irony adds an emphatic touch to the story. The atmosphere creates suspense throughout the story. Foreshadowing gives clues to what is to come. Just think about the holocaust, how Hitler forced others to follow him and the genocide of the Jews, that's the danger of blindly following tradition.