Discussion: The Lottery

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Discussion: The Lottery
14
Sat, 02-16-2002 - 4:55pm

Discussion: The Lottery


Setting:

Why do you think Jackson chose typical small town America as the setting for this story?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 02-16-2002 - 11:05pm

Good question. Here's my thoughts (m)


Our minds tell us that this type of behavior would NOT be accepted in a small town but the opposite is true. Small towns tend to hide their faults. Although most probably questioned or thought it was wrong, no one spoke against it. Even when Tessie Hutchinson spoke out, she protested that Bill wasn’t given enough time to select a paper and not that “the lottery” was wrong.

Also by choosing a small town it makes the story more horrific. It is easier to believe strangers could stone others to death. I’d say most of the victims of homicide are strangers, but when you have folks--especially children--carrying out such acts, the impact is much greater. For many, they’d sat across from one another in church every week. It’s eerie to think a child could grow up learning its acceptable behavior.

What I can’t understand is why they did it. How did “the lottery” benefit the community? Did I miss something?

Mac

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Sun, 02-17-2002 - 1:00am

Symbolism


I agree, the small town setting makes the message all the more disturbing.

Why did they do it?

For control. The lottery was held every year to keep villagers from rebelling against its established social order. It instilled a fear in them that they they might be picked in the lottery if they questioned the village's social order.

They used the the lottery to handle the villagers' frustration with the social order and turn it into anger that is redirected at the victims of the social order.

How did it benefit the community?

The lottery benefited the community in that it kept everyone in line and allowed the village (or capitalism) to go on as usual.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Sun, 02-17-2002 - 1:10am

Main Character


Why do you think Jackson chose Tessie as the victim?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 02-17-2002 - 2:41pm

Was it because (m)


the women had no right or weren’t capable (give me break!!! We’ve come a lonnnnnnnnnnnng way ladies) of deciding their family's fate? Like the men keeping their own families in line like the lottery kept the town in line. I noticed how the women weren't allowed to draw in their husband's absence. Summers made a point of telling the Watson boy he was, “Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it.”

Mac

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Sun, 02-17-2002 - 3:28pm

I Agree. That's My Thought Too (m)


If Jackson was going to write about capitalism and social order a woman would have to be the victim. Lowest rung on the class ladder.

Wonder how the story would have changed or would it have been as effective if she had told the story through someone else's POV? Bill's? A Kid's? Mr. Summers? etc...

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 02-18-2002 - 10:41pm

I don't it would have!!! (nt)


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 02-18-2002 - 10:51pm

Did anyone notice (m)


how many modifying adverbs that Jackson used? I lost count around 37!!! But on a serious note, why is it that we’re told not to do this but I see it happen so often in great stories like this?

Mac

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Tue, 02-19-2002 - 3:06am

Rules (m)


That's why my response to one of the recent Friday 5 questions was learn the rules before you break them. It's ok to break the rules as long as you know what you're doing and you have a legitimate purpose for breaking them.

Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
Tue, 02-19-2002 - 12:03pm

How can we tell if Jackson...


had a legitimate reason for breaking the rules? How do we know that Jackson knew the rules beforehand?

Why did Jackson break this rule instead of others?

Eyewrite

Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
Tue, 02-19-2002 - 12:39pm

Perhaps because (the small town question)...


It's just more alarming for something evil or sinister to happen in a small town. It's easy to belive that utter nastiness lives in the big city where everyone is anonymous and criminals can get away with stealing because nobody remembers what they looked like or which way they went. In a small town, it's like that exercise someone posted about the gossip where someone stole the town bank (it was a portable trailer) - "Can you describe the guy behind the wheel of the pickup?" - "Ya, it was Dick from the bakery." Lol! No place to hide!

Anyhow, just my thought. Eyewrite

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