The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, is a short story written "to shock the story's readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives." Upon first reading "The Lottery," it seems to flow smoothly to a surprise ending. But with closer review, the story consists of many objects that hint at what will happen. Throughout the entire story, there is a feeling that something terrible will happen due to …

…reading the first 3 or 4 sentences of "The Lottery" it is evident that something very strange is going on in this town. Shirley Jackson uses an abundance of foreshadowing which symbolizes what is about to happen to the winner of the lottery drawing. There is at least one indicator within each individual paragraph, which lets the reader know that the lottery is barbaric, and that the people of the town are not looking forward to it.