the lottery by shirley jackson characters

The setting covers the very ritualistic and brutally violent traditions such as the stoning of Mrs. However, the pleasant description of the setting creates a façade within the story.

Everyone is coming together for what seems to be an enjoyable, festive, even celebratory occasion. In addition, the description of people and their actions are very typical and not anomalous.Ĭhildren play happily, women gossip, and men casually talk about farming. This provides a positive outlook and lets the reader relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting for the story.

Shirley Jackson also seems to stress the beauty of the day and the brilliance of nature. She also describes that school has just recently let out for summer break, letting the reader infer that the time of year is early summer. The time of day is set in the morning and the time of year is early summer. This is important to get the reader to focus on what a typical day it is in this small town. To begin, Shirley Jackson tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the story takes place. The story begins with the establishment of the setting. In addition, the theme that we learn of at the end leads us to think of where the sanity of some human beings lies. However, this description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what is to come. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a story in which the setting sets up the reader to think of positive outcomes. The Lottery In many stories, settings are constructed to help build the mood and to foreshadow things to come.

The lottery by shirley jackson characters