Introduction
Among the most renowned short stories in the nation is Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. The narrative follows the residents of an unnamed village on the morning of June 27th as they participate in the annual lottery. The story’s beginning implies a somewhat positive feeling of anticipating an affair that will prize someone for winning the event (Jackson 222). Nonetheless, the readers later learn that the reward presented by this occasion is being stoned by one’s neighbors (Jackson 230). The Lottery has received substantial literary criticism, and a more agreeable position is proposing that the narrative is ambiguous.
Open Interpretation
One point of view that experts analyzing The Lottery present is that rather than having a single obvious meaning, the story is quite open to interpretation. For example, Hakaraia claims that The Lottery is intentionally vague since Shirley Jackson meant to criticize political, economic, and religious practices (2). Hakaraia states that these elements are the most critical societal structures symbolized by the three-legged stool on which the lottery box is placed (2).
The article’s author suggests that Jackson has purposefully offered alternative readings that depend on a person’s outlook to demonstrate that all systems have been corrupted (Hakaraia 10). For instance, rather than connecting the lottery to a particular faith, the narrative alludes that all theology has been polluted by the leaders’ selfish pursuits (Hakaraia 9). Accordingly, one position regarding The Lottery is that it is deliberately ambiguous to present the flaws in different aspects of society.
Ideological Interpretation
Another viewpoint about The Lottery is that the story communicates covert ideologies that should be disclosed. Paramitha claims that the narrative carries hidden ideological interpretation, which has caused perplexity and outrage among the readers upon the initial publication (112). In particular, Paramitha argues that The Lottery depicts social domination and marginalization (115). The former aspect is portrayed through Mr. Summers, who stands in a higher position than other villagers and possesses social and economic capital (Paramitha 116).
The second element is depicted through the community being oppressed and unable to stop the compulsory tradition (Paramitha 117). The expert also states that marginalization and social domination cannot be overcome due to such characters as Old Man Warner, Mr. Graves, and Bill Hutchinson, as they reinforce rather than preclude the practice (Paramitha 119). Consequently, another stance on The Lottery is that it presents hidden ideologies.
Personal Opinion
Out of the two assessed articles, the one about ambiguity deserves closer attention and appears more agreeable. As noted above, Hakaraia’s main argument is that The Lottery is open to interpretation to condemn political, economic, and religious systems (2). It is reasonable to assume that the lottery could have originated from any of the three elements since “the villagers had forgotten the ritual” and only remembered using stones (Jackson 230). For example, the superstition about the practice leading to a better crop can be considered spiritual (Jackson 227).
However, the fact that every resident takes a slip of paper by chance and anyone can win the lottery has some political context, whether democratic or communistic (Hakaraia 11; Jackson 226). Moreover, evidence supports the idea that the writer denounces traditions that have been altered to impose fear (Hakaraia 11). First, it is mentioned that “so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded” (Jackson 223). Second, Tessie Hutchinson’s reaction demonstrates that winning the lottery is scary (Jackson 228). Therefore, the story can be understood in different ways to criticize society.
Conclusion
To conclude, literary analysts have examined the Lottery, and one can agree with the position suggesting that the story is ambiguous. In particular, the narrative does not explain how the lottery was started. Still, it portrays the practice as detrimental, making the audience ponder what aspect of society is reflected in the tradition. Overall, The Lottery is an interesting piece of literature that should be discussed more.
Works Cited
Hakaraia, Teresa. “Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery,’ and William Empson’s Seven Types of Ambiguity.” Humanities, vol. 8, no. 3, 2019, pp. 1-14.
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery and Other Stories. Farrar, Straus and Girou, 2005.
Paramitha, Novalita Pradnya. “Social Domination and Marginalization in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery: Critical Discourse Analysis and Appraisal Study.” Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, vol. 6, no. 1, 2021, pp. 111-124.