Essays on Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson, an American author, is known for composing a highly controversial tale about a village’s annual death ritual in the short-story, The Lottery. Though this chronicle seems horrid, Jackson reveals that in a coherent society, conformity is always lurking leading to the most barbaric...

The story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was published on 1948. Villagers from an unknown time followed a twisted and inexplicable tradition. Jackson contemporaneously unravels the setting of a fresh warmth summer day, where people meet in the square between the post office and bank...

Traditions help people feel connected to their past, or their way of life. Whether those traditions are good or bad, people are hesitant or fearful to change them because of the unknown. People may not understand why these traditions are set in place or why...

Shirley Jackson’s perception about man and society are reflected in her acclaimed short story ‘The Lottery’. Huge numbers of her scholars have discovered this story stunning and exasperating. Jackson uncovers two general frames of mind in this story: first, the stunning truth of human’s inclination...

A lottery is a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random. Happiness and joy are what you would expect after winning a lottery, but this isn’t the case in the story chosen. The...

Traditions are the leading source of every culture and developments in societies. It is what keeps the beliefs of traditions and customs alive. So they can be passed on from one generation to another. However, not all traditions begin with good intentions. Some traditions become...

What is tradition and what does it mean to continually follow that said tradition daily, monthly, or even yearly? “Tradition is an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or a social custom)”. Traditions are passed on...

When individuals confine themselves to societies ideas, beliefs and values, they are ultimately engaging in a lifelong battle of survival of the fittest. This holds true, literally and figuratively, in the short story, “The Lottery,” written by Shirly Jackson. Shirly expands the meaning behind this...

The themes of the supernatural and mental illness have gained much popularity in many of the novels and series that we watch today. The Leftovers and The Haunting of Hill House talk a lot about mental illness, but say very little. There is a strong...

Haunted residences are a ubiquitous trope in Gothic literature, from the imposing castles of 18th century English tales towards the unwelcoming haunted houses of 20th century American novels. In Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959), which Stephen King heralded as one of “the...