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June 2, 2005 ”The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 2th. but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.” And so begins one of American literature’s most talked about jewels, Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.. The idyllic opening is in stark contrast to the shocking ending. Miss Jackson penned a memorable tale about an unusual lottery held in a small New England town. (The story is set in the New England town where she was raised, but she was actually born in San Francisco, California). The story would soon earn her national notoriety, particularly from critics who thought the story was written solely for its shock value. Jackson once said of the reaction to her story, "The number of people who expected Mrs. Hutchinson to win a Bendix washer would amaze you." The stoic nature of the townsfolk, who willfully engage in a ritual of murder shocked readers. The then 31 year-old Jackson had submitted the piece to the New Yorker, where it was published June 25, 1948. (Jackson died 17 years later). Most unusual was that the story was published almost exactly as it was written by Jackson. According to her biography at Wikipedia.com, “The only change The New Yorker made to Jackson's original manuscript was to change the date in the story to coincide with the date of publication.” Jackson later earned a reputation for writing tales centered on cheerful, everyday characters existing in a world of impending gloom. “The Haunting of Hill House” and “We Have Always Lived In The castle,” are two such creations, though she remains best known for “Lottery.” Critic Elizabeth Janeway wrote, "Miss Jackson's great gift is not to create a world of fantasy and terror, but rather to discover the existence of the grotesque in the ordinary world.” "’They do say,’ Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery.’ Old Man Warner snorted. "Pack of crazy fools,’ he said…’There's always been a lottery,’ he added petulantly.” I first saw this film in my eighth grade social studies class and was blown away by the contradiction of the storyline and the cinematography. This film was Norman Rockwell on LSD. Over the next five years I would see this film five more times. The original (1969) is such a staple of High School English classes that the Academic Film Archive notes it as “one of the two best-selling educational films ever." Sadly, Jackson died in 1965 at the age of 49. She always considered it a story and not eral heavy of symbolism. ”Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. ‘It isn't fair,’ she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, ‘ome on, come on, everyone.’ Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves beside him. ‘t isn't fair, it isn't right,’ Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.” Sources: Biography of Shirley Jackson, Wikipedia.com “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson Janeway, Elizabeth. "The Grotesque Around Us," The New York Times Book Review. 9 October 1966. p. 58. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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