Violence Illustrated In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery
1283 Words6 Pages
The Lottery Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is centered on a small town in 1948. The story begins with a beautiful summer day setting; the town is gathering in the square for what appears to be an important event. Though it may seem like a happy celebration from the beginning of the story, it begins to show very small glimpses of the dark undertone that the story brings. Jackson’s short story is not an average horror story but a powerful representation of the concept of brutality and ignorance that lives within humans. As the story begins, the children are the first to arrive. Since the narrative takes place in the summer time, school is officially out of session. Jackson makes a point to mention how they are not actually excited to be…show more content… Many people believe that the point behind the story is to discuss not only the gruesomeness, but also the randomness of violence in the world. She wrote it as a way to reflect on humanity as a whole. This story was written in a time where violence had been a massive part of people’s lives. World War II had just ended 3 years before and the Red Scare was a growing problem in the county. These fears had already been engraved into the hearts of many during this time, for many of them to read a story such as “The Lottery,” only amplified this…show more content… It is almost as if many teenagers now take part in these activities not solely because they want to but because “that’s what teenagers do”. “The Lottery” touches on this concept in a much more drastic example. Many of the people in the town may not exactly want to partake in the lottery, but they do because that is what they are expected to. The lottery had been taking place for many generations to the point where there is no one can remember it not existing. They blindly follow the lottery as if it was a law that could never be changed and they settle for it because they believe that it is just how things are suppose to be. No matter how