The Lottery Summary
Shirley Jackson

Everything you need to understand or teach The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

The Lottery Summary & Study Guide
34 Student Essays
1 Encyclopedia Article
17 Literature Criticisms
...and more

30 The Lottery Lessons
20 Activities
180 Multiple Choice Questions
60 Short Essay Questions
20 Essay Questions
Pre-Made Tests and Quizzes
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The Lottery Summary

First published in The New Yorker on June 26, 1948, "The Lottery" is considered one of the most haunting and shocking short stories of modern American fiction and is one of the most frequently anthologized. The story takes place on a June morning in the town square of a small village. Amidst laughter and gossip, families draw slips of paper from a ballot box until housewife Tessie Hutchinson receives a slip with a black mark...

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Style

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Topics for Further Study

Encyclopedia Articles (1)

"The Lottery"

2,930 words, approx. 10 pages

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco on December 14, 1919. She grew up in California until 1933, when her family moved to Rochester, New York. In 1934 Jackson ... Read more

Shirley Jackson Biographies (5)

Shirley Ann Jackson

955 words, approx. 4 pages

Shirley Ann Jackson (born 1946), a theoretical physicist, was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. at MIT. In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed her as chairwoman of the Nuclear Regula... Read more

Shirley Ann Jackson

4,819 words, approx. 17 pages

Biography EssayShirley Jackson's name is most often associated in readers' minds with the haunting short story "The Lottery," which was originally published in 1948 and has since become a frequently a... Read more

Shirley Jackson

3,616 words, approx. 13 pages

Despite a long writing career that included best-selling novels, plays, children's books, and humorous sketches, Shirley Jackson was best known to most readers as the author of "The Lottery," a chilli... Read more

Shirley Jackson

4,472 words, approx. 15 pages

Shirley Jackson's name is most often associated in readers' minds with the haunting short story "The Lottery," which was originally published in 1948 and has since become a frequently anthologized Ame... Read more

Shirley Jackson

7,471 words, approx. 25 pages

Shirley Jackson is most often associated with the chilling short story "The Lottery". First published in The New Yorker in 1948, it immediately met with an unprecedented public reaction, generating a ... Read more

Essays & Analysis (51)

Lecture by Shirley Jackson

5,462 words, approx. 19 pages

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Critical Essay by Helen E. Nebeker

3,251 words, approx. 11 pages

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Critical Essay by Lenemaja Friedman

1,983 words, approx. 7 pages

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Critical Essay by Peter Kosenko

5,265 words, approx. 18 pages

9,311 words, approx. 32 pages

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Critical Essay by A. R. Coulthard

1,209 words, approx. 5 pages

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Critical Essay by Nathan Cervo

1,164 words, approx. 4 pages

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Critical Essay by Joan Wylie Hall

27,699 words, approx. 93 pages

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Critical Essay by Jay A. Yarmove

1,772 words, approx. 6 pages

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Critical Essay by Robert B. Heilman

895 words, approx. 3 pages

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Critical Review by Seymour Lainhoff

556 words, approx. 2 pages

2,207 words, approx. 8 pages

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Critical Essay by Shirley Jackson

1,641 words, approx. 6 pages

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Critical Essay by Helen E. Nebeker

2,873 words, approx. 10 pages

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Critical Essay by Lenemaja Friedman

1,943 words, approx. 7 pages

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Critical Essay by Barbara Allen

2,470 words, approx. 9 pages

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Critical Essay by James M. Gibson

1,684 words, approx. 6 pages

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The Lottery

985 words, approx. 4 pages

"The Lottery" In "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson presents us with a shocking story guaranteed to outrage the reader. The author brings together the residents of a small village as they are gather... Read more

Sacrifices in "The Lottery"

345 words, approx. 2 pages

When most people reach the end of "The Lottery" they are abhorred and greatly disturbed. However, sacrifice has always been a part of the human race. All throughout history and society, there are exam... Read more

The Day of Doom

553 words, approx. 2 pages

The people of the village gathered every year on June 27th whether they wanted to or not, to watch and participate in the sacrifice of human life. In the short story "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson w... Read more

The Lotter Vs Mending the Wall

575 words, approx. 2 pages

A ritual is something done out of habit or for tradition. Many times the reason is forgotten. When something is done as a ritual, and the meaning is lost, it no longer has grounding in reality and ... Read more

When Rituals Lose Their Meaning

282 words, approx. 1 pages

When rituals lose their meaning people continue to perform them to keep the tradition going. A ritual is a detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed. In "The Lottery" the ritu... Read more

The Lottery

548 words, approx. 2 pages

"The Lottery" is a short story that shows just how disturbing the human mind can be at times. As the story proceeds it builds the reader up till the end where what you thought was going to happen did ... Read more

The Lottery

950 words, approx. 4 pages

Analyzing history and the current state of society and its members has always been a popular topic for authors and artists. Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a comparison that can be applied to var... Read more

Expectations and Limitations: "The Lottery" in a Feminist Perspective

1,158 words, approx. 4 pages

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is an allegorical depiction of society's flaws and cruel principles and the effects they have on its citizens and more specifically, its women. The literal lev... Read more

Narrator Unreliability in "The Lottery"

771 words, approx. 3 pages

? "Who's got it"? "Is it the Dunsbars"? "Is it the Watsons"? ? The crowd was screaming. Who has what? What could be so important? Was it a new car? Money? Gold? No. The greatest prize was DEATH! Onl... Read more

Our Limits Transgressed: the Role of Tradition

829 words, approx. 3 pages

Today, we pride ourselves as being a fair and just society. We take advantage of the liberties and freedoms given to us each day. The traditions that lie in our cultures, beliefs and customs, provi... Read more

Traditions in "The Lottery"

837 words, approx. 3 pages

Thesis: After a long period of time passes people forget the true meaning of their traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass. I. The first part of the traditional ritual that is changed i... Read more

The Good Ol' Days

938 words, approx. 4 pages

Jackson uses her characters to compare old traditions and the new ideas. She accomplishes this with the development of characters such as Old Man Warner, Tessie Hutchinson, and the town children. J... Read more

Traditions in "The Lottery"

654 words, approx. 3 pages

Shirley Jackson's story, The Lottery is about a group of towns people who meet every year on the 27th of June. On this day a stoning takes place, as it washes away the sins of everyone that live... Read more

Names in "The Lottery"

664 words, approx. 3 pages

Graves, Summers, Delacroix - do you suspect anything when you hear these names? This essay will analyze the characters and their names in the story "The Lottery." The names Mr. Graves, Mr. Summers, an... Read more

The Lottery, A Summary of the Short Story

365 words, approx. 2 pages

The Lottery The short story "The Lottery" was about a ritual in a small town that involved human sacrifice in order to pray for rain. Even though that superstition was fiction, everyone observes cer... Read more

Analysis of Narrative Perspective in "the Lottery"

611 words, approx. 3 pages

"The Lottery" utilizes an objective third-person perspective to create suspense and foreshadow the ending. It begins by introducing a village and its people on a "clear and sunny" morning, "with the ... Read more

The Lottery

554 words, approx. 2 pages

Shirley Jackson is responsible for writing "The Lottery" in 1948. By pursuing a sense of horror Jackson has made an unforgettable impression on both critics and general public. To do so Shirley used n... Read more

The Lottery, An Analysis

601 words, approx. 3 pages

In "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, there are a series of traditions the story revolves around. The characters in the story don't seem to follow their traditions anymore. The story begins by explain... Read more

The Lottery, a Summary

761 words, approx. 3 pages

The orderly plot structure allows readers to experience the story as if they were witnessing actual events. The unsettling familiarity of these events suggests to readers that their community, too,... Read more

Symbolism in "The Lottery"

612 words, approx. 3 pages

Throughout the story "Lottery", by Shirley Jackson, there are many references to symbols. The Author usually uses symbols to reveal deeper meaning of the story or a particular event. From the story "L... Read more

Blind Obedience in the Lottery and the Wave

799 words, approx. 3 pages

Shirley Jackson's short story, " The Lottery," is about a small rural village that conducts an annual drawing to determine who will be sacrificed to ensure plentiful crops. The video " The wave," is ... Read more

The Lottery, an Analysis

1,248 words, approx. 5 pages

When Shirley Jackson published "The Lottery" in 1948, the general public was stunned to read a story about such a brutal ritual set in modern day. It especially caught readers off guard because it w... Read more

Reader Response of the Lottery

373 words, approx. 2 pages

This story represents the dark side of Humanity. According to the title, one would think that he has a good idea of what the story is about; that it was a social function that would benefit the people... Read more

Simplification by Way of Symbolism: Making Life Easier with "the Lottery"

1,571 words, approx. 6 pages

For the short story author, symbolism is a tool to simplify life's complexities. In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, symbolism permeates the plot. Jackson introduces the reader to a seemingly pristine ... Read more

Book Review of "The Lottery"

642 words, approx. 3 pages

Shirley Jackson, the author, begins with a public gathering on a fine day. All the villagers gather in the square, waiting to draw their annual lots. I have been puzzled since the very beginning. Why ... Read more

Slaves to Tradition

688 words, approx. 3 pages

Many cultures practice many types of rituals that may seem odd and extreme to one who isn't familiar with their traditions. In places such as America, we have the freedom to celebrate and practice tr... Read more

Comparative Study of "The Guest" and "The Lottery"

1,623 words, approx. 6 pages

Two great works known for irony, in one a great author, Albert Camus, creates a masterpiece and in the other, a masterpiece creates a great author, Shirley Jackson. Camus had been known to the worl... Read more

Notice! Pain Is around

669 words, approx. 3 pages

The quote by Mark Twain, "Our conscience takes no notice...until his sufferings make us uncomfortable," seems to relate to "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson. Mark Twain's quote connects to "The Lotter... Read more

Depiction of Violence in the Lottery

703 words, approx. 3 pages

Through depictions of the nervousness of the adults and the children as well as her descriptions of the object associated with the lottery, Shirley Jackson, in her short story, suggest the violence th... Read more

Critical Analysis of "the Lottery"

3,093 words, approx. 11 pages

Critical Analysis of "The Lottery" In the short story "The Lottery," author Shirley Jackson creates a very shocking and horrifying situation through the use of characterization, setting, and the the... Read more

Two Sides of Tradition in "Everyday Use" and "The Lottery"

282 words, approx. 1 pages

The theme of "Everyday Use", written by Alice Walker, is the fact that selfish people don't understand the true value of heritage. Alice Walker establishes this theme through the first person poi... Read more

"The Lottery": Making a Change

407 words, approx. 2 pages

Making a Change An essential part of being a successful person or creating a prosperous civilization is the ability to make changes based on the state of affairs and being able to adapt to ... Read more

"The Lottery" and the Dangers of Extreme Majority Rule

1,007 words, approx. 4 pages

In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, a story of tradition and herd mentality pushed to the extreme, we are reminded of how in our society we too often walk blindly with the majority. It has been proved i... Read more

Plot Summary of "The Lottery"

446 words, approx. 2 pages

In her short story "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson reveals a dark look into society that lampoons traditions, families, and the cruelty that humans can reveal towards each other. I feel that Jackson's... Read more

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