Irony in the Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay -- The Lottery

Irony in the Story The drafting by Shirley JacksonIn Shirley Jacksons The Lottery irony is an underlying theme employ throughout the story. The setting is introduced as a clear and sunny day, but ends with the brutal death of a housewife (715). The two people who essentially ply the town, Mr. Graves and Mr. Summers, in any case have ironic names. In addition, the characters and the narrator make ironic statements throughout the story.The plot as a whole in The Lottery is filled with ironic twists. The whole idea of a draft is to win something, and the reader is led to believe that the winner will receive some prize, when in actuality they will be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers. The villagers act very nonchalant upon arriving at the lottery which makes it seem as if it is just another(prenominal) uneventful day in a small town. Considering the seriousness of the consequences of the lottery, the villagers do not make a big deal about it. Under the aforesaid(prenomin al) note it is ironic that many of the original traditions of the lottery, such as the recital and the salute, had long been forgotten. All that the villagers seemed to remember was the ruthless killing of a random person. It also seems strange that they let the equipment for the lottery, the black box, get into such a poor condition. The two people who run, and the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves. Mr. Graves is the postmaster for the town and is the person who swears Mr. Summers in as the lottery officia...