At this point that fear is subtle and the reader may hardly notice, but it hints at things the reader doesn’t yet know and is strange enough to make most readers uncomfortable simply due to being strange. People are actually hesitant to touch the box. There are a number of important clues to the overall themes of the story in the box. The first clear hint that the lottery is a truly important event in the life of this town is the appearance of the lottery box. This is important because putting the reader into a scene they understand creates a larger story arc and puts the reader at ease so that the impact of the story is much stronger. Yet, even here, there are hints something more is happening. It is with these moments of every day normal life, along with hints of what is going to happen, which creates a scene anyone can relate to. These moments include things like children getting out of school for summer and the picnics that are planned for later in the day.

There is a discussion of everyday events anyone can relate to. The author of “The Lottery” goes out of her way to make the story feel as mundane as possible at its beginning. Yet, even though the reader should sense the rising action in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson instinctively, to actually understand what the author has done and why requires a bit more focused attention.

It is because of that slow growth in discomfort that the final lines hit with such great impact. One of the most powerful aspects of the story of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is that it is able to create a feeling of rising tension in a story where very little actually happens and the true nature of the story is only revealed in the last lines.

Story the lottery