The Lottery (make up discussion)

In my mind, this was one of the best written stories that I have read. The author, Shirley Jackson, did an incredible job of using her style and other key elements to effectively create a deep theme and meaning.

The style and point of view in "The Lottery" sets the foundation for the feel the reader gets from the story. Jackson chose to write in objective point of view in order to make her argument applicable to all people, instead of blatantly spelling out her opinion. Instead, she chose to show the theme through the characters and the content. Yet, the way the story was written caused the story to feel personable, almost like the reader is a part of the story. Jackson interjects occasionally to give fairly invaluable information, but her comments help to make the narrator seem relatable, friendly, and reliable. For example, Jackson writes, "...Dickie Delacroix - the villagers pronounced this name 'Dellacroy' - eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner..." (217). It causes a person to feel a part of the story even though they are just reading it.

Jackson's use of character also helped to make "The Lottery" personable. Some names that were used included Old Man Warner, Steve Adams, Mrs. Graves, Mrs. Hutchinson, and Mr. Dunbar. Common names that could be found in any city throughout the United States helps the reader to realize that the message is applicable to all people, not just ones from countries far away. In addition, the narrator speaks of these characters as if the reader knows them.

I thought the beginning of the story was tricky and very ironic. It said, "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green" (216). The story continues to talk about children playing and the village socializing. After reading the end of the story, the beginning seems ironic and is incredibly out of place. Despite this irony, Jackson chooses to put this happy tone in at the beginning to create sadness in the fact that the village witlessly chooses to make this horrible decision, and they think that it's okay to do because it's tradition!

I saw several parts to the theme that overwhelmed the ending of this story. First of all, the theme is that people need to think before they act and then act out of compassion and reason. Interestingly enough, I also found another theme. Mrs. Hutchinson was laughing and gossiping at the beginning until she realized that she was the victim. Then, she was frightened and said, "'It isn't fair'" (221). The message that said to me was that people need to constantly put themselves into each other's shoes in order to understand the repercussions of their actions.