The story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is written in third person point of view. The narrator is unknown and does not participate in the story, but simply reports on the events that take place. This point of view is effective in creating a sense of suspense and mystery, as the reader does not know what will happen next.
While Jackson does not explicitly state the purpose of the lottery, it is clear that it is an annual event that is meant to be taken seriously by the villagers. The fact that no one knows why the lottery exists creates a sense of unease and dread, which is amplified by the use of third person point of view. This point of view allows readers to see how the characters react to the lottery, without knowing what the outcome will be.
The use of third person point of view is essential to the story, as it allows readers to experience the suspense and fear that the characters feel. Without this point of view, the story would not be nearly as effective in conveying its themes of fear and tradition.
The perspective an author select for their story creates different effects on the reader. For example, if a writer uses first person point of view, they are taking part in the story and may not be able to provide unbiased facts. In contrast, if an author writes from objective perspective, they can simply inform what is occurring without adding anything extra to the story other than action and dialogue.
The writer is not a character in the story. The reader feels no connection with this type of narrator. The last kind of perspective is 3rd person limited, The writer has knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of only one character. The reader experiences the story through this character’s eyes(“Types of Point of View: First, Second & Third Person – Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com.”).
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is written in third person objective point of view. The narrator does not take sides or offer opinions on the events taking place(“The Lottery Summary.”). The lottery itself is seen as a tradition that has been passed down for generations, and no one questions it (“The Lottery Themes.”). The story is told through the eyes of the villagers, and the reader experiences the events as they happen.
The villagers are not questioning the lottery because it has been a tradition for so long. The reader is able to see how these characters feel about the lottery without the narrator bias(“The Lottery Themes.”). Jackson allows the reader to make their own judgments about the lottery and its place in society.
The use of third person objective point of view in “The Lottery” allows Shirley Jackson to present the events of the story without inserting her own opinions. This allows readers to form their own opinions about the lottery and its place in society.
The storyteller never mindfully states or offers any details about what the characters think or feel, staying as an impartial onlooker. In third-person perspective, the storyteller does not participate in the action of the story as a character; however, this allows the reader to understand how each character feels. The reader discovers Shirley Jackson’s characters and stories through this exterior voice created by third-person point of view. For example, The Lottery is written in both third person and past tense.
The story is seen through the eyes of the town as it’s being advised to us. The storyteller never states or offers any details about what The Characters think or feel staying as a different on looker. 3rd person perspective The storyteller does not participate in The action of The story as a character however lets The reader understand how The character feels. The reader discovers The characters and The stories through this outdoors voice created by The third individual viewpoint. This allows readers to interpret the events and think about them from their own perspective, making connections to their own lives.
One way that Shirley Jackson uses point of view is by using foreshadowing. She does this by hinting at what is going to happen later in the story. For example, when Tessie Hutchinson is picked to be the person who gets stoned, her husband tries to comfort her by saying “It’s not fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson). This foreshadows that something bad is going to happen to Tessie later on in the story.
Another way that Shirley Jackson uses point of view is through the use of symbols. The black box that is used in the lottery is a symbol of tradition and blind obedience. The fact that everyone in the town gathers around the black box shows how they are all blindly following the tradition without questioning it. The black box also symbolizes death because it is where the stones are kept that will be used to kill the person who is chosen in the lottery.
The use of point of view in The Lottery allows readers to interpret the events and think about them from their own perspective, making connections to their own lives. The story is seen through the eyes of the town as it is being told to us. The storyteller never states or offers any details about what the characters think or feel staying as a different on looker. The third person perspective allows readers to understand how the character feels and make connections to their own lives.
This story happens in a town where the people follow a tradition that is controlling and violent. Every year, these individuals take part in this custom without asking questions or opposing it.
The tradition is more important to the townspeople than Mrs. Hutchinson’s life, which shows how unimportant an individual life is to the community. The point of view helps show how controlled the town is and how each person goes along with what happens without question.
The reader is lulled into thinking the Lottery is some type of prize because of the positive connotation it has in everyday life and because the narrator starts the story talking about what a nice day it was. The people were gathering in the square and talking. The children were having a fair time collecting rocks. However, mention of the rocks this early in can be taken as a hint to what will happen later on, even if readers don’t think much of it yet since everything else around seems happy enough for just a normal celebration.
The happiness and normality is a huge contrast to what actually happens in the story. The children get their slips of paper with no name on it and put them into a black box. The reader does not know what is going on, but finds out that each family has a member drawn from the black box and that person gets stoned to death by the rest of the villagers as a sacrifice to make sure next year’s crop will be good.
The story is told from the third person limited point of view because the narrator only knows what one character, Mr. Summers, is thinking and feeling. The narrator also only tells us what happened from the time Mr. Summers arrived in the square until he left. We do not know anything about any of the other characters in the story except for their names.
The limited third person point of view creates suspense because the reader does not know what is going to happen next and can only imagine what the other characters are thinking and feeling. The ending is a surprise because it is not what the reader was expecting to happen. The story could have been told from different points of view, but the limited third person point of view is the most effective because it creates suspense and allows the reader to experience the lottery with one of the villagers.