Essay about Allegory and Satire in The Lottery, by Shirley...

Originally printed in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker, Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† brought about controversy from the beginning. Magazine subscriptions were immediately canceled due to the outrage at the brutal underlying message. Mrs. Jackson tore down virtually every institution that American Citizens hold dear to their hearts. Jackson believes we should not just blindly follow authority or blindly partake in any traditions that we may not understand to the full extent. â€Å"Any human institution which is allowed to continue unchallenged and unconsidered until it becomes a destructive, rather than a constructive, force in mens lives†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The Lottery† explicates this in a manner in which you must know the underlying message to†¦show more content†¦This all symbolizes Christianity upholding the traditions that we blindly follow unquestioningly. In â€Å"The Lottery† the tradition that the citizens blindly follow is one of collective violence, therefore Jackson, in a roundabout manner, ties Christianity not only to the blindly held traditions, she also hints that The Christian Faith has led people to do cruel violent things, aligning Christianity with evil. Jackson attempts to show that no matter what you claim to be if your acts are contrary to the beliefs you claim to up hold, your innermost goals will be seen. Nazi Germany claimed to be Christian, yet they committed terrible crimes and horrific acts of murder. Some critics believe that Jackson wrote to allegorize this; she alluded to it yes, as an example but not as a main subject. Jackson further ties her story to Christianity through the use of stones as the murder weapons. Stoning first appeared in Biblical Days. Christians are not the only culprits that used this method of execution though, â€Å"stoning comes up specifically in the religious texts of all three of the Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.†(Shm oop Editorial Team) This method of execution is one of collective violence it is not limited to one or two executioners, in â€Å"The Lottery† the entire town joins in on the violence, even the children participate. This inclusion of every person teaches the children asShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson2214 Words   |  9 PagesWorld War, Shirley Jackson’s life was filled with graphic imagery of the violence existing throughout her world. Jackson’s husband Stanley Edgar Hyman wrote, â€Å"[Shirley’s] fierce visions of dissociations and madness, of alienation and withdrawal, of cruelty and terror, have been taken to be personal, even neurotic fantasies. Quite the reverse: They are a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the bomb† (â€Å"‘The Lottery’† 144)Read MoreThe Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay example2088 Words   |   9 Pagesimagery of the violence existing throughout her world filled the life of Shirley Jackson. Jackson’s husband Stanley Edgar Hyman wrote, â€Å"[Shirley’s] fierce visions of dissociations and madness, of alienation and withdrawal, of cruelty and terror, have been taken to be personal, even neurotic fantasies. After two rounds of drawing, one to choose the family, and one to choose the member of that family, Tessie Hutchinson â€Å"wins† the lottery. She is then stoned to death by the rest of the people of the townRead MoreEssay about The Life and Literary Works of Shirley Jackson4264 Words   |  18 PagesShirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. Her surroundings were comfortable and friendly. Two years after Shirley was born, her family with her newborn brother moved from San Francisco to Burlingame, California, about thirty miles away. According to her mother, Shirley began to compose verse almost as soon as s he could write it (Friedman, 18). As a child, Shirley was interested in sports and literature. In 1930, a year before she attended Burlingame High SchoolRead MoreUtopia and Dystopia in Harrison Bergeron and The Lottery Essay examples1345 Words   |  6 Pagesexploits into an exaggerated worst-case scenario. The short stories, Harrison Bergeron, and The Lottery, are both literary examples imparted around a utopian society. Harrison Bergeron, was written by Kurt Vonnegut in 1961. This story elucidates a dystopian society that is derived of its individuality and is expected to conform to authorities. The Lottery, is a short story written by Shirley Jackson that was published in June, 1948 and exerts a story that an impelling outlook on a seamlessly