Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" has always been one of my favorite stories. I admit that I like stories that have shock value. Not because they're "sick," but because so often stories like this are truly the "teachable" stories. There are SO MANY lessons to learn from it....so much we can take away from the story beyond the story of a town having a lottery no one TODAY wants to be a part of....
I have to say that I find it very interesting how everyone talks about hating this story because the lottery of the story is just so "stupid" (not my word---it's what you all say to me--I refuse to use the other word so many of you use because I just find that word very offensive)....as well as other very negative terms that you all throw at me regarding this story. It's so difficult for everyone believe that a town would WILLINGLY do what the folks of this town do.....We see it as just absolutely HORRIBLE....
But yet, when we have our own lotteries in class, almost everyone throws the marshmallows at the winner.........
Think about that one....especially if you were in the class when we had the lottery, we were given marshmallows, and told to throw them at the winner......I only remember myself and one other person NOT throwing the marshmallows......
But yet, you find the story CRAZY....the people in the town "stupid"---------(Again, I'm just using the terminology you use in the classroom)........
Really makes you think.......doesn't it........
No, it doesn't make me think. I am still scratching my head over your analysis. It is as pointless as the story, which is the only thing about your piece that makes sense--its similarity to the story about which you have written.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching this film in school. I saw no purpose or quality in it then and I find none now as a 50 year old man. Shock value is not literature or art. It was a violent, senseless story that became popular solely because it had all the appeal of a wreck on the highway--hard not to watch, but no purpose or redeeming value in it. I guess purpose is in the eye of the beholder, or in the mind of the reader in this case and, therefore, I guess it makes some sense that the story appeals to you artsy types because it gives you something about which to pontificate, or should I say nothing about which to pontificate, which is usually the object of your type's pontification anyway.