The setting set forth by Shirley Jackson in the beginning of The Lottery creates a mood of
peacefulness and tranquillity. This setting also creates an image in the mind of the
reader, the image of a typical town on a normal summer day. Furthermore, Shirley Jackson
uses the setting in The Lottery to foreshadow an ironic ending.
First, Shirley Jackson begins The Lottery by establishing the setting. To begin, she
tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the story takes place. This is
important to get the reader to focus on what a typical day it is in this small town. The
time of day is set in the morning and the time of year is early summer. She also
describes that school has just recently let out for summer break, letting the reader
infer that the time of year is early summer. The setting of the town is described by the
author as that of any normal rural community. Furthermore, she describes the grass as
"richly green" and that "the flowers were blooming profusely" (196). These descriptions
of the surroundings give the reader a serene felling about the town. Also, these
descriptions make the reader feel comfortable about the surroundings as if there was
nothing wrong in this quaint town.
Upon reading the first paragraph, Shirley Jackson describes the town in general. The
town is first mentioned in the opening paragraph where she sets the location in the town
square. She puts in perspective the location of the square "between the post office and
the bank" (196). This visualizes for the reader what a small town this is, since
everything seems to be centralized at or near the town square. This is also key in that
the town square is the location for the remaining part of the story. The town square is
an important location for the setting since the ending of the story will be set in this
location.
Also, Shirley Jackson creates a comfortable atmosphere while describing the residents of
the town. First, she describes the children gathering together and breaking into
"boisterous play"(196). Also, the children are described as gathering rocks, which is an
action of many normal children. She described the men as gathering together and talking
about "planting and rain, tractors and taxes"(196). Finally, she describes the women of
this community as "exchanging bits of gossip"(196) which is a common stereotype of women.
She creates a mood for the reader of the town and residents of this town on a normal
summer morning.
Up to this point in the story Shirley Jackson has not pointed out anything out of the
ordinary which would reflect an ironic ending. Upon further reading of the story,
Shirley Jackson gives the reader hints about the unusualness of this town. First, she
sets the time of day to be mid-morning. This is a clue to an ironic ending since most
occurrences of criminal activity happen during the night. Second, she also points out
key buildings that surround the town square. Furthermore, she fails to describe a church
or a courthouse which are common buildings to all communities. Also, it is odd for
this town to celebrate Halloween but not for Christmas or Easter. These are the largest
holidays that "normal" people celebrate. In addition, she points out the fact that the
children are building "a great pile of stones in one corner of the square"(196).These
points should lead the reader to consider that this town is far from normal.
The introduction of the black box is a key turning point for the setting. The black box
symbolizes an immoral act to the villagers. This is evident in the fact that "the
villagers kept their distance"(196) from the black box. The introduction of the black
box into the setting changes the mood and the atmosphere of the residents. After the
introduction of the black box the villagers become uneasy around this symbol of evil.
Furthermore, the black box is the key that changes the mood from serene and peaceful to
ominous.
Further foreshadowing by Shirley Jackson leads the reader to consider the town as
peculiar. For instance, the names of the residents foreshadow unfavorable events to
occur. Furthermore, the lottery is conducted by Mr. Summers, and the time of year the
story is set happens to be summertime. Also, Mr. Summers is helped by Mr. Graves, who
has often stored the black box for the lottery. These names foreshadow a sinister event
to occur.
The ending of the story is ironic to the setting established by Shirley Jackson in the
first paragraph. The story ends with the residents murdering an innocent person. The
mood created by the residents at the end of the story is totally opposite to that of the
beginning of the story. For example, the residents pelted Tessie Hutchison as she
screamed. The mood created at the end of the story is of misfortune and pain which is
the opposite of the mood created by the setting in the beginning of the story.
To conclude, Shirley Jackson creates the mood of a typical town on a normal summer
morning. This setting creates an atmosphere of tranquillity and peacefulness. Through
the use of subtle details, Shirley Jackson is able to foreshadow the wicked ending
through the use of the setting. For example, she sets the story in a typical town on a
normal summer day. She describes the children as normal children gathering rocks, yet
they create a massive pile of stones in one corner, as if they are working and are not
gathering these rocks for enjoyment as normal children would. She describes the town as
a normal town, yet there are oddities about the town. For example, there is no church or
church activities. Furthermore, the town does not celebrate Christmas or Easter, yet
they celebrate Halloween. Also, there is no governing body for this town such as a
courthouse or police station. This gives the reader a hint to the fact that there is
something odd about to happen. The setting set forth in the first paragraph proves to
be ironic from the setting at the end of the story. For instance, the mood created by
the flowers and summertime setting create a peacefulness about the town. Furthermore,
the ending proves to be totally opposite of the mood presented in the first paragraph.
The ending is ironic from the beginning in that everyone in this town commits an unlawful
act by stoning an innocent person. Conversely, the setting created a mood of peacefulness
within the town and among the residents.
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