In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses ironic figures and ironies to weave the story and maintain the readers’ attraction as she brings in her spiky criticisms. The title of the story is ironical as most of us know that ‘lottery’ is all about winning money. We have heard of the lucky winners who win lump sum cash from a lottery. Therefore, from the title, most will make assumptions related to the perception. However, the story reveals a different perception of the lottery which is death. The victor of the lottery turns out to be a most pitiful loser who loses not only the comfort of family and friends but also his or her dear life. The use of auspicious title creates an artistic appeal to the work as well as building suspense and attention among leaders.
The description of the weather is quite ironical. “The morning of June 27th
was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day, the flowers were blossoming profusely, and the grass was richly green,” (Jackson 34). Often readers wonder how a day full of life and warmth could end up with someone being stoned to death. For the villagers, a traditional ritual was to be performed which was acceptable to all, both parents and children. Shirley’s way of transforming a breathtaking beginning into a horrific ending conveyed her excellent use of irony.
The way the villagers anticipate and look forward to having their lunch is ironical. The ritual had somehow turned the villagers into monsters who would value ‘food’ more than someone’s life. Most villagers wished for the ritual to end as early as possible. “Let’s finish quickly,” said Mr. Summers (Jackson 37). “Hurry up,” exclaimed Mrs. Delacroix (Jackson 39). However, it raises a disturbing thought for the readers. How could someone anticipate food with bloody hands? “The Lottery” also demonstrates irony in the statement, “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original box, they still remembered to use stones (Jackson 39). From the statement, it is clear that the villagers may no longer care about the traditions but never forget the killing tool. In other words, the villager values pleasure as compared to cultures as the ritual appeared tiring but stoning a person to death was exciting and fun. Shirley applies irony of traditional people to criticize human nature.
On the use of ironic figures, Mrs. Hutchinson is the most remarkable figure in the story. The events that take place before Mrs. Hutchinson appears to the square where the ritual takes place shows her love for the ritual. “Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over the shoulder,” (Jackson 35) “Then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running,” “she dried her hands on her apron,” (Jackson 36). Mrs. Hutchinson surely loves the ritual so much that she did not have time to finish washing the dishes nor drying her hands. On arrival to the square, she freely interacts with everyone and plays jokes whenever possible. After Mr. Summer comments on starting the ritual without some members, Mrs. Hutchinson comments by saying, “wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?” (Jackson 36). With all the excitement and enthusiasm, who would have thought that Mrs. Hutchinson would be the one to be stoned?
Works Cited
Jackson, Shirley. The lottery and other stories. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.
