Thematically, the dangers of indoctrination and conditioned, ritualized behavior—what Emerson called "the opium of custom"—are exemplified in the disturbing narrative of "The Lottery," a story that becomes even more distressing as it is told from such an objective point of view.
Shirley Jackson's skillful use of subtle foreshadowing leads the reader to a shocking conclusion. The bucolic scene of children playing, farmers talking of planting, tractors, and taxes amid quiet jokes as their wives chatter about trivial matters is seemingly peaceful. Then, seemingly because they are engaged in "boisterous play," Bobby Martin and other boys gather "pocketfuls of smooth, round stones." All this activity disguises the sinister purpose of the gathering of stones by the boys and the meaning behind the "great pile of stones in one corner of the square."
More foreshadowing occurs as Mr. Sommers, followed by Mr. Graves, the postmaster (static characters), arrive with the black box that is set upon a stool, and the villagers "keep their distance" from it. It is now a rather shabby box that has not been replaced because "no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box."
This reluctance to break with the ritualistic use of the same box reinforces the theme of blind adherence to tradition and dehumanization. Certainly, too, a black box brought in by Mr. Sommers, "the official of the lottery," seems a rather ominous sign of the deadly act to come, as has the gathering of stones and the "great pile of stones."
As Mr. Sommers makes the final preparations, Tessie Hutchinson rushes along the path to the square. When she arrives, she tells Mrs. Delacroix, who stands near her, that she forgot what day it is. As the dutiful Mr. Sommers begins the preliminaries, some people talk among themselves. For instance, Mr. Adams, who seems interested in a change, remarks to the incorrigible Old Man Warner,
"They do say that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery."
Old Man Warner snorted. "Pack of crazy fools," he said. "Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. . . . Used to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon'. . . . There's always been a lottery," he added petulantly.
Not surprisingly, when the lottery is drawn, the name is that of Tessie Hutchinson. It is almost as though she has had a premonition that the date would become fateful for her since, whether consciously or not, she "forgot what day it is" and she delayed coming as long as she could, breaking from the expected behavior (dynamic character). In desperation, after her name is drawn, she cries, "It wasn't fair!" But even her apparent friend, Mrs. Delacroix, reprimands her, "Be a good sport, Tessie....All of us took the same chance." However, her husband does not perceive things as his wife does since he tells her, "Shut up, Tessie."
With the exception of a few people, such as Mr. Adams and Mr. Hutchinson (dynamic characters) who subtly demonstrate their disapproval of the lottery, the others (static characters) follow the tradition and ignore Mrs. Hutchinson's pleas as they hurl stones at her. Mrs. Delacroix is particularly sadistic as she grabs the largest stone that she can hold and rushes to cast it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, what foreshadowing and what main theme exists; also, which characters are static and dynamic, and who controls the town?
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