Shirley Jackson
Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August
8, 1965) was an American writer, known primarily for
her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of
her career, which spanned over two decades, she
composed six novels, two memoirs, and over 200
short stories. A native of San Francisco, California,
Jackson would later attend Syracuse University in New
York, where she became involved with the university's
literary magazine and met future-husband
Stanley Edgar Hyman. The couple settled in
North Bennington, Vermont in 1940, after which Hyman
established a career as a literary critic, and Jackson
began writing. After publishing her debut novel
The Road Through the Wall (1948), a semi-
autobiographical account of her childhood in California,
Jackson would garner significant public attention for her
short story "The Lottery," which details a secret, sinister
underside to a bucolic American village.
Unfamiliar Words
Boisterous ---very noisy and active in a
lively way
Ex. They tend to gather together quietly
before they broke into boisterous play.
Reprimands ---to speak in an angry and
critical way to (someone who has done
something wrong, disobeyed an order,
etc.)
Ex. Their talk was still of the classroom
and the teacher reprimands.
Civic ---relating to a city or town or
the people who live there
Ex. Mr. Summers had time to
devote to civic activities.
Jovial ---full of happiness and joy
Ex. Mr. Summers is a round faced
jovial man.
Shabby ---in poor condition especially
because of age or use
Ex. The black box grew shabbier each
year.
Recital ---the act of reading something
out loud or saying something from
memory usually for an audience
---dance or musical performance
Ex. There had been a recital in playing
the lottery.
Perfunctory ---used to describe something
that is done without energy or enthusiasm
because of habit or because it is expected
Ex. Some people remembered that official of
the lottery must deliver a perfunctory
performance.
Interminably ---continuing for a very long time
Ex. Mr. Summers seemed very proper and
important as he talked interminably to Mr.
Graves and Martins.
Craned ---to stretch out (your neck) in
order to see better
Ex. Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck
to see through the crowd and found
her husband and children.
Beamed ---to smile happily
Ex. Nancy and Bill opened their slip of
paper at the same time,and both
beamed and laughed.
Characters List
Tessie Hutchinson
- The unlucky loser of the lottery. Tessie draws the
paper with the black mark on it and is stoned to
death. She is excited about the lottery and fully
willing to participate every year, but when her
family’s name is drawn, she protests that the
lottery isn’t fair. Tessie arrives at the village
square late because she forgot what day it was.
Old Man Warner
- The oldest man in the village. Old Man Warner
has participated in seventy-seven lotteries. He
condemns the young people in other villages who
have stopped holding lotteries, believing that the
lottery keeps people from returning to a barbaric
state.
Mr. Summers
- The man who conducts the lottery. Mr. Summers
prepares the slips of paper that go into the black box
and calls the names of the people who draw the
papers. The childless owner of a coal company, he is
one of the village leaders.
Bill Hutchinson
- Tessie’s husband. Bill first draws the marked paper,
but he picks a blank paper during the second
drawing. He is fully willing to show everyone that his
wife, Tessie, has drawn the marked paper.
Mr. Harry Graves
- The postmaster. Mr. Graves helps Mr. Summers
prepare the papers for the lottery and assists him
during the ritual.
Summary of
the Story
On June 27th, the residents of a small New England
village gather in the town square to conduct the
lottery. Mr. Summers, the officiant of the lottery, brings
the black box into the center of the square. Mr. Graves,
the postmaster, brings a stool for the black box.
Mr. Summers conducts a quick roll call. Clyde Dunbar is
at home with a broken leg, so his wife will draw lots for
him. Similarly, the Watson boy draws for his mother.
Finally, the lottery begins. Each one of the three
hundred or so residents of the village draw a piece of
paper from the black box. Bill Hutchison, the head of
his household, draws a paper with a black dot on it.
A second lottery is held, this time with only five slips of
paper, one each for the members of Bill's family. Bill's
wife Tessie draws the black dot. She protests that the
drawing wasn't fair even as her neighbors begin
stoning her to death.
Moral/Theme
In "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson represents the
notion of the scapegoat as someone who is
blamed for the evils of a society and banished in
order to expel sin and allow for renewal.
The townspeople are governed by mob
psychology and abandon their reason to act with
great cruelty.
The violence of the townspeople who initially
seem civilized and genteel reflects the possibility
of violent acts taking place in any context.
The refusal of the townspeople to abandon
tradition and question the lottery ritual suggests
the negative consequences of blindly following
tradition.
The female identity of the victim suggests the
violence committed against women in a
patriarchal society.
Prepared by:
Group 3
Jessie James Bayaca
Mark Rainier Pador
Kaye Escriba
Kim Cherie Garcia
Aila Franxene Magpantay
Ajirra Lhei Muli
Ma. Cecilia Peṅafiel
Alaiza Claire Orcena
Arianne Reyes
Joanna Micah Subardiaga
