"The Lottery" - Literary Analysis

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson takes place on June 27th. It is a clear and sunny summer morning and 300 townspeople gather in the square. The story is told in omniscient objective point of view. In the beginning, the children gather large piles of stones, which is reminiscent of what is to come. In a bit of irony, Mrs. Hutchinson is late to the “lottery” and says, “…wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now would you, Joe?” (3). Perhaps the fact that the Watson boy must draw for their family is symbolic because his father might have been the unlucky town member the previous year.

This story can be interpreted as being quite controversial. Mrs. Hutchinson is a developing character because she does not oppose the lottery until she is the person to draw the slip. Her attitude changes drastically from giggling to screaming disapproval. The vivid details throughout the story truly dramatize the shocking ending. The final conflict is man vs. society, when whoever draws the slip with the dark blotch on it is attacked by the entire town.