Essay on Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Effective Use...

Effective Use of Character Names in The Lottery â€Å"The common curse of mankind, --folly and ignorance† (Shakespeare). Were he alive, William Shakespeare might fully endorse Shirley Jackson’s ideas as presented in The Lottery. The author, Jackson, very distinctly uses symbolic names for her characters to show the ignorance of the sacrificial lottery, which the small village holds year after year. These sacrifices, which used to be held to appease the god of harvest, have grown meaningless in their culture. Jackson uses the characters not only to visualize the story for the reader, but also each one has a meaning, which adds to the ultimate theme. One of the leaders and MOST important MEN of the town is†¦show more content†¦Mr. Summers, with all of his importance, had someone over him though. Mr. Graves, the postmaster, must have been of more importance and power than he because Mr. Summers had to be sworn in by Mr. Graves before he could have the right to be the official of the lottery. As the reader might easily derive, Mr. Graves symbolizes the sacrificial killing being caused by the lottery. His superiority over Mr. Summers is also symbolic. It shows how the sacrifice and the lottery in itself is more important than the new ideas presented by Mr. Summers and a few other villagers. But, Mr. Graves has many more villagers behind him sharing his views. One of these is Old Man Warner. Mr. Warner is the oldest man in town and, therefore, POSESED THE MOST knowledge of what the original tradition was all about. He lets us know that there has â€Å"always been a lottery† (77). He is repeatedly shown â€Å"warning† the younger parents and the younger generation of what they are in for if they do away with the lottery. Hence, he gets the name Warner. He claims the â€Å"young folks† are a â€Å"pack of crazy fools† and that â€Å"nothing is good enough for them† (77). Jackson refers to him as â€Å"Old Man† Warner partly to show you his age and that he should know the most about the lottery. But, also partly to show that his oldness, his mindset that he is the wisest, is holding the community back from the goodShow MoreRelatedExpect the Unexpected1898 Words   |  8 PagesExpect the Unexpected What thoughts come to mind when you think of â€Å"The Lottery?† Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement, and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery†. Here, the characters in the story are not gambling for money, instead they are gambling for their life. A shock that surprises the reader as she unveils this horrifying tradition in the village on this beautifulRead MoreEssay about The Life and Literary Works of Shirley Jackson4264 Words   |  18 PagesShirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. Her surroundings were comfortable and friendly. Two years after Shirley was born, her family with her newborn brother moved from San Francisco to Burlingame, California, about thirty miles away. According to her mother, Shirley began to compose verse almost as soon as she could write it (Friedman, 18). As a chil d, Shirley was interested in sports and literature. In 1930, a year before she attended Burlingame High SchoolRead MoreAnalysis Of Jackson s The Lottery899 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† In the story â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, we see the different literary elements she uses to unfold her story. Literary elements help readers to interpret and appreciate the works of a writer. In this Essay I will show you the three most prominent literary elements that were used, and how they add to the suspense, and surprise of the story. These literary elements are point of view, theme, and tone and style. The first literary element of this story isRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesor a short story. Events of any kind, of course, inevitably involve people, and for this reason it is virtually impossible to discuss plot in isolation from character. Character and plot are, in fact, intimately and reciprocally related, especially in modern fiction. A major function of plot can be said to be the representation of characters in action, though as we will see the action involved can be internal and psychological as well as external and physical. In order for a plot to begin, some