Conflict Faced in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"I feel that Shirley Jackson uses a simple story to explain how people in our society face conflict with society and with fate. Shirley Jackson was a good and very successful writer during her time. She wrote many children's books, novels, and short stories. In this paper I am going to analyze the conflict that is faced between the protagonist and society, and the conflict that the protagonist faces with fate.Biography"The Lottery" is a short story written by Shirley Jackson. Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 to Leslie and Geraldine Jackson (About). Two years after Shirley was born her family along with her newborn brother moved to Burlingame, California from San Francisco, about thirty miles away. As a child Shirley was interested in both sports and literature. In 1934 she entered the liberal arts program at the University of Rochester. After periods of being unhappy she withdrew from the university, and began writing for a year. In 1937 Jackson decided to go back to school and she enter Syracuse University.After graduating from Syracuse in 1940, Shirley married Stanley Edgar Hyman. While raising four kids Shirley still found time to write and in 1948 came her biggest success; "The Lottery" was published and it brought her fame and abuse at the same time. In 1948 Shirley and her family moved to Connecticut. While continuing to write Shirley began to suffer from anxiety attacks. "On the afternoon of August 8, 1965, Shirley Jackson went upstairs to take her usual nap. However, this time, Jackson did not awake."(Friedman 40).Historical SignificanceI believe that by using the lottery in this short story the author is showing a form of killing. Like the holocaust the Jews and the other people that the Germans killed were killed against their will and for no reason. In "The Lottery" the townspeople are killed against their will and for no reason. In the story Mr. Summers is like the German doctors in the holocaust because they had the power of life and death, and that is what he has in the power of the black box.SynopsisIn a little village the villagers gather together in the central square for the annual lottery. There is a lot excitement and interest as the rituals of the event proceed. The familiar discussion of current and everyday happenings in village life is intermingled with conversations on the traditional and modern ways of holding the lottery. There are also remarks on how other towns in the area have stopped holding a lottery. There are mixed emotions on how other towns have stopped holding the lottery. The lottery finally begins, with the much-anticipated fear that it presents to the towns people. Finally a winning family is chosen by ballot, and from that family a winning member--Mrs. Hutchinson. The villagers, including her family members, then start the ritual of stoning the winner, which is Mrs. Hutchinson.AnalysisShirley Jackson uses the lottery very well to explain the two...
