"'It isn't fair, it isn't right,' Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her," (Jackson, 271). Why does only one person, the scapegoat, find something wrong with stoning a person to death? Typically, we wander through life as followers, blindly following the traditions set out for us; this short story is a wake-up call to those sleep walking through the tedious routines of life. Irony is expressed throughout the passage, but especially at the end when Mrs. Hutchinson's little son is given a rock to throw at his mother. No one really wants to participate in the ritual, but cling so tightly to the idea of tradition that they will stone someone to death to fulfill their insecurity with change.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Lottery
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
"'It isn't fair, it isn't right,' Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her," (Jackson, 271). Why does only one person, the scapegoat, find something wrong with stoning a person to death? Typically, we wander through life as followers, blindly following the traditions set out for us; this short story is a wake-up call to those sleep walking through the tedious routines of life. Irony is expressed throughout the passage, but especially at the end when Mrs. Hutchinson's little son is given a rock to throw at his mother. No one really wants to participate in the ritual, but cling so tightly to the idea of tradition that they will stone someone to death to fulfill their insecurity with change.
"'It isn't fair, it isn't right,' Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her," (Jackson, 271). Why does only one person, the scapegoat, find something wrong with stoning a person to death? Typically, we wander through life as followers, blindly following the traditions set out for us; this short story is a wake-up call to those sleep walking through the tedious routines of life. Irony is expressed throughout the passage, but especially at the end when Mrs. Hutchinson's little son is given a rock to throw at his mother. No one really wants to participate in the ritual, but cling so tightly to the idea of tradition that they will stone someone to death to fulfill their insecurity with change.
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