What events inspired The Lottery?
Among the other historical events to which Shirley Jackson may be alluding are the Salem, Massachusetts, witch trials of the 1690s and the Spanish Inquisition, which was at its peak in the period between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries.
What is the historical context of The Lottery?
“The Lottery” was published in 1948, shortly after the end of World War n, but Jackson set the story in an indeterminate time and place. Many critics, however, have maintained that Jackson modeled the village after North Bennington, Vermont, where she and her husband lived after their marriage in 1940.
What major world event took place prior to the story The Lottery?
“The Lottery” appeared in print just after World War II, a time during which the United States began instituting the Selective Service…
What was the original reason for The Lottery?
What do people believe about it? The original purpose of the lottery seems to have been some twisted sort of rain dance ritual. As Old Man Warner explains, the old saying used to exclaim, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (line 122).
Why Shirley Jackson wrote The Lottery?
Shirley Jackson’s purpose in writing “The Lottery” was to show ordinary people in small-town America committing an evil act without any malevolent motive, or even any motive at all. … Jackson gives a plausible account of how such events might have occurred.
How does the the lottery point to the historical narrative of its time?
It is also the only logical point of view for the story because the narrator is meant to be a part of the story as a witness, and so shares the pathos of the community: That it is numbed to death, and to the atrocious practice of the lottery.
What is the history of the lottery in the village?
Which statement best describes the history of the lottery in the village? It is a ritual unchanged since its beginnings. It is a tradition as old as the village itself. It is a recent plan to raise money for the village.
What is the main point of the Lottery by Shirley Jackson?
The main point in “The Lottery” concerns the nature of tradition and how it affects generations of people. Since the titular Lottery has always been practiced, the townsfolk seem to consider it just a part of life, and expected instead of rationally considered.
What is the time period of the lottery?
A short story set in Vermont during the 1940s; published in 1948. Members of a small town gather for the annual lottery, which seems like a festive event but is not. Its true purpose is revealed when Tessie Hurchinson draws the “winning” slip, and is stoned to death by her townspeople.
How do you know the story takes place in modern times the lottery?
The story takes place in a small village with a population around 300 people. The setting effects the story because the lottery and stoning will be quick. … The ways that the characters differentiated is some wish to see someone die and others do not believe in the lottery.
How does the lottery by Shirley Jackson relate to World War 2?
Following World War II, the general public wanted to leave behind the horrors of war and genocide. They craved comfort, normalcy, and old-fashioned values. Jackson’s story was a cutting commentary on the dangers of blind obedience to tradition, and she threw it, like a grenade, into a complacent post-war society.