"The Lottery" short story analysis and discussion

[IrBKsTp0Gi38865N9NTG]

Saw a kid then left.

[fishNchato]

You really have helped me so much....now I can do my 350 word response :)

[freakinHawtNESS]

Oh OK! Great job anyways!

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[freakinHawtNESS]

idk why, but i feel like you only made this video just to show your nails off...you're using your hands wayyy too much! I hate it when people talk to me this way!

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@freakinHawtNESS Ummmm no I made it because I enjoy talking about literature

[Manuletha9]

this is random but i love your nails! i like the color :)

[jbarah05]

too bad that reading stories dosnt make any money but thanks for your insights i havent read this story in 8 yrs when i was force to take a english class as a undergrad and you help me with my younger brother that is taking the class right now just goes to show how fast you forget if you dont every use this info

[punkx52]

Great analysis! Couldn't have explained it any better!

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@punkx52 Thanks!!

[sanfranfaketales]

I know she was trying to send a message about pointless violence and detrimental traditions but Shirley Jackson's mind must have been a bit messed up to write it in such a shocking manner. Remember it was published in 1948! Please consider the standards on gore, shock and horror in 1940s America.

[sanfranfaketales]

I would consider myself a huge fan of mystery, horror and gore; both film and literature. Nothing I've read or seen so far has been able to give me the chills or freak me out. But this comes very close. I actually had a nightmare about this once. For some strange unexplainable psychological reason, this story creep the heck out of me. I guess it's probably the fact that I didn't expect anyone to write something so bizarre yet something that's such a frightening commentary on society & humanity.

[eternalhalloween1]

I'd like to add a little to what you have said. In my opinion, it seems to be a story of the cruelty we are capable of doing in the name of an unseen god in request for some divine favor. (In this case, a good harvest.) Notice they kill Tessie by stoning. (How the disgusting passages in the OT tell you to execute someone in the name of God.) The story may be telling us that we're not evolved as we think we are. (Look at 9/11. Murder in the name of an unseen God.)

[GetOutsideMr]

very gothic.

[Keyratkid]

thank you for explaining the story. i had a feeling it was some sort of ritual sacrificial ceremony, but your analysis helped. thank you.

[Izmaster16]

I'm in advanced Reading and Language Arts (I'm in 8th Grade) and they made us eaad this story. I understood the story, but not completely until I saw this Thanks! Great video

[Zelman2120]

I just read the story for my college level English and it was a shocking story. The whole story kept you thinking of what the lottery is but kind of gotten a sense of it being a bad thing. The end just completely catches you off guard... I was wondering why they gathered stones... And I also thought your view on the story was right on target! Good job!

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@Zelman2120 Yeah... the first time I read it I felt sick!

Thanks! =)

[DanteParadiso33]

That's a great analysis of the story. Lots of detail.

I think you hit the nail on the head. It shows the dangers of blindly following the crowd . It shows how short sighted we are that we can see people being hurt by a tradition but we don't stop and think if it is even useful to us anymore. I would suggest you read a section in Mark Twain's Mysterious Stranger where a crowd is stoning a woman to death, but only 3 people in the crowd actually wanted to. Everyone else just went along. Thanks!

[mysss29]

Well, I didn't say that was the /most/ disturbing thing about the story. I said that, to me, the reality that the sacrifice was religious in nature is more disturbing than the idea of killing someone solely to use their body as fertilizer. Which, now I restate it, is to me debatable, but my basic claim about the themes of the story is still valid.

[DevinCupcake]

one of my favorite short stories is button,button also known as the box. I think I love it so much because it has a strong carma feeling to it,what goes around comes around.

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@DevinCupcake Cool! =) I've never heard of that story

[mysss29]

I don't remember anything about fertilizer in the story, (though that's an interesting explanation of the practice's possible origin) but what's perhaps more disturbing to me (as a Christian) is that in the story the people stoned to death were sacrificial offerings. So...fertilizer, but magic fertilizer rather than physical fertilizer....

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@mysss29 I do apologize for any mistakes I made, I read this story over a year ago XD so you're probably right about the fertilizer part, perhaps I'm just remembering something one of my teachers said lol.

Anyways thanks for your input.

[Trollnumber12]

@mysss29 Nah. I must say that the most disturbing thing in the story is when the two children draw blanks, then burst into dancing and laughter. I can understand why they felt happy and relieved, but the disturbing thing is that they knew that if they drew blanks, one of their parents were going to die a very painful death. Would you sing and dance knowing that your father or mother was going to die in your stead?

[starszbooks]

*gasp* I've read this! It took me like 1:50 into the video to figure out what short story you were talking about lol

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@starszbooks Oh awesome ^_^ haha yeah sometimes I remember stories but not titles lol

[XXBooksAlive22XX]

Omg! This is the best short story I have ever read! It is so awesome!

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@XXBooksAlive22XX Awesome! ^_^ Know any other good short stories? I'm trying to read more!

[XXBooksAlive22XX]

@TheLibraryOfSarah Have you read anything by Dorothy Parker?

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@XXBooksAlive22XX No sorry I haven't heard of her, but I'll look her up, thanks

[InEssenceDivided]

This was great, it really made me think about that extremely interesting (and chilling) story. I loved what you said about tradition.

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@InEssenceDivided Thanks!! I'm really glad you liked it =)

That what truly great writing does- makes you think ^_^

Thanks =)

[Justin941CUFan]

Really interesting video. I remember reading this in school, but we never went in-depth about it like this. And with that, I don't really know if I have a personal view on the message in the story simply due to never thinking about it. So I doubt I could give a adequate response to that.. But I do like the point you brought up.

[TheLibraryOfSarah]

@Justin941CUFan Thanks!

Huh that's a shame your teacher didn't cover the themes =/