What is The Lottery in the story The Lottery?

The lottery represents any action, behavior, or idea that is passed down from one generation to the next that’s accepted and followed unquestioningly, no matter how illogical, bizarre, or cruel. The lottery has been taking place in the village for as long as anyone can remember.

What is the main message of The Lottery?

The main themes in “The Lottery” are the vulnerability of the individual, the importance of questioning tradition, and the relationship between civilization and violence.

What is the main point in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson?

The main point in “The Lottery” concerns the nature of tradition and how it affects generations of people. Since the titular Lottery has always been practiced, the townsfolk seem to consider it just a part of life, and expected instead of rationally considered.

What is the analysis of The Lottery?

The titular lottery in the short story represents blind adherence to tradition. The townspeople do not know when or why it started, but they continue to practice it out of fear. For them, the lottery is a cornerstone of their society. To give it up would irrevocably change their culture.

Why did they throw stones at Tessie?

For the final drawing, one slip is placed in the box for each member of the household: Bill, Tessie, and their three children. Each of the five draws a slip, and Tessie gets the marked one. The townspeople gather stones and begin throwing them at her as she screams about the injustice that comes with the lottery.

Why was the lottery banned?

It is almost certain that South Africa banned this story because they felt it to be an anti-apartheid story. If this was banned because it was an attack on brutal and unquestioned traditions, like apartheid, it is difficult to consider this banning as anything but a positive endorsement of the meaning of the story.

What is the moral lesson of the lottery ticket?

The main theme of the story “The Lottery Ticket” by Anton Chekhov is that money can corrupt the soul. The prospect of a huge lottery win makes Ivan and Masha look at each other with hatred and suspicion, each one believing that the other will be negatively changed by their sudden windfall.

Why was Tessie killed in the lottery?

Tessie is stoned to death because she’s the “winner” of the lottery. The townspeople seem to believe that unless they sacrifice one of their own, crops will fail. It’s an old tradition, and very few think to question it at all.

What was the original reason for holding the lottery?

The original purpose of the lottery seem to have been some twisted sort of rain dance ritual. As Old Man Warner explains, the old saying used to exclaim, “Lottery in June, corn by heavy soon”.

What does he say will happen without a lottery?

In Old Man Warner’s eyes, doing away with the lottery would be akin to going back to primitive times. He believes that society would fail without the lottery. His belief, likely shared by many in their community, indicates how people could be willing to accept such a violent tradition.

What is the irony in the lottery?

The title of the story itself is ironic because the idea of a lottery usually involves a reward for the winner whereas, in this case, the “winner” of the lottery is stoned to death instead. The irony continues in the opening description as the narrator paints a cheery picture of a bright and beautiful summer day.

Who threw stones at Tessie?

Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands. A stone hit her [Tessie] on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, “Come on, come on, everyone” . . . and then they were upon her. A savage mob mentality takes over as the crowd releases its aggressions on Tessie.

What is the plot summary of the lottery?

Plot summary. The story describes a mythical Babylon in which all activities are dictated by an all-encompassing lottery, a metaphor for the role of chance in one’s life. Initially, the lottery was run as a lottery would be, with tickets purchased and the winner receiving a monetary reward.

What is the summary of the lottery?

The story describes a fictional small town in contemporary America which observes an annual rite known as “the lottery”. The purpose of the lottery is to choose a human sacrificial victim to be stoned to death to ensure the community’s continued well being.

What is the story the lottery about?

The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson one the spring of 1948, details a society that is detached from its basic humanity instincts. In the short story, men in the society are painted as having lost their regard for human life, in a quest to further their needs.

What is the tone of the story the lottery?

The Lottery. In the short story “The Lottery,” the author’s tone is distant and ironic. The instant tone in this story is the way that the write says about the character because I can feel a space between the author and the characters.