Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery"

Part 1.
Although I have read “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson many times before, I still thoroughly enjoy it. “The Lottery” reminds me of a scary movie because typically the scariest parts come as a surprise to the audience despite seeming obvious after the fact. Also, suspense is built up in a horror film toward the climax: usually the scariest part of the film. Like some scary movies, the end of “The Lottery” always catches me off guard, such that it almost sneaks up and pops out of nowhere unexpectedly. Yet, the entire story foreshadows each occurrence that leads up to the climax. This story is one that almost tricks the reader into thinking they know what will happen to the Hutchinson family, yet due to the tone of the characters, we know that nothing good can come of the lottery. In addition, the reader is further fooled because most modern people believe a lottery to be an event with a positive, not a negative, connotation. The irony and unconscious knowledge of the conclusion is what makes “The Lottery” one of those stories that can be read many times without tiring.
Part 2.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is one of those that keeps the reader in suspense the entire time, until the end, where the unthinkable happens. Although the reader is surprised at the finale, unbeknownst to the reader, the ending had been foreshadowed the entire time by characters and events. Jackson uses foreshadowing and suspense to build the reader up to the climax of the “The Lottery”.
Reading “The Lottery” once is not sufficient enough to fully appreciate the hints and foreshadowing that Jackson includes within the body of the story. She uses both conversations between characters, characters’ actions, and descriptions of demeanor to lead the reader to believe the conclusion will not be a happy one, yet, also supplies contrasting events and actions to confuse the reader and build suspense. First, the title “The Lottery” is one that conveys a positive message to the reader. Lotteries are usually thought to be positive events, therefore, the use of this as the title is a crucial use of irony established by Jackson.
The meeting of the townspeople in the square is what starts off this story. The reader is confronted with feelings of obligation and tradition expressed by the characters. Jackson uses foreshadowing by describing the demeanors of the groups of people gathered in the square. First, the children are hesitant to play, but then begin to play with rocks by placing them into a pile. Next, the men that gather make meaningless small talk, and are too engulfed in the event to laugh at jokes offered by neighbors. Finally, the women are described in such a way that makes them seem nervous and tense. When Mr. Summers asks for help with the “black box”, the villagers were hesitant, further insinuating that this event will not be a happy one. With such a small town and residents who all know each other, the reader must assume something is wrong if the villagers prefer not to help Summers with the box.
After the characters are described in minor detail, the ritual of the lottery is described. It seems that, regardless of whether or not anyone dislikes the lottery in this town, it is here to stay for the time being due to its deep roots in tradition. The lottery is so sacred and protected that the black box is kept in a safe the night before the drawing (it is kept in the coal factory which is a foreshadowing to the marking on one of the slips of paper drawn during the lottery). Next, Mrs. Hutchinson is introduced, who happens to be late to the assembly. Strangely, her family did not decide to alert her to their departure when they left their house that morning. As a friendly banter with Mr. Summers to explain her reason for being late to the assembly, Mrs. Hutchinson states, “ ‘Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you. Joe?’” Unless she feels she would not be coming back to finish the dishes, why would they not be able to wait for her return? This remark foreshadows Mrs. Hutchinson’s fate at the end of the story.
Once the assembly begins, the characters fall silent, which instructs the reader that the event is serious and to be taken seriously. Jackson describes the characters by saying “they grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously”. Here, the climax is begging to be built by suspense. In a conversation between two characters, we find out that other towns have eliminated the use of lotteries. The only conclusion to come to from that statement is that they are not favored anymore, which would mean they are a bad thing or unnecessary. Once Bill Hutchinson picks the ‘winning lottery ticket,’ the other towns people are relieved. Mrs. Hutchinson begins to rant that the lottery is not fair, and the reader again gets the message that the lottery win will not be a good thing for the Hutchinson family. Finally Tessie Hutchinson picks the winning ticket and is stoned with the stones the children had set aside in the beginning of the story.
Shirley Jackson utilizes suspense throughout “The Lottery” by keeping the reader guessing as to whether the lottery is a good or a bad thing. She uses foreshadowing to hint to the reader that the lottery will not end happily. For example, the characters (all except the children) are stiff and anxious. Also, the overall tone of the crowd is somber, and although they are simply honoring tradition, there are a few in the crowd who do not understand the need for the ritual. From this, the reader can surmise that the lottery is not necessary and not liked by all. The suspense is built up using contradictory actions and expressions of emotions, until the very end, when an unexpected act occurs to a character for whom we have built up inexplicable sympathy. Jackson’s message, in a literary sense, seems to be that at any time there can be a twist in the story, and it is up to us to watch out for it. On a personal level, Jackson’s message can be read as, not everything is what it seems.