In the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, setting plays an important key role. It creates irony because the ending of the story completely contradicts the upbeat impression that the reader gets all throughout it. Jackson creates this irony very well in her writing. She keeps it going throughout the whole story. Jackson could have easily made the setting a cloudy, rainy, winter day. Weather would have aided the reader to predict the tragic end. The readers might feel that this would be a more suitable time for the setting of the story because winter is a time of death. Jackson however creates this irony intentionally to create more shock and surprise in the reader at the end.
The narrator starts off the story describing the setting. She states that 'the morning of June 27 was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.' The reader immediately feels an upbeat tone for the story. The fact that it is spring and the descriptions of flowers and grass make the reader think that it is a new start on life. Readers associate spring not with death, but with new life and growth. In the end of the story the reader then realizes
The fact that the town all gathers together for the lottery also gives the story this 'holiday atmosphere.' “The apparent disdain expressed by the villagers is also quite disturbing in that they treat the lottery as a normal daily event taking no time to fully appreciate the actions they are about to perform” (Oehlschaeger, 3). The reader assumes that the lottery will bring about someone's great luck. The town all arrives in the square to see who will be the lucky one chosen. The reader notices the first hint of tension when the families gather together; the women, standing by their husbands, call to their children. Mr. Martin speaks sharply to Bobby when the boy runs back to the pile of stones, and Bobby comes quickly. At this point, the reader does not know what the stones are for and really does not focus much attention on it. The reader would not think that there would be any harsh actions in child's play. This is the first subtle hint of the tragic ending.
The name of the man who runs the lottery, Mr. Summers, immediately arouses feelings of the season in the reader's minds. Summer is typically a time of happiness and relaxation. The person who conducts this unjustified murder
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