Short stories can often capture a reader through a pre-establish design of elements meant to create an emotional impact. In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson describes a shocking event where a person from town is chosen randomly to be stoned to death. The reactions and attitudes of the characters, the use of symbol, and the creation of suspense add to the dramatization of the event.
The reactions of the characters to the morbid events unfolding around them are atrociously inanimate. For an example, the children gather in the square and begin to play. Playing as such shows little or no feelings of sadness or anxiety. Also the men gather and tell quiet jokes among themselves as they talk of weather and tractors. All the while, the women are gossiping. Another surprisingly upbeat conversation occurs between Mrs. Hutchinson and Mr. Summers. Here Mr. Summers jokingly tells the late Mrs. Hutchinson that he was afraid that they would have to start without her. She replie
By misdirection and introducing a sinister twist, Shirley Jackson is able to use writing elements to capture the minds of her readers. Through the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson the cruelty of society is revealed bringing a dramatic end to the story.
Jackson also uses symbols to create a deeper connection with the reader, bringing them into the story before throwing in the twists. The most obvious of these symbols is the lottery itself. Most often the lottery is associated with winning a prize, Jackson uses this assumption to confuse the reader by turning it into an atrocity. Also used is the black box that they draw the tickets from. This box represents the traditions of the town and the sole purpose of the lottery. The characters in the story are so resistant to change that they refuse to build a new box. Even the current box is built from pieces of the old one. The townspeople themselves represent the two sides of society. At the beginning the refined, civilized soc
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