Analysis of "The Lottery", a Short Story by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery", aroused much controversy and criticism in 1948, following its debut publication, in the New Yorker. Jackson uses irony and comedy to suggest an underlying evil, hypocrisy, and weakness of human kind.

The story takes place in a small village, where the people are close and tradition is paramount. A yearly event, called the lottery, is one in which one person in the town is randomly chosen, by a drawing, to be violently stoned by friends and family. The drawing has been around over seventy-seven years and is practiced by every member of the town.

The surrealness of this idea is most evident through Jackson's tone. Her use of friendly language among the villagers and the presentation of the lottery as an event similar to the square dances and Halloween programs illustrates the lottery as a welcomed, festive event. Jackson describes the social atmosphere of the women prior to the drawing: "They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip…" (281). The lottery is conducted in a particular manner, and with so much anticipation by the villagers, that the reader expects the winner to receive a prize or something of that manner. It is not until the every end of the story that the reader learns of the winner's fate: Death, by friends and family.

It seems as though Jackson is making a statement regarding hypocrisy and human evil. The lottery is set in a very mundane town, where everyone knows everyone and individuals are typical. Families carry the very ordinary names of Warner, Martin and Anderson. Jackson's portrayal of extreme evil in this ordinary, friendly atmosphere suggests that people are not always as they seem. She implies that underneath one's outward congeniality, there may be lurking a pure evil.

Though the story does not become pernicious until the end, Jackson does in fact foreshadow the idea through Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves. Mr. Summers is the man in charge of the lottery. He prepares the slips of paper to be drawn and he mediates the activity. He is described as a respected man, joking around with the villagers and carrying on this foreboding event with no conscience at all. "Mr. Summers was very good at all this; in his clean white shirt and blue jeans, with one hand resting carelessly on the black box, he seemed very proper and important as he talked interminably to Mr. Graves and the Martins (282). The name Summers subtly identifies the mood of the short story as well as the administrator himself, "jovial" (281), auspicious, and bright. Mr. Summers is the man in front, the representative of the lottery, as his name symbolizes the up front, apparent, tone of the event. Mr. Graves, on the other hand, symbolizes the story's underlying theme and final outcome. Mr. Graves is Mr. Summer's assistant, always present but not necessarily in the spotlight. The unobvious threat of his name and character foreshadows the wickedness of the ordinary people, that again, is always present but not in the spotlight.

Along with hypocrisy, "the Lottery" presents a weakness in human individuals. This town, having performed such a terrible act for so many years, continues on with the lottery, with no objections or questions asked, and the main purpose being to carry on the tradition. "There's always been a lottery" (284), says Old Man Warner. "Nothing but trouble in that," he says of quitting the event. However, the villagers show some anxiety toward the event. Comments such as "Don't be nervous Jack" (284), "Get up there Bill" and Mrs. Delacroix's holding of her breath as her husband went forward (283) indicate that the people may not be entirely comfortable with the event. Yet everyone still goes along with it. Not a single person openly expresses fear or disgust toward the lottery, but instead feigns enthusiasm. Jackson may be suggesting that many individuals are not strong enough to confront their disapproval, for fear of being rejected by society. Instead they continue to sacrifice their happiness, for the sake of others. The failure of Mr. Summers to replace the black box used for the drawing symbolizes the villagers' failure to stand up for their beliefs. "Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset tradition as was represented by the black box." The box after so many years is "Faded and stained" (281) just as the villagers' view of reality has become tainted and pitiful. An intense fear of change among the people is obvious.

Jackson uses the protagonist, Mrs. Hutchinson, to show an individual consumed by hypocrisy and weakness. Though it is hinted that she attempted to rebel and not show up to the event, Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late, with a nervous excuse of "forgetting what day it was". It is ironic that she, who almost stood up for her beliefs, is the one who wins the lottery, and is fated to be stoned. What is perhaps the most disturbing about Mrs. Hutchinson, however, is her sudden unleashing of her true self. Before the drawing she is friendly with the other women, pretending to be pleased to be present. The very moment that she sees is her family that draws the black dot, though, her selfishness is evident. "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!" (284). Then she turns on her own daughter. "There's Don and Eva," she yelled maliciously, "Make them take their chance!" (285). She continues to scream about the unfairness of the ritual up until her stoning. Mrs. Hutchinson knew the lottery was wrong, but she never did anything about it. She pretends as much as she could to enjoy it, when she truly hated it all along. Perhaps Jackson is implying that the more artificial and the more hypocritical one is, the more of a target they are. Mrs. Hutchinson was clearly the target of her fears.

The situation in "The Lottery" is slightly relevant to our society today. We tend to flock toward nasty gossip and are interested in spite of the privacy of the subjects involved. Whether it is standing on the side to watch a fight, an accident, or discussing the relationship between Bill and Monica, we as Americans seem to have no problem "butting in" where we do not belong. We have no problem remarking on an individuals' adultery until it is ourselves that get caught. We have no problem stereotyping people until is we who are stereotyped. It seems as though we sometimes condemn everyday truths that we know are characteristics of most people, including ourselves, and being afraid to admit them, place the spotlight on someone else. It is sad and definitely hypocritical, but it happens all the time. And I think Shirley Jackson makes this point without having to say a word about it. Its is the thousands of readers who replied to "The Lottery", in disapproval and horror that blindly proved Jackson's theories valid and unknowingly portrayed themselves as not very unlike the villagers in the short story. Also read Shirley Jasckon's The Lottery and Its Nostalgic Connection to the Primitive Man.