Short stories are some of the literature read mostly by people because they are interesting and considered more educative to young and old generation (Gioia 7). Many scholars wrote short stories in the twentieth century, and one of them was Shirley Jackson, who wrote The Lottery. The Lottery is among the most favorite short stories in the History of American Literature. As narrated by Cummings (3) he explains that the function took place between 10 am and noon on June 27th in a small village with a population of only three hundred villagers. The event took place on a summer day in a garden square in a New England village. The main aim of the paper is to explore the use of plotting throughout the story by Jackson. To identify how the stylistic feature was used. The intention is to give a narration that helps the reader to flow to the end.
In consideration of the scheme, the introduction seems welcoming to the audience in which it is considered as very misleading because Johnson tried to illustrate the point that the lottery function was an average action just like in any other town. The plot of the story flows well until the story changes to an unexpected turn. In the end it revealed that the Lottery's winner was stoned to death changing the whole story expectation as it led to an end to a life of a person rather than a new lifetime beginning. The tone of the whole story changes once the reader realized the exact point of the party.
The sequence of events can also represent a good plotting. For instance, the event where the traditional celebration was organized by Mr. Summers one of the oldest people in the village who have participated in this event seventy-seven times happens. The plot of the story shows that first of all, people gathered at the session, later they had to collect stones as it had meaning for use at the end of the event. Mr. Summers carried a black box with him that contained names of everyone’s family on pieces of paper. Later he called up the men from each family to draw a piece of paper. After everyone had pulled, it turned out that the Hutchinson family picked the remarkable piece of paper drawn with a black spot. All his family members were called upon to select a piece of paper out of the box.
The plot continues as in the other part his wife Mrs. Tess Hutchinson picked the paper. She walked faster along the path square and had no idea on the occasion of the day. Her friend Mrs. Delacroix looked at her and smiled telling her that it was her day. She turned her neck to look at the crowd and saw her husband Mr. Hutchinson and children standing near the front. Slowly she moved aside and held Mrs. Delacroix on her arm bidding her farewell and began making her way back to the crowd. The paper slip she had Drew had a great black dot, then went up in front of the people to show her price not knowing the outcome was for her to be stoned to death by the town people. The sequence of the events is a clear revelation of the writer’s expertise in the use of the stylistic device.
Besides, the story was developed in a manner that displayed lottery as a winner. Without a proper plot of the events in the story, the theme of winning would not have otherwise be revealed. It is the plotting of the story that helps to show, a lottery event as always known that the winner at the end is to be awarded big and good prices such as money. In Jackson’s story, it is ironic as the story may seem to be, the winner of the lottery is stoned to death at the end. The language used in this story was very short, simple and precisely easy to understand by the readers.
It is crucial to comprehend that proper usage of the literary device of plotting is important in revealing of other important stylistic devices. For instance, in this story, the author was able to isolate different genres like symbolism, themes and characters to create a more understanding and make the story more interesting.
Furthermore, we can identify that the idea of the old man of Mr. Summers who was in charge of drawing the lottery and organizing all the civic activities in the town is shown by the proper plotting of the events. Different characters assisted in the progress of the story with like of Tess Hutchinson, who arrived late for the event and Bill Hutchinson husband her husband. Old man, Warner was another character in the city and his argument he said that in his community things are that way because they have been in existence ever since and it is hard to change in his eyes. He values lottery as part of their culture. As a man of superstition, he believes that human sacrifice is the only answer to ensure that their crops will grow well during that period (Cummings 4). The role of these characters would be difficult to identify if the plotting was poorly done.
Many stories which have weak plotting, the readers finds it difficult to define the role of the minor characters. However, this is not the case here because the author used proper plotting techniques to show their character suitably. Their characters in the play were enhanced with comfortable, and the audience of the story did not have to struggle to understand the play. An example of minor characters who whose identification show the importance of plotting include Mr. Graves, who acts as a postmaster, helps Mr. Summer prepare the papers for the lottery and assist him during the event and other civic activities he does. Mrs. Delacroix a friend to Mrs. Hutchinson and Joe Summers a coal dealer who ensures that the wooden box was kept safely. These characters helped to advance both the plot, support in the revelation of main characters and building the themes as well.
Presentation of ideas in the play would not be possible without plotting. Contexts in the play are built in a manner that leaves the reader wanting to know what happened next. Another theme developed by a real theme of the short story came as of village members who followed the crowd without realizing the consequences. Although, some individuals in town raised questions and argued that the function was unworthy at the end they had to follow its rules. In turn, they became unreasoning people failing their personality and stoning Mrs. Tess Hutchinson to death. In as much as several genre were used to elaborate this story, another form of literature used was irony. For example, lottery in literal meaning shows that a price was to be worn contrary to this story winner of the lottery was stoned to death. Stylistic devices such as irony keep the plot moving because the reader will follow keenly to identify such features in the story. Therefore, the irony is one of the stylistic tools of literature; that helped in the advancement of the story.
A warm sunny day as explained, suggested that a happy event was to take place as people waited in an anxious but happy mood. When the younger generation described the lottery as an old-fashioned function with a cruel act, Mr. Warner tells them that they will want to go the caves and live there. To young individuals, this feature was not of help as they needed a modernized function in which a winner can have a material price for future memories not for personal gains like death for good crops to shrink.
The plot of the story is well made by the use of a suitable point of view. The story mostly uses the third person as the point of view. This person point of view sets a story, not a narrative mode. It is because the story is presented as a story is given by someone else hence reading the story feels like listening to a person narrate events. Again, plotting that uses the third point of view makes it easy for the audience to follow. Therefore, the plotting of Lottery story used the third person perspective to develop a good plot for the story. To discuss the point of view in this story, Jackson uses the third person action to explain her story about a small village that celebrates an awkward annual event. The use of the third party here was an effective way of telling this ironic story as it built up the surprise ending of the story with the lucky person losing her life. The narrator elaborated how the lottery was conducted, and its end results. Jackson used the narrator to enlighten suspense as the readers of her story only had the raw information given to them by the external events of the lottery.
Still on the plotting of the story, one can quickly realize that narration assisted too. The reader can understand the all what happened in the story by the use of narrative plotting. The author gives description gives the reader a wider idea to judge on the possible outcomes of such games and why they are held in a particular community.
In conclusion, the author of the story was able to use excellent narration through the text. It played a significant role in making the story interesting. Many other stylistic devices used in the story were established using the element of plotting. The way the story starts and ends is interesting because the author used plotting to come up with suspense. The success of the story can be attributed to a proper use of the plotting techniques.
Works Cited
Gioia, Dana. National Endowment for the Ar. The United States of America, 2007. Print. 2 April 2016. <https://www.arts.gov/artistic-fields/literature>.
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery and other stories. Macmillan, 2005. Online. April 2016. <http://www.amazon.com/The-Lottery-Other-Stories-Classics-ebook/dp/B0056IAXW6>.
Michael, Cummings J. TheLottery. 2009. URL. 1 April 2016. <http://cummingsstudyguides.net/TheLottery.html>.
Database for the sources
https://www.arts.gov/artistic-fields/literature
http://www.amazon.com/The-Lottery-Other-Stories-Classics-ebook/dp/B0056IAXW6
http://cummingsstudyguides.net/TheLottery.html
