“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
In this story the author uses
third person point of few, the dramatic or objective point of few to be more
specific. She uses this point of view very well to bring mystery and make the
reader ask a lot of questions. The story starts in a small village, all the
citizens of that village are gathering at “the square.” In the first few
paragraphs the author states some things that already bring up some questions, “Bobby
Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon
followed his example”(p. 140). It makes you wonder what is going on at this
gathering that all the little boys gather up stones, or maybe they are just collecting
them as little children sometimes do. As the story continues you begin to
wonder what the lottery is about. The author tries to deter you and make you
think it is a positive thing by the characters talking bad about other villages
for stopping the lottery. In reply to one of the other villages giving up the
lottery Old man Warner said,
Pack of crazy
fools… Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing
you know, they’ll wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore,
live that way for a while…. There’s always been a lottery (p.143).
This kind of makes it difficult
for the reader to decide if the lottery is a good thing or not. At the end of the story it is revealed that
the winner of the lottery is to be stoned. Stoned by family, friends, children,
elders, everyone that is present at the lottery can take part. A huge twist and
the end of this story shows how using a certain point of view and easily
mislead a reader. Since using the objective point of view it causes more
tension, and easier to mislead because the narrator only knows what is said and
what happens, nothing more. As opposed to the omniscient point of view, in
which the narrator knows EVERYTHING about EVERYONE, thus the narrator would
know what the lottery is making the tension less, and making the twist and the
end less dramatic.
hello!! and Yess!! you are right the author used the objective point of view to make us start asking question, like that she will keep the mystery and make us want to know more and keep investigating whats going on.... but as mention with the example of the little kid putting rock in his pockets.(i mentioned too)there is another big example that makes yo wonder..... and it says like this "soon men began to gather...speaking of planting and rain.. taxes.. and their jokes quiet and they smiled rather than laugh.(141)...her we could notice that there was something suspicious, why??? they seem quiet nervous they are trying to talk about anything just to get distracted but inside they were probably very anxious and maybe scared, even if they try to joke around they couldn't even laugh due to that anxious feeling they could only fake a smile. that is just a little example of my interpretation. in general you did some very good points.. good job man
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