In the story The Lottery, the author has used a third person narration. The author has used a third person narration to explain the events taking place within the story. The author has therefore not included his or her presence within the story but instead has revealed the circumstances of the story as an outside source who watches the fall of activities from an outside corner. The third party narration has therefore enabled the writer to keep the readers in suspense as the author has made it hard for the reader to determine the events that are about to happen. The author in his style of writing has ensured that the reader can only decide what happens next just if they keep reading the story. However, the writer had used anxiety on occasion within the characters of the story when Tessie Hutchinson discovered that her family had been selected. This brings anxiety, fear, and suspense in the story. After her family name has been called, Tessie requests that the other members of her family who were not living in the same house as her are also included in the list.
The narration style and its effect
This kind of narration style that has been used by the author has ensured a continued flow of the story. The story would have therefore been affected if a narrator told it with different interests, knowledge, and purpose. The narrator would have alterted the suspense if they said it as an individual within the story. Being inside the tale would place the narrator in a situation where they can interact with the characters, therefore, making it easy for the reader to know what would happen next as the characters would have a chance to interact with the narrator, thus, revealing the plot and ideas within the story, therefore, reducing the suspense in the story.
Unrevealed thoughts of the characters
Additionally, the narrator does not reveal the thoughts of the characters as the story unfolds. Instead, he uses narration to let the story unfold to the reader slowly. Having a narrator with a different purpose, interest and knowledge would, therefore, affect the story because the narrator would use a style that reveals the thoughts of the characters, thus, making the story less impressive as there would be no suspense within the story.
Emotionless narration
Furthermore, the narrator of the story has also ensured that despite being aware of the events of the story, no emotions have been revealed. The narrator also provided that she not display any signs of liking or disliking any character in any situation. This has ensured that the reader does not want or hate a character because of a description from the narrator. Having a narrator with a different idea would have affected the story as the readers would judge the story according to the report provided by the narrator.
The impact of a different narrator
Having a narrator with a different understanding, purpose, and interest in telling the story of The Lottery would, therefore, affect many aspects of the story in different ways. If the narrator failed to maintain the elements of suspense, then the readers would quickly lose interest in reading the whole story. Additionally, if the narrator were part of the characters and told the story as another character in the story, it would be easy for the readers to quickly determine the events of the story from reading the minds of the other characters.
Work Cited
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery (1948)." The Treasury of American Short Stories (1949).
