Alexandria Davis
Comp 2
The Lottery
10/23/2014
Tessie's Experience
Things happen in our lives for a reason. We can either learn from them or let them break us. Shirley Jackson was a well-known short story writer who also wrote many novels such as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle as well as the witty, embellished memoir Life Among the Savages, about her domestic experiences. Often relying on supernatural themes, she was known for tackling provocative, chilling subject matter that was culturally incisive and held metaphors for how people dealt with difference. She was married to critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, with the couple having four children ("Shirley Hardie Jackson"). She was best known for her short story "The Lottery" which is still very popular today.
"The Lottery" is about a drawing that a small town does every year. This drawing is very nerve-wracking because the person who is selected will be killed.
The families of the ones who were selected were affected by the drawing negatively. Overall, I think the drawing had a very negative impact on Tessie, because she was the one that got chosen during the drawing. She was calm at first, but as the story goes on, she becomes very sad, angry, nervous, and frantic after she finds out she was chosen.
At the beginning of the story, Tessie seems very carefree about the drawing, and she even shows up late. She did not seem nervous about the drawing at all. When she arrives, Mr. Summer says that they almost had to start without her since the story says, 'Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, "Wouldn't have me leave m' dishes in the sink, now would you Joe?' and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position after...