Kosenko notes, the village in "The Lottery" "exhibits the same socio-economic stratification that most people take for granted in a modern, capitalist society. Summers, whose name reflects the time of year in which the lottery takes place, is in charge of the solemn ritual. Although not portrayed as corrupt, Summer nevertheless represents an inherently violent element within modern capitalist hierarchies. Graves, whose name symbolizes death itself, is the town postmaster. Thus, Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," which was written just as American suburban life was sprouting up across the nation, proves to be an enduring piece of social criticism. Jackson's critique of American is confidently waged society to draw attention to the unnecessarily violent streak within our culture....
That streak was evident before we were a nation, from the European-Indian encounters to the Salem Witch trials. Violence in America continued with centuries of slavery and continued racial oppression and discrimination afterwards. Now, as we watch reality television shows and gory video games with desensitized eyes, it becomes apparent that the underlying themes of Jackson's story still apply more than half a century later.
But there are also similarities in the characters, the setting, the plot, themes and the use of metaphor and symbolism. For example, the setting of the story is in another village, namely, Greenwich Village in New York City, where the main character, Hilda Clarence, works "as a stenographer in a coal and coke concern" (49), similar to Mr. Summer and his coal business in "The Lottery." Ms. Clarence also
Lottery and the Rocking Horse Winner An Analysis of "Luck" in "The Lottery" and "The Rocking Horse Winner" Both Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and DH Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner" are stories about luck -- and yet in both stories that "luck" turns out to be rather unfortunate -- or, ironically, "unlucky." This paper will examine the concept of luck in both "The Lottery" and "The Rocking Horse Winner" and show how
Lottery" and "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Ursula LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" are both short stories that relate society's tolerance and apathy of needless pain and cruelty for the sake of superstition and tradition. Each story is set in a small village or town and centers on a yearly festive occasion. LeGuin's story takes place in the town of Omelas
Social Stratification and Intolerance to Change in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson Discussions of issues regarding human suffering is an explicit theme commonly found in most American literary pieces. Human suffering is often illustrated through the interaction of the individual and the society, which is often illustrated as intolerant of social changes. In the short story, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, which was published in 1948, the social issues governing the
WOMEN AND FEMINISM IN SIR THOMAS MORE'S UTOPIA First published in 1516, Sir Thomas More's Utopia is considered as one of the most influential works of Western humanism. Through the first-person narrative of Raphael Hythloday, More's mysterious traveler, Utopia is described as a pagan communist city-state or polis governed by intellect and rationality. By addressing such issues as religious pluralism, women's rights, state-sponsored education, colonialism and justified warfare, the main protagonist
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