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  • Essay / The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson - 3169

    The story of “The Lottery” is a dark tale that gives the reader a window into a community ravaged by a tradition propagated by ignorance; send a message that reverberates through many events, ideas and observations throughout the annals of time. Written by the great Shirley Jackson, this fable illustrates how delusion and illogical thinking led to the terrifying and bleak end of Tessie Hutchinson's life. Shirley Jackson was well known during her lifetime, but not necessarily as the literary master she is hailed today. Jackson was very interested in the culture of witchcraft and deeply incorporated this knowledge into one of his first short stories: "The Lottery." While this influence greatly enhanced the haunted tone of the story, it also spawned various rumors regarding Shirley Jackson herself, being a solitary bookish woman interested in black magic. However, just as the "witches" of Salem were mercilessly murdered for ambiguous reasons, so was Tessie Hutchinson. Shirley Jackson saw the reflection of these poor souls in our very lives and channeled their painful essence into a meticulous story that is as moving as it is disturbing. This simple news bleeds into the minds of its readers and mixes with our perception of the world we know today. Eventually, the reader begins to connect the thought processes and ideologies of the mentally disturbed villagers in the story to those that exist or existed in the real world. We begin to examine our own society and understand that the same thinking that gave rise to these lotteries, held in the fictional world, may have equivalents in the real world, which is the truly disturbing fragment of this story. So that every person who reads this tale...... middle of paper...... first impact, since the ultimate way to persuade is to allow him to persuade himself. In fact, the very heart of this story is this: think for yourself. Works cited by Bhob. “Potrzebie: The Shirley Jackson Lottery.” Potrzebie. Np, June 1, 2008. Web. December 1, 2013. .Jackson, Shirley. Life among the savages. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1953. Print.Joshi, ST The Modern Weird Tale. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2001. Print. Leyshon, Cressida. “This week in fiction: Shirley Jackson.” The New Yorker. JULY 29, 2013, July 29, 2013. Web. December 1, 2013. .Murphy, Bernice M. Shirley Jackson: Essays on Literary Legacy. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland &, 2005. Print.