Character Analysis of the Lottery Essay - 698 Words

The lottery is usually associated with beating the odds and winning something extravagant. In Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery†, the reader is led to believe the story is about something cheerful and happy given the setting of a warm summer day and children out of school for the summer. Jackson turns winning the lottery into a bad thing. Of 300 villagers Tessie Hutchinson shows up late, claiming she forgot about the annual lottery drawing, but seems very excited to have made it on time. When Tessie was in no danger she is gossiping with neighbors and encourages her husband to draw for the winner. Jackson curiously builds up the character of Tessie so that it seems she is blinded by tradition until she becomes a victim of it†¦show more content†¦She uses Mr. Summers as a scapegoat and shouts â€Å"`You didn’t give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair ‘† (Jackson 208). Throughout the draw ing of the names, Tessie seemed to be fine with the fact that someone was going to die until it the realization set in that it may be her. Before a drawing is held to decide who wins, Tessie tries to make Mr. Summers include her daughter, â€Å"`There’s Don and Eva, make them take their chance!’† (Jackson 209). This shows how ruthless and careless Tessie is. She knows that her daughter was already entered in the drawing under her husband’s name. Having her daughter enter would only give her more of a chance to live. After Tessie is chosen as the winner she demands that the drawing was done unfairly and that her husband was rushed. What’s ironic about that is she is the one who rushed Bill to draw. Jackson uses the hypocrisy of Tessie’s actions to show this. Tessie’s victimization at the hands of the towns people allows her to be a semi-symbolic character, which will lose her life due to a cruel death by stoning. They did this all for the sake that there may be a fruitful crop for the coming harvest season. Surprisingly, even Tessie’s closest friend was mentioned as finding a stone so big that she had to lift it with both hands. Mrs. Hutchison was tardy to the biggest event of the year. She desperately hoped that sheShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery Character Analysis1525 Words   |  7 PagesShirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† is a story that ventures among years of traditional values that a small community is continuing to keep alive, through a yearly event in order to ensure a good harvest. This yearly event that became a tradition where it involves everyone in the small town to participate has become known to them as â€Å"The Lottery.† Though their lottery winner did not receive any money or reward, t hey instead are chosen as the yearly â€Å"sacrifice† to ensure successful crops. Even thoughRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of The Lottery754 Words   |  4 PagesIn the story, the library, many of the characters did not speak as much, however, their actions showed what was approaching. The villagers follow a tradition that happens every year which ends up being a tragedy. Unfortunately, each of the main characters in the story showed a representation on how they naturally behave when the lottery approaches. As long as they have been living in the village they are all accustomed to the tradition, however, they do not realize the evil they are causing towardsRead MoreThe Lottery Character Analysis Essay708 Words   |  3 PagesThe Lottery Character Analysis â€Å"Justice is doing for others what we would want done for ourselves,† -Gary Haugen. Gary Haugen is trying to say that seeking justice for others is important because that is what people would want done for themselves. 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When everyone was present, the heads of the households’ names were called one by one to pick up a slip of paper. It was then discovered that the Hutchinson family was the chosen family to participate in the lottery again. When Mr. Hutchinson, Mrs. Hutchinson, Bill Jr., Nancy, and Little Dave each gotRead MoreUse of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson954 Words   |  4 Pagesinterpreted in a different way. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story that shows symbolism, to give hints about the story in all the characters and objects in the story. This Short story takes place in the summer where a small town has a lottery every year round. The person that wins the lottery has a huge impact on the town and the crops that grow in it. Old man Warner is the oldest in the town and has been in more than seventy lotteries he likes to go by tradition and doesn’t