The Lottery

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson The idea of winning a lottery is associated with luck, happiness and anticipation of good things. In Shirley Jackson's story, " The Lottery", this is not the case. The irony of the story is that the winner of the lottery gets stoned to death by everyone else in the town. The story is very effective because it examines certain aspects of human nature. One aspect of human nature that is examined, …

…We empathize with her and her husband, and this adds to the effectiveness of the story. Shirley Jackson's story, " The Lottery", is effective because it examines certain aspects of human nature, and because the victim is one of the more developed characters and one with whom we can empathize. We feel shock and disgust at her death, but we are forced to look at ourselves and our society. We are forced to look for answers.