THE LOTTERY INTERPRETATION

After analyzing each element of the story, I finally decide that the theme of the story is a modern idea cannot change the old ideal tradition in a society easily. Jackson delivers her story allegorically and ironically, which provides many symbols. The lottery itself is a kind of religious ritual based on carrying out an act which will please the Gods so that the agricultural year will be fruitful, “…lottery in June, harvest will be heavy soon…” The townspeople in this story represents the puritan people, and the lottery itself symbolizes the ritual in their belief which is has to be done each year. And they don’t stop because they believe that if they stop the ritual, they would have a misery or such kind of curse and they wouldn’t get God’s blessings, mercy and grace. The heavy harvest symbolizes the mercy and God’s blessing. It is illustrated in the paragraph 33:

“Some places have already quit lotteries,” Mrs. Adams said.

“Nothing but trouble in that,” Old Man Warner said stoutly. “Pack of young fools.””

Jackson describes the story in a simple plot and style to make the readers able to understand easily, but actually she does not serve the story as it appears to be. In other words, Jackson simply satirizes the old doctrines of Puritan, in which cannot accept a new idea (understanding) in their community. And whoever tries to build up this new idea, she or he is considered as a sinner and has to be punished. This is described in the whole story, which is characterized by Tessie Hutchinson, who is allusion to Anne Hutchinson, a woman who believes in the rights of the individual to freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom to worship. She was such a woman who insists to betray the ideals or ethics in her community, no matter what the cost is. For her, it must have been hard living under Puritan doctrines in the newly established American colonies, especially if we were a woman, in our history; women weren't even allowed to think for themselves. This part is shown in the whole story that symbolizes Tessie’s trial. At that time, women are not allowed to be the leader or even have the idea of doctrine. Tessie actually is not trying to break the doctrine or even having her own ideas, but she is trying to show the right of human freedom. She just tries to deny the system, which represents the lottery process. This part is illustrated in story when Tessie came late to attend the ritual in the yard.

“Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place in the back of the crowd. “Clean forgot what day it was,” she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly. “Thought my old man was out back stacking wood,” Mrs. Hutchinson went on, “and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running.”

And yet, although Tessie has a strong reason to state that the lottery is unfair, no one tries to protect her. However, she still has the chance to pick up the folded paper in a black box, which the papers inside represent the whole people in the community and the black box symbolizes the Puritan community. Finally she got the lottery, meaning she got the black spotted paper, which describes the way they curse or punish the sinner by stoning her to death together.

““It’s Tessie,” Mr. Summers said, and his voice was hushed. “Show us her paper, Bill.”

Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand. It had a black spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before with the heavy pencil in the coal company office.”

The one who gets the lottery, normally we will say someone "wins" a lottery, but that word is never used in the story, because it is not about winning something or gaining something but deeper than that, it refers to the stoning action.

Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. “It isn’t fair,” she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, “Come on, come on, everyone.” Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves beside him.

“It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.

The story actually illustrates our simple everyday life. As a human being we need someone to be blame of or to be responsible of something. We always try to avoid the truth although the truth is hard to be accepted. We keep on doing things which we know are wrong and we try to find another person to take over our responsibility. No matter how the way or how much the cost is, we will always try to appear in a society innocently, in order to be accepted among them, so we have to act just like they act, otherwise we will be excommunicated by them. Just like Anne, although she did not sentenced to death by the community, but still she has been excommunicated by the Puritan people just because she went against the teachings of the church by holding her own idea and stand on it by her own. Although she provided useful Bible-study classes for women and later for men, she is still a woman, who should act like a woman.

After interpreting the story, finally most of the whole elements of the story are developed. But the most highly developed is the plot and the style, which play the main role to create the irony in the story and to build the sense of suspense to the readers in order to make it as an interesting stuff to be read. And the least developed one is the setting. Although the setting actually has its own role and it also contributes the story to be ironic, but its role contributing the story is very weak. The readers seem to be brought to the same place and the same time plainly. From the beginning until the end of the story, it does not raise or even develop.

THE LOTTERY INTRINSICS VALUES

a. Point of view

Point of view is perspective of the controlling narrative voice. This story is told by an objective point of view. The author is like a movie camera that moves around freely recording events. However, the author offers no comments on the characters or their actions. Readers are not told the thoughts or feelings of the characters. However, this point of view contributes the plot’s and character’s development; it provides the story to be ironic. The readers are brought to follow the narrator’s exposition, let them judging the story by themselves and at last create a surprising ending, in which after reading the whole story the readers will turn back to the first paragraph and realizing that the beginning of the story is full of suspense sense.

b. Characters and Characterization

Character is a creation and representation of fictional persons and entities, the characters in this story symbolize others quality. They are as follow:

* Tessie Hutchinson is a protagonist character who is sentenced to death by the community. Tessie in this story refers to Anne Hutchinson.

* Mr. Joe Summers, the official of the lottery mirrors to John Winthrop, a governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony and a leader of an English Puritan to the New World, he was a respected political figure, he was criticized for his obstinacy regarding the formation of a general assembly in 1643. He is the one who judged Anne Hutchinson among community. The name itself represents a new time, a fresh start or a change. He tries to renew the paraphernalia -the device or equipment needed to do the lottery- but his intention is refused by the society. They agree to use the black box instead of the paraphernalia.

* Mr. Graves refers to John Eliot, a Puritan Missionary, who participated in the examination, excommunication and exile of Anne Hutchinson, whose opinions he condemned. Grave itself symbolizes death.

* Mr. Steve Adam in this story refers to a perfect model of mankind in all their generations. (According to John Winthrop’s sermon page 41-42) We can see it from the paragraph 21, when he gets his turn to draw the lottery first, and also from the last paragraph, when he, “… was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves besides him.”

* Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, represents the one who always tries to warn the people not to drop down the ritual or their old tradition. Because he is as a Warner, although he has followed the lottery seventy times, he never gets his turn to be stoned to death.

All characters in the story represent their role in a society at that time and contribute the story to support other elements creating the irony.

a. Plot (a series of events or happenings that organize a text)

Exposition

The second and the third paragraph foreshadow the story on how the story will be ended. The second paragraph describes about the action of the children collecting stones. It shows just like all the children’s ativity is an ordinary thing of ‘collecting stones’,

“… Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones…eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square…”

As a matter of facts this part contributes the story creating the irony and giving certain description about the ending to the story that the people will use the stones to bring Tessie to death. The third paragraph also describes about the gathering villagers, standing together in the square, “Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children…soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call their children…” this part foreshadows the story on the way the ritual will be done. Until then we find that the ritual is has to be done by hitting the stones together against the one who got the lottery. Another foreshadow also appears in the ninth paragraph, “…She tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a farewell and began to make her way to the crowd…” shows that Mrs. Tessie is going to die and she still holds her belief strongly.

Rising action, climax, anticlimax and resolution

The rising action is showed by the conflict’s appearance. It is described when the lottery starts and the people are going to draw the lottery one by one in turn – represents by their heads of the family and when the lottery is chosen by Hutchinson’s family. Tessie as Bill’s wife feels that the way her family is being chosen is unfair. She tries to deny it by saying that Mr. Summers did not give Bill time enough to choose,

“I think we ought to start over…I tell you it wasn’t fair. You didn’t give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that.”

But still, the Hutchinson’s family members have to take their turn taking the lottery one by one. Finally the climax happens when the lottery is brought up to Tessie,

“”It’s Tessie…,” Mr. Summers said, and his voice was hushed. “Show us her paper, Bill.” Bill Hutchinson went over his wife and forced the slip paper out of her hand. It had a black spot on it…”

The anticlimax of the story occurs when finally Mr. Summers commands to the entire of the townspeople to begin the ritual, “”All right, folks.” Mr. Summers said. “Let’s finish quickly.””

The resolution of the story is served in the last paragraph, when Tessie still feels that the chosen of her is unfair. She keeps denying by stating that this is unfair, ““It isn’t fair, it isn’t fair,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.”

The whole plot of the story plays the most important to contribute the story to be ironic.

SSetting (atmosphere, historical period, physical setting, or mood of text)

This story takes place in the morning of June 27^th. Jackson describes the story beautifully as it is stated in the first paragraph,

“…clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green…”

This part seems to be a beautiful day, but supporting by other elements finally we found that there is a horrible religious ritual held in the middle of the beautiful square.

Atmosphere or mood is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. Elements that can influence the mood of a work include setting, tone and events. Jackson creates the atmosphere at first peacefully and cheerfully, serves the readers to sense happiness. But then it creates a question that there must be something wrong in the people’s smiling, “…and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed…” the atmosphere also contributes the story to be ironic, when it is stated that everybody seems to be happy but as a matter of fact they tries to hide their nervousness. And still we can feel their anxiety,

“…and they both laughed softly.”, “…and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position after Mrs. Hutchinson’s arrival.”, “…They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously…”, “After that, there was a long pause, a breathless pause, until Mr. Summers holding his slip of paper in the air…”

At the end of story finally we found that the cheerfulness, the smiling and the laughing of the people is just another evasion of hiding and avoiding their suspense, fear, anxiety and nervousness. They keep pretending not to be worried about who will get the lottery, or in another word, who will be stoned next.

e. Style (a writer’s typical way of writing. Style includes word choice, tone, degree of formality, figurative language)

Jackson’s writing style is a type of horror and it also keeps the readers in suspense from the very beginning of the story until the end. Jackson applies her simple language, terms, word choice, and tone in her story to reunite the whole elements to create the irony. So the style in this story is served ironically, the readers might think that a lottery is such kind of an activity in which whoever will get it, she or he will afford presents or gifts. And yet this is true, from the beginning the story describes about the process of the lottery and finally comes to the one who gets the lottery. In this section is Tessie Hutchinson, she accepts her present, but the present is a sentence to death by the society.

. Figures of speech (various expressive devices used in lieu of plain prose for vivid depiction)

Allegory --parallel story with underlying moral or message

Symbolism --using inanimate or imagined things to stand for real situations

Jackson serves this story allegorically, in which the story itself refers to another story. It is like a metaphor in that one thing (usually nonrational, nonconcrete, abstract, or religious) is simplicity spoken on its terms of something that is concrete and usually sensuous, but the comparison in allegory is extended to include a whole work or a large portion of a work and is usually part of a whole system of equivalencies.

Simply literally, the lottery may be considered a symbolic story. It stands for – New England Puritanism or Original Sin. Although it is talking about a woman named Tessie Hutchinson, if we want to look closer, Jackson actually provides this story refers to a woman named Anne Hutchinson, who was struggled to change the old Puritan teachings by her own idea. Although there were some men and women follow her, as a matter of fact she could not able to fight against the society’s law.

THE LOTTERY SUMMARY by: SHIRLEY JACKSON

This story is talking about a lottery which happens in a certain village in the clear and sunny morning of June 27^th. This is always been done each year in 27^th of June. The lottery or actually it describes a ritual of stoning to the one who is being chosen by the slip of paper. The papers themselves are being made and prepared by the official of the lottery, who is called as Mr. Summers. He put a black spot of pencil on one of them. The one who gets the paper with a black spot on it, then she or he is considered as the next victim to be stoned to death by the whole community in that village.

This kind of ritual has been being believed by the whole society, because if they give up from doing this then they won’t be able to get a heavy harvest time. So there must be someone to be sacrificed for the sake of a good harvest’s result.

The lottery system is to take a folded paper inside a black box by every heads of families. They should not open the slip of the paper until it is being told so. Until then, the one of the heads of families who gets the paper with a black spot on it will take a turn of choosing a lottery again but this time is with the whole of the family members. The victim in this story is characterized by a woman named Tessie Hutchinson, who is coming late to the ritual. She comes right after the official of the lottery begins to start the lottery.

Bill Hutchinson comes first with the black spotted paper, and then followed by the whole family to take their turns one by one. Finally the black spotted paper is taken by Tessie Hutchinson. She tries to runaway with the reason that the choosing lottery has been done unfairly. But still, the whole society keeps on moving towards her and throws the stones and pebbles, which are being collected and prepared by the children right before the ritual is begun.