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A short summary of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Lottery.
- Themes
The overall peaceful mood of the village emerges right away...
- Context
Shirley Jackson was born in 1916 in San Francisco,...
- Character List
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- Symbols
A summary of Symbols in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery....
- Important Quotes Explained
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- Themes
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Published in the New Yorker in 1948 and collected in The Lottery and Other Stories, the story is about a village where an annual lottery is drawn. However, the fate of the person who draws the ‘winning’ slip is only revealed at the end of the story in a dark twist.
What makes Jackson’s narrative unique is that the central conflict remains unresolved at the end. As the protagonist, Tessie is unable to effectively challenge the group mindset and the persistence of the tradition that ultimately kills her.
The Lottery and Other Stories study guide contains a biography of author Shirley Jackson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Jackson's narrative forces readers to confront the capacity for cruelty and violence that lies within human nature. Through the shocking events of the lottery, the story serves as a stark reminder of the potential for darkness within seemingly ordinary individuals.
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Get all the key plot points of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes.