The Lottery Shirley Jackson Literary Techniques Essay

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Question before the Procession Shirley Jackson’s use of literary techniques in The Lottery is a true work of genius. She strategically uses irony in many places such as the story’s title, the setting an even in certain character’s personality traits. Another important literary technique used by Jackson is symbolism. The black box and the story’s title seem to create a range of associations outside themselves such as the importance of questioning irrational traditions and the unexpected nature of death. With the use of these two literary techniques, (irony and Symbolism) Shirley Jackson is able to emphasize important dramatic events within the plot. The term Irony can be defined as “A deliberate contrast between two levels of meaning.”…show more content…
By showing up late and forgetting the date of the lottery, it seems as though Mrs. Hutchinson is unconcerned with the lottery and the reader gets the false impression that this event is not such a huge ordeal. In fact, Tess doesn’t even express any problems with the lottery until her family is chosen. Ironically, when she is the one picked to get sacrificed she screams, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson 393). By initially conforming to a negative aspect of society without question then deciding to speak out when her own well being is in jeopardy, Tess displays a hypocritical and selfish character…show more content…
Irony is used in many places such as the story’s title, the setting an even in certain character’s personality traits. In addition to Jackson’s use of irony, the black box and the story’s title represent the importance of questioning irrational traditions and the unexpected nature of death. With the use of these two literary techniques, Shirley Jackson is able to highlight important dramatic events within the plot. Reading this story allowed me to better understand the importance of questioning society. If people would have questioned Hitler’s plans before he gained too much power perhaps we could have prevented the horrible mistreatment face by the
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