The Short Story Series #5: The Lottery

#5: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Think of the Hunger Games... but no fight and no reason.

This was the first time I had ever read "The Lottery," although I had heard of it before. The story dumbfounded me; as soon as I finished reading it I said aloud to myself, "WHAT?" I was not entirely sure of what had happened, so I searched the internet for an explanation, and I found one. I could not believe that these people chose someone randomly, someone who was their friend, and stoned them to death. Some aspects, mainly the lottery itself, reminded me of the reaping in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. Shortly thereafter, I found myself questioning Shirley Jackson's sanity, which brought me back to Suzanne Collins. Who decides to sit down one day and pen a story about the random drawing of a name which results in death? The poor family lost their mother, the poor town had to live with the guilt of killing their friend. The fact that they saw nothing wrong with any of this astounded me. I would love to sit down and talk with Shirley Jackson about her....inspiration for "The Lottery." Who know what I could discover? Maybe a tortured soul, a certifiable loon, or just a woman who wanted a little excitement in her life.

I believe that Shirley Jackson subtly used symbolism throughout "The Lottery." I would like to jump around a bit, as I feel that later symbols complete earlier ones. First I would like to touch on the single black dot. The dot symbolized the stones, which therefore means the dot symbolized death. Jackson wastes no time adding a deeper meaning to it. Everything is laid out plainly to understand. Second, the box symbolizes waiting and the "clock of life" ticking down. It's hard to believe I am saying this but I believe I can tie the story to the 2000 movie, Gladiator. You see, throughout the film, Russell Crowe's character, Maximus, is searching for a way to kill the emperor because he feels that he cannot join his family in the afterlife until that deed has been done for the betterment of Rome. A door is seen throughout the film, and at the end, when he finally dies, he can pass through the door into the afterlife. The door in the movie is the box in the story.

It is hard to take a liking to any of the characters in the story, so I think I will go with my favorite being the third person narrator. I had known the narrator would be a nameless third person, as my teacher had said it would be. But you cannot take a liking or disliking nor can you take a judgment toward the narrator because you do not know him. He may be a bystander or someone in a later time retelling the days of the Lottery. 

The Short Story Series #4: Lamb to the Slaughter

#4: Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

The keenest murder cover-up you will ever hear about....

"Lamb to the Slaughter" cannot be simply described as a murder mystery, because the omniscient narrator is not the only person who know what is going on - our leading lady knows the truth as well. I must say that I certainly agree with some statements about the story containing dark humor. I could not help but laugh when Mary Maloney said, "'All right,' she told herself. 'So I’ve killed him.'" In addition, the ending also made me chuckle a bit, because the investigators themselves had just eaten the very evidence there were searching for the whole time. I feel that this was actually a short story that I could appreciate for it combined seriousness, humor, and the cunning of one very...interesting woman. Also, looking in the time period Roald Dahl lived in, this story puts a woman into a new light, one where she is much more than a housewife.

Although foreshadowing was a small element at work, mainly because the title implied the story having some connection a lamb, the main element at work was definitely characterization. Although it may seem subtle, Mary Maloney truly is a dynamic character, mainly because of a split second event. Just as her husband was telling her that he was leaving her, she went through a dramatic change. She was no longer a housewife - now she was a severely annoyed and angry woman who, without even knowing what she was doing, killed her husband. Constantly, the third person omniscient narrator was informing you on her thoughts and actions, down to the little details of practicing what she would say to the grocer.

I think it is a given that my favorite character in the story was Mary Maloney, being that she was the only one I truly was able to comprehend entirely. She was cunning, and although she did have that minute breakdown in the middle of the story, she was able to pull herself together in time to conjure a way to save not only herself and her pride, but to save her unborn child.

The Short Story Series #3: The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

#3: The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw

A quaint and common marriage? Infidelity? It's not exactly what you're thinking...

I found it a bit difficult to wrap my head around "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." When I actually thought about it, though, I completely understood the point author Irwin Shaw was attempting to put across to the reader. Michael and Frances are your average, nearing mid-life crisis couple. I honestly cannot think of anyway else to put it. All their married life, Michael looked and gawked at every single woman he passed by, and, for some unbeknownst reason, Frances picked this perfect Sunday afternoon to talk to him about it. Of course, it made her uncomfortable. But Michael did the only thing he could - he was honest with her. Michael told Frances that he always wanted women, but he would never do anything about it because he loved her. I believe Shaw was attempting to put across the fact that marriages do begin to lose some of their ... spunk. Honesty is always the key. Even though he knew it would crush her, Michael had to tell Frances how he felt. Maybe their lives weren't perfect, but no one's is. Shaw succeeded in presenting the average American couple, their faults, and how they can triumph over the obstacles in their relationships.

Conflict is certainly at work throughout "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." First, there is a definite internal conflict in Michael. He cannot help the fact that he wants these women he sees. He knows that the right thing to do would be to love his wife fully and whole-heartedly, but he just cannot. He does not want to let her go despite all of this. Second, there is an explicit conflict between husband and wife. It seems that they realize there will always be a divide between the two of them, but love never left. It only shattered a bit.

My favorite character from "The Girls in their Summer Dresses" was Frances. She saw a problem with her life and refused to let it continue to rule her. She stood up for herself and confronted her husband, not holding back her true feelings. It takes a good amount of confidence and inner strength to speak your mind, and Frances exhibited these traits almost perfectly.