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A short summary of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Lottery.
- Shirley Jackson and “The Lottery” Background
Shirley Jackson was born in 1916 in San Francisco,...
- Flashcards
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- Setting
A summary of Section 1 in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery....
- Symbols
The Lottery. The lottery represents any action, behavior, or...
- Important Quotes Explained
This quotation, from the fifth paragraph of the story,...
- Foreshadowing
A summary of Section 2 in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery....
- Motifs
The lottery is rife with rules that are arbitrarily followed...
- Tessie Hutchinson
When Tessie Hutchinson arrives late to the lottery,...
- Shirley Jackson and “The Lottery” Background
‘The Lottery’: plot summary. The story takes place one morning between ten o’clock and noon on 27 June, in a village somewhere in (presumably) the USA. The year is not stated. The three hundred villagers are gathering to undertake the annual ritual of the lottery, which is always drawn on this date every year.
What makes Jackson’s narrative unique is that the central conflict remains unresolved at the end. As the protagonist, Tessie is unable to effectively challenge the group mindset and the persistence of the tradition that ultimately kills her.
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From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes The Lottery Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
Key plot elements include the exposition of a sunny day, rising action with the lottery drawing, climax with the Hutchinson family's selection, and resolution with Tessie's death. Internal...
It is June 27th, and a beautiful summer morning, and villagers begin to gather in their town square (the town is unnamed) for the annual “lottery.” This village has only three hundred people, and so the lottery can be completed easily in a single day, and leave time for noon dinner.
