The Lottery Essay

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“The Lottery” – by Shirley Jackson Questions From the context of the story, who controls the town? Explain. Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves and Mr. Martin are the leaders of the town. Because, in the story, Mr. Summers owns the village’s largest business and also the major of the town. Mr. Summers has more “time and energy to devote to civic activities.” It indicates that he has money and leisure. Mr. Graves is the government official; the postmaster, which shows his high politically position in the town. Mr. Martin is economically powerful because he is the grocer in the village. Also the fact that three of them are in charge the annual lottery in the village indicates their social class among the three hundred people in the town. Is structure of the town and the lottery democratic? Explain. How do you feel about it? No, the town isn’t a democracy and the lottery is not democratic because if it were, people would be able to attend the lottery at their own will instead of making it mandatory, and all people would have an equal chance of being selected. People like Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves and Mr. Martin being in charge of the lottery suggests that they are above everyone, which is not a characteristic of a democracy. What does Mrs. Delacroix’s extra-large stone say about the loyalty and logic in “the Lottery”? What does the large stone represent? How might she justify the killing of Tessie? Mrs. Delacroix, obviously a friend and neighbor of Tessie, who just moments before [the stoning] was laughing with Tessie about her forgetfulness, and reassuring her that she was fine for her tardiness. Later, her speedy selection of a “stone so large that she had to pick it up with both hands” reveals that the friendship was not as strong as her blind belief that the lottery was a just judge and her self-righteousness in not being chosen. The large stone was a symbol of
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