Several things in this story are ironic. First, the title itself is ironic. Usually when someone thinks of a lottery they think about money or other good prizes, not dying. Another ironic thing is that the village was in a great season. The day is described as "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming provusely and the grass was richly green." By that statement we can infer that the village was having a prosprous year. Usually when times are tough people seem to get mad and then maybe someone might die. It's hard to believe with everything going so well that they would want to kill someone. Lastly, Mrs. Hutchinson was so busy doing the dishes the morning of the lottery that she was a few minutes late to the lottery. Its ironic that she was more wo

By examining irony, symbolism, point of view, and theme one can gain a better understanding of "The Lottery." Looking back at the story one can see how very ironic the story is. It is such a shock to learn how this lottery is actually the killing of someone. This act is so horrifying yet no one seems to question why he or she is still participating. This shows us how strong our traditions can influence are decisions. The theme can relate to most of us, and how we accept what was taught to us.

The story is told in the omniscient point of view. Using a third person point of view is important in "The Lottery" so that the reader can read the story without personal feelings added. The narrator tells the story with no emotions or value judgments. Even though the narrator does not give an opinion he lets the reader hear characters in the story opinions', for example when Mr. Adams tells Old Man Warner "That over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery." The narrator lets the reader know that some people in the village think that maybe they should do away with the lottery without putting personal feelings in it. The story would also not be the same for instance if Mrs. Hutchinson was telling the story because then there would be

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lastly Hutchinson, Shirley Jackson, Lottery Looking, Obviously Warner, Lottery Lottery, black box, symbolism view theme, irony symbolism view, symbolism view, black box symbol, story ironic, june 27th, box tradition, people accept, doing lottery, personal feelings, box symbol, people village,
Approximate Word count = 850
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)