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Entry #9 - "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

Question #1

            Were you surprised by the ending of the story? If not, at what point did you know what was going to happen? How does Jackson foreshadow the ending? Conversely, how does Jackson lure us into thinking that this is just an ordinary story with an ordinary town?

            I was very surprised by the ending, since after the first paragraph when the children gathered their stones, until about half way through the story when Mrs. Hutchison complains about her husband having picked the marked paper, as a cause of Mr. Summers not having given him enough time to make a good choice, is that any negative connotation is given to the ceremony. Author Shirley Jackson does an excellent job at luring the reader to believe this story is just an ordinary one. She draws attention to the excitement and interactions between some of the principal characters, instead of foreshadowing the ending. For instance, this is visible when Mr. Summers and Mr. Adams greeted each other with a “humorous and nervous” grin. It may also be seen during Mr. Adams and old man Warner’s conversation regarding other villages having stopped their lottery traditions, and Mr. Warner’s negative comments about it. Mr. Summers’ cool demeanor is another aspect of the story which served as a decoy for the surprising ending. Same with little Dave, who once sent to pick his paper, placed a hand on the box and laughed, and though young, his reaction told me he did associate the box with any negative activity or action he might have witnessed before. 

    Question #4

            What is the ritual of the scapegoat? In what way might Tessie be considered a scapegoat?

            By definition, a scapegoat is in the biblical sense “a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people.” “One who bears the blame for others; one who is the object of irrational hostility.” These definitions were found in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

            Following these definitions, it may be said that Tessie may be considered a scapegoat. From her introduction, it was foreshadowed that she would be subject to some sort of judgment, as she arrives late to the ceremony, those around her laugh with her, though in my opinion in a disapproving way, and finally Mr. Summers, though in a friendly manner, does scold her for having done so. After her complaining and before the ending was made obvious to me, I felt she was looking to take her husband’s place, and once I read about her reaction when she was left with the marked paper slip, I could not help but to feel that out of all members of her family, should someone be targeted and/or even punished it was Mrs. Hutchison.

  Question #7

            Are there other symbols? Why is the “black box” battered, for example?

            The black box which I believe represented the many members of families which had been used as instruments of sacrifice since the village was settled, with its worn out colors, served as a symbol of permanence and resiliency for a ritual which would perhaps never be changed, at least in that particular village. In addition to the box, there is the lottery itself, which serves in my opinion as a new beginning for the people, marking the year by it as virtual calendar, as mentioned by old man Warner who remembers that soon after the lottery, the corn would be ready to harvest.

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Nelson Mandela lands a playful punch on the chin of former world champion boxer Muhammad Ali. The two were in Dublin to attend the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. (Ray McManus/Reuters)

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