a thesis statement for the lottery

The Lottery

Shirley jackson, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

The Juxtaposition of Peace and Violence

“The Lottery” begins with a description of a particular day, the 27th of June, which is marked by beautiful details and a warm tone that strongly contrast with the violent and dark ending of the story. The narrator describes flowers blossoming and children playing, but the details also include foreshadowing of the story’s resolution, as the children are collecting stones and three boys guard their pile against the “raids of the other boys.” These details…

Human Nature

Jackson examines the basics of human nature in “The Lottery,” asking whether or not all humans are capable of violence and cruelty, and exploring how those natural inclinations can be masked, directed, or emphasized by the structure of society. Philosophers throughout the ages have similarly questioned the basic structure of human character: are humans fundamentally good or evil? Without rules and laws, how would we behave towards one another? Are we similar to animals in…

Family Structure and Gender Roles

The ritual of the lottery itself is organized around the family unit, as, in the first round, one member of a family selects a folded square of paper. The members of the family with the marked slip of paper must then each select another piece of paper to see the individual singled out within that family. This process reinforces the importance of the family structure within the town, and at the same time creates a…

The Power of Tradition

The villagers in the story perform the lottery every year primarily because they always have—it’s just the way things are done. The discussion of this traditional practice, and the suggestion in the story that other villages are breaking from it by disbanding the lottery, demonstrates the persuasive power of ritual and tradition for humans. The lottery, in itself, is clearly pointless: an individual is killed after being randomly selected. Even the original ritual has been…

Dystopian Society and Conformity

Jackson’s “The Lottery” was published in the years following World War II, when the world was presented with the full truth about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. In creating the dystopian society of her story, Jackson was clearly responding to the fact that “dystopia” is not only something of the imagination—it can exist in the real world as well. Jackson thus meditates on human cruelty—especially when it is institutionalized, as in a dystopian society—and the…

The Lottery: Essay Topics & Samples

The Lottery is one of those stories that can be interpreted in a million different ways. The author brings up many cultural, social, and even political issues for discussion. It is so controversial that the readers were sending hate mails to Jackson!

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Did you receive a writing assignment on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson? Have no idea where to start? Don’t panic! Sometimes you can find it hard to decide on one topic when there are so many options. This short story also has many Easter eggs to analyze. Custom-Writing.org experts created this list of the best ideas for the essay and The Lottery essay questions to help you out!

• 💡 Essay Topics
• ✒️ Essay Samples

💡 The Lottery: Essay Topics

Don’t know where to start your essay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson? Check out the prompts to help you write a successful paper!

• Literary analysis essay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson . For this task, you would need to work through the main themes of the story . However, to make it easier, you might want to focus on one topic at a time. For instance, write about the role of tradition and how powerful it can be.
• How are gender roles represented in the story? Look closer to how the roles are divided in this fictional society. There is violence against women, but it doesn’t seem like they are allowed to play victims. Can you catch a glimpse of sexism in some situations? You might as well draw some parallels with the real world.
• How much do traditions affect our lives? The Lottery as an example . In this analysis essay on The Lottery , you are asked to elaborate on the central theme of the story. Shirley Jackson shows tradition to be so strong and powerful in this society that the rational mind can’t even bring others to reason.
• Social classes in The Lottery . Are there any characters in the short story that may seem a bit more privileged than the others? All villagers seem to be in the same boat with equal rights. What about Mr. Summers? His name is on the list, and he draws with everybody else, but doesn’t he have more powers?
• The psychology of the crowd in the short story . You are asked to write an argumentative essay on The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. Look for some strong arguments to support the idea. However, there is no need to come up with complicated psychoanalytic theories. Focus on your personal opinion and add some quotes.
• Hidden symbols in Shirley Jackson’s story . Here, it would help if you worked on literary analysis for a little bit. There are some apparent symbols, such as the black box and the stones. But how many more can you find? For example, look at the importance of households and write a symbolism essay on The Lottery .
• Investigate the phenomenon of hypocrisy in The Lottery . The villagers can be friendly and kind to their neighbors before the ritual begins . However, as soon as they know the results, they immediately turn against “the winner.” Tessie seems like she would do the same, but when she appears to be the chosen one, it doesn’t please her at all.
• Tessie Hutchinson as a scapegoat in The Lottery . What can make you think that the main character serves as a scapegoat for the villagers? She might not have a good reputation among them. What do you think drives them to stone her to death? Start a debate on this issue, and don’t forget to use our literature study guide!
• The significance of names in Shirley Jackson’s story . You might have noticed the specifics of the main characters’ names. For instance, Mr. Summers fits perfectly in the setting of a beautiful summer day. Mr. Delacroix, in his turn, carries some hidden religious meaning if you look up the translation. Can you find any other meaningful names?
• What is the central message of The Lottery ? You might have thought about it after reading the summary of the short story. Well, there is no specific answer because everything depends on your perspective. It may concern social or political issues or whatever you prefer. It is what makes your essay so unique, isn’t it?

✒️ The Lottery: Essay Samples

Below you’ll find a collection of The Lottery essay examples. You are welcome to use them for inspiration!

• Point of View in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
• The Lottery Analysis: Essay on Shirley Jackson’s Short Story
• The Lottery: Literary Analysis
• Groupthink Notion in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
• Gothic Horror in “The Lottery”
• Foreshadowing in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
• Crowd Impersonation in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
• Gender Equality in Jackson’s “The Lottery”
• Herd Behavior in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
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On a warm sunny day, all the villagers gathered to kill their randomly chosen neighbor. They had repeated this ritual for many ages. What forced them to be so cold-hearted and narrow-minded? Why did the first readers of the short story get insulted with the plot? What does Shirley Jackson...

A short summary of The Lottery comes down to a description of a pretty violent tradition of one community. Despite a quite optimistic and positive beginning, the reader will soon find out that something feels off about it. The community uses the lottery to pick one person for a sacrifice....

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains all the information about the characters in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: Tessie Hutchinson, Bill Hutchinson, Mr. Summers, Old Man Warner, and others. In the first section, you’ll find The Lottery character map. 🗺️ The Lottery: Character Map Below you’ll find a character map...

What do the stones symbolize in The Lottery? What about the black box? What is its main theme? There are so many questions to attend to about this story, so this article by Custom-Writing.org experts is here to help you out! Apart from discussing the symbolism in The Lottery, we...

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Writing an essay can be a challenge, even from the very beginning. Coming up with an eye-catching and exciting idea might be a bit of a process. Therefore, we have prepared a list of topics on The Necklace to choose from. Also, you can find essay samples and take a...

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Connection — “The Lottery” Modern Day Examples: Works by Shirley Jackson

"The Lottery" Modern Day Examples: Works by Shirley Jackson

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Published: Jun 20, 2019

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Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery Short Story vs. Film Essay

The Lottery was written by Shirley Jackson and was first published as an issue in the New York Times in 1948 (Sari & Tur, 2019). The story has been adapted in several ways, including the radio version, graphic novel, and the 1969 film (Sari & Tur, 2019).). The text and film versions present the same characters, plot, themes, and styles. However, they contain distinct similarities and differences, as discussed in the following sections.

Firstly, the text and the film versions have a similar plot and theme, presenting contemporary life in a small American town where the residents practice the “lottery ritual”. The precedence of preparation events before the ritual is the same in the film and the text. While the ritual is meant to prepare the villagers for bulk harvest, the idea of “scapegoat” is followed blindly in both text and film. The text embraces suspense, which drastically unfolds in the film, with people quarreling uncontrollably. The horrifying scenes created in the text unfold visually in the film, heightening the levels of suspense among the audience.

The major difference between the text version and the adapted film is the nature of the presented. The film is in audiovisual format and its length is assessed in “duration”. The text, on the other hand, can be measured in “pages”. The contract between the two formats extends to the adoption of styles and characters. Readers are expected to create a mental picture of the disagreement and rebellion that arises on the northern side of the village. In the film, the chaos arising is directly presented to the viewers, aiding them in grasping the provided content. The textual format allows the readers to make divergent conclusions on the themes while the film presents all that the target audience needs to know.

Sari, F. A., & Tur, A. P. A. (2019). Reshaping the Society Face through The Culture of Horror Told in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery . NOTION: Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Culture , 1 (1), 1-7. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, December 10). Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Short Story vs. Film. https://ivypanda.com/essays/shirley-jacksons-the-lottery-short-story-vs-film/

"Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Short Story vs. Film." IvyPanda , 10 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/shirley-jacksons-the-lottery-short-story-vs-film/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Short Story vs. Film'. 10 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Short Story vs. Film." December 10, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/shirley-jacksons-the-lottery-short-story-vs-film/.

1. IvyPanda . "Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Short Story vs. Film." December 10, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/shirley-jacksons-the-lottery-short-story-vs-film/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Short Story vs. Film." December 10, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/shirley-jacksons-the-lottery-short-story-vs-film/.

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