Making a resolution through majority voting is democratic, but does it mean the result must be correct? The short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson was published in 1948, three years after ending the World War II. It's like a strong wind triggered a flurry in the society at once. The story is about the people of a small town who hold an annual civil activity - the lottery for the sake of the bumper harvest, and the prize of the winner of the lottery is to be hit until death by stoning. Jackson uses the chronological writing technique with an objective perspective to reveal that the relationships among the family members and the whole people in the town are indifference, cold-blooded because of the blind obedience and lack ing of a rational and critical thinking. Although Jackson writes the story in plain language, a few of significant symbolic signs, such as three numbers, the stones and the black box of being used in the lottery activity, and the names of three people throughout the story, are interrelated, which all reflect the theme of the story. Good, but could be shorter and more concise.
Jackson uses three specific meaningful numbers to hint the lottery is derived from an immemorial sacrifice and it is not a big deal for the town people any longer. At the first sentence of the story, Jackson comes straight to introduce the date of the lottery. It is "in the morning of June 27th" (136). Jackson sets the date on purpose. June 27th is just after the summer solstice. The summer solstice is also called s as Midsummer. People over the world commonly celebrate for the spiritual admiration and the religious worship around the summer solstice. Good but would love an example. After the summer solstice, it is in the rapider growing season for the crops in much of Europe. The crops will be harvested in the following months to come after the summer solstice. The date, June 27th indicates the lottery activity is derived from some primitive sacrificial ceremonies.
