Women In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

700 Words3 Pages
The women of the small town of three hundred are unimportant in their society. As the population shows up in the town square, Jackson describes the women as “wearing faded house dresses and sweaters” even though the short story is set on “June 27th,” a “clear and sunny… full-summer day.” They all wear the sweaters that cloak each woman so others see her as a maid rather than an esteemed woman. None of the females are significant enough to be more than a housemaid. After arriving in their sweaters, the wives gather and gossip before going to “stand[ ] by their husbands.” Meanwhile, the men “speak[ ] of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.” The contrast in what each gender discusses emphasizes the distinction between which group is of…show more content…
Males speak of agriculture because it concerns their society’s economic and political standing. Females speak of gossip because the women have nothing of significance to converse about, which is a reflection of their worth. Gossip is of no importance, like the women. While the women hold their meaningless chatter, the men’s status is blatantly higher than their female counterparts. Children and the men also arrive before the women do at the lottery, and Tessie Hutchinson, a woman, is the last one to appear at the square. The order of appearance indicates the priority the groups. Therefore, women are second to man and the last priority of the community. The last person to arrive is Tessie Hutchinson, who is also the unfortunate winner of the lottery. Her life is of little value, and the rest of the town’s population feels no remorse over stoning her to death. The woman’s purpose is to produce a family which Tessie has already achieved. She has already birthed four children, one of which is married, and is nearing the end of her fertile period. Tessie can no longer give back to her community, which causes…show more content…
Although they all participate in the annual lottery, the female community members are not permitted to draw the paper slip for their families unless there is no male head of the household. Only the men are important enough to destine the lives of their families. The weight of determining the fate of family members is treated as pressure that women are too weak to handle. Even boys who are sixteen years old are considered to be more worthy of drawing for his family than his matured mother. Women are heavily ignored by both their husbands and children. When the women call to their children, they must call “four or five times” until the children finally “c[o]me reluctantly.” However, Bobby Martin, one of the young boys, “duck[s] under his mother’s grasping hand” and keeps running back to his friends. Bobby refuses to stand by his family until his father calls, only then does he come quickly and stays in his place. Children do not regard their mothers as authoritative figures, instead, they think of their mothers as lenient and yielding. Only when fathers call do the children listen and obey immediately without hesitation. Even naïve children can recognize the unbalanced power between the female and the male parent. After Bill Hutchinson draws the dreaded dotted paper slip, his wife begins to protest which causes him to say “Shut up, Tessie.” A woman is not allowed to state her opinion without
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