Kenley Duke D.E. English Professor Walker October 9th 2012 Analyzing Literature: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Tradition, defined my Webster’s Dictionary, is an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior. Not once does it say that tradition is meant to have good intentions. Such is the case in the “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. The villagers in this town gather annually to conduct what they refer to as “the lottery.” This gruesome event selects one of the town members to meet their untimely death by the mid-evil process of stoning.
He ignores advice given to him to not travel alone in that extreme temperature. Therefore, the man’s death is caused by the extreme coldness of the weather, travelling alone, and stepping into water. First of all, the man’s death is caused by the extreme coldness of the weather. The narrator says, “Fifty below zero stood for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded by the use of mittens, ear flaps, warm moccasins, and thick socks” (713). He is a newcomer to the Yukon Trail and underestimates the severity of the weather.
How does Sinclair use setting to create atmosphere? In the story, “The Painted Door,” Sinclair Ross creates an atmosphere of bitter cold, extreme isolation and loneliness. The story is set in a cold freezing winter on a very stormy day, “the wind struck from all sides, blustering and furious”. The area around the protagonist’s house is isolated, barren farm land, and “five miles away” from the neighbours. This physical setting gives the reader a good understanding of how and where the story will follow, in what kind of surroundings.
They also notice "the gloomy curve of the moor" and "the jagged and sinister hills" in the distance. When Sir Charles and Watson arrive at Baskerville Hall, they think it is very gloomy, with its iron gates, the ruined stone lodge, and the long drive with dark trees hanging over it. The Hall has two Gothic looking towers, which are covered with ivy, and inside, the main parlor is darkly paneled. The dining room is also very dreary, and is decorated with intimidating portraits of stern ancestors. In the night there are frightening sounds.
Other noticeable things are what you feel, smell and believe it or not taste. But all those things come together and make this beach the most wonderful place. There is not much to dislike at the beach, except maybe a bad case of sunburn and everyone hates bad sunburn. Going to the beach is like the first warm day after a long and frigid winter. Overall a trip to the beach can be a calming getaway from the stress and the everyday pressures of life.
U.S. teenager charged in family killing planned more carnage – police (By Zelie Pollon-Wed, Jan 23, 2013) ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) – A 15 year old accused of killing his parents and three younger siblings over the weekend planned to continue his rampage at a local Wal-Mart store then die in a shootout with police, authorities said on Tuesday. Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston told reporters that Nehemiah Griego had been contemplating the killing spree for “at least a week.” Houston said Griego told police that after killing his family at their Albuquerque home on Saturday, he reloaded and planned to go to a nearby Wal-Mart store. “He contemplated ending this with mass destruction,” Houston said. Instead, the 15 year old spent time with his girlfriend, and the pair later went to a church where his
Citera Propst Jon-Paul Wimer Introduction to Fiction November 2, 2011 The Lottery The Lottery, written in 1948 by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about a small village that holds an annual drawing of the lottery. To most the lottery is perceived as positive if won. In Jackson’s story the winner of the lottery is stoned to death as a sacrifice a good season of crops. The winner of the lottery is more than likely the rest of the village, and the loser being the one who was sacrificed. The Lottery can have multiple themes, but an interesting theme to focus and analyze would be tradition.
However…further on in that paragraph it says what Arthur Kipps imagined it would have been like. “How drear and grey and bleak the place would be in the dank, rain and mist, how beaten and battered at days on end by those gales that came sweeping across the flat, open country, how completely cut off by blizzards” He thought of it as the complete opposite to what it actually is. Rain and mist makes it sound mysterious and depressing. He seems like a dark person in this
The Painted Door This short story, The Painted Door, revolves around the existence of a storm. Without this setting present nothing of the sort would have occurred amongst the characters. Literally, the winter blizzard portrays itself as a nightmare waiting to happen and naturally creates chaos within relationships. The coldness and sharp touch of the wind causes utter effects on both health and safety, but also limits the attitudes that are demonstrated throughout the day. The married couple is strongly influenced by the actions of this snowstorm by allowing its awful mood to impress onto them.
Shirley Jackson was the author of “The Lottery” and she showed death by community. Once a year the townspeople gathered together and took a piece of paper from a black box. The first round of the drawing is just for the head of the family. Whichever man has the dotted paper then it is on to everyone in that family taking a draw. Now whoever has drew the paper with the dot on it is the one who gets stoned to death by the townspeople.