Religion in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay - 963 Words

Religion in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson The Lottery, and Christianity Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery†, if left at face value, is a perverse tale of a small village sacrificial ceremony, which leaves a lasting impression upon the reader. However to take the story at face value would nearly be an exercise in futility, for then the reader would be missing the deeper meanings found in the delicate symbolism that Jackson places throughout the tale. Indeed, the symbolic meanings of many of the people and things placed throughout the narrative depict certain attitudes and beliefs about Christianity and its religious system. Take for instance the Black box that is used in â€Å"The Lotteryâ€Å". It is used as a representation of the†¦show more content†¦Nearly the two become one, the stool and the box, just as in Christian beliefs God and the bible are all but inseparable, much to the chagrin of others. Slips of paper, as insignificant as they may seem on the surface, take on meaning of great magnitude in the story. As each individual participant in the lottery finds that there paper is not the one marked, the paper is released and drifts away. The slips of paper come to represent the participant’s souls, here representing the untainted soul, drifting away and remaining free, as if going to heaven. In contrast Mrs. Hutchison’s slip of paper that has a dark spot, shows that marred souls receive punishment after judgment, a common Christian belief. I believe the symbolism here is trying to show us that only certain people can be lucky enough to fit within the criteria that Christianity places on a person in order to be holy, and that a sinner can easily be anyone if you use Christian standards. Several of the characters and attributes of the characters come to embody Christian, Biblical, and church-like things. For example you have Mr. summers who is the head of the procession. He is wearing a â€Å"clean white shirt....† this giving us the feeling of him being a priest, whom often times wear white robes. Mr. Adams is the first to draw from the box and receive his judgment. In the Bible, as many already know, Adam is theShow MoreRelatedCatholicism Exposed in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1303 Words   |  6 Pagesgeneration to generation. Tradition becomes a part of who we are as a scociety. Shirley Jackson mocks society’s way of blindly following certain traditions. Characteristics of Jackson’s story create a parallel with Catholicism, by harping on our fear of change but our ability to manipulate what we want from our traditions and the basis of Catholicism’s belief of the innocence in children. Shirley Jacksons short story The Lotter y has created a clear link to Catholicism encouraging us to open our eyesRead MoreEssay The Truth in the Lottery1338 Words   |  6 Pagesand its â€Å"tradition† so its apart of us. Shirley Jackson mocks our way of blindly following certain traditions. Characteristics of Jackson’s story create a parallel with Catholicism, by harping on our fear of change but our ability to manipulate what we want from our traditions and the basis of Catholicism’s belief of the innocence in children. Jackson uses friendly language among the villagers and in presentation of the lottery to illustrate the lottery as an event similar to square dances, HalloweenRead MoreUse of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1146 Words   |  5 Pagesbulb represents ideas that just sparked into a character’s head. In the short story, â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, a village has just entered the month of June, meaning that the lottery is to begin. 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 MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small New England town. The town’s people have performed the lottery for more than seventy years. Shirley Jackson gives â€Å"The Lottery† a whole different meaning . The lottery is used for a public stoning, opposing to the very first thing that approaches to a reader s mind when they think of the lottery; a big amount of money . The reader sees both literal an d metaphorical meaning of the Shirley Jackson’s short storyRead MoreSymbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay example1173 Words   |  5 PagesWhen most people play the lottery today, they think about having wealth. Generally, people who win are happy about it whether they win one dollar or a million. The lottery in our society has grown to support education and it is often worth several million dollars. Usually, the winner of the lottery gains a lot of recognition for the money they win. But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the â€Å"winner† was the member of the town who was not sacrificedRead MoreOne of Americas Best and Most Controversial Short Stories, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson966 Words   |  4 Pagesover 2 hours the villagers gathered around the town’s square awaiting the results to the annual lottery. â€Å"The Lottery† was written by Shirley Jackson in 1948 and became one of A merica’s best and most controversial short stories. In â€Å"The Lottery† Shirley Jackson expressed her opinion on society’s resistance to change and how people uphold traditions passed down through generations. At first in â€Å"The Lottery† the author makes it seem like this annual event is a very positive event in the village. TheRead MoreAnalysis of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson993 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Anais Nin, a prominent Spanish author, When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow. Shirley Jackson was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. She is most well known for her short story titled â€Å"The Lottery† which was first published in The New Yorker to overwhelming and mixed reviews. The lottery, as portrayed in the short story, is a religious, annual ceremony in the afternoon ofRead MoreAn Analysis of Shirley Jacksons The Lottery and Flannery OConnors A Good Man Is Hard to Find1360 Words   |  5 PagesShirley Jackson The Lottery Shirley Jacksons short story The Lottery depicts life in a provincial American town with rigid social norms. Mr. Summers symbolizes everything that is wrong with the town; he represents blind adherence to ritual, social rigidity, and resistance to change. His name corresponds with the seasonal setting of The Lottery, too, drawing attention to the importance of his character in shaping the theme of the story. Summers is in charge of the central motif of the storyRead MoreAnalysis Of Shirley Jacksons The Lottery1303 Words   |  6 PagesAs once said by Professor John P. Kotter, tradition is a very powerful force (qtd. in AZQuotes). In Shirley Jacksons chilling story The Lottery, a town celebrates a special custom of stoning people to death every year. Jackson perfectly depicts a possible event that may occur from blindly following tradition without evaluating the purpose or usefulness of it in the first place. Jackson’s use of plot, theme, and symbolism reveal the evil reality of blind faith, tradition, and their consequencesRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1012 Words   |  5 Pages Fiction Essay Young Goodman Brown vs. The Lottery Authors: Nathaniel Hawthrone and Shirley Jackson ENGL 102 Spring Zuidema October 16, 2017 Page Break Nyasia Midgette ENGL 102 October 9, 2017 Thesis Statement: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthrone stories, Shirley Jackson encourages her readers to question their beliefs, actions, and the world by creating struggle. Page