Worn Out Pages: January 2014

Feature and Follow

7:48 PM

6:39 PM

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

6:00 PM

Summary from goodreads:

Shirley Jackson's The Lottery is a memorable and terrifying masterpiece, fueled by a tension that creeps up on you slowly without any clear indication of why. This is just a townful of people, after all, choosing their numbers for the annual lottery. What's there to be scared of?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6219656-the-lottery

Rating: 5/5 stars

I've read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson a few times, and there are a couple factors that have lead me to loving it. Firstly, the story starts off by describing a happy setting which, to me, adds to the creepiness which made its appearance later on. Secondly, I like how the author doesn't describe any gore whatsoever but still manages to send chills down your spine in the very end of the story. There was also a great amount of suspense and foreshadowing throughout most of the story. The reader does not know for sure what is going on, literally, until the very last sentence. I also like that this story actually has a plot that makes sentence. The author added tension and horror to the plot rather than adding a plot to the horror which is a problem I have with some stories.
Shirley Jackson adds a lot of description in the story, which is probably what I look for in everything I read to decide whether I have a chance of enjoying the story or not. As a person reads through The Lottery, chances are they have a very clear image of what they believe the scene to look like, and probably even think of themselves as a side character.Another great factor this specific story has is that even though there are a great deal of minor characters, everyone has personalties that aid you in imagining the scene quite vividly.

I definitely recommend this to every single person reading this. It is honestly a really good story and completely worth your time. If you aren't comfortable with gore, this story has none, so go ahead and give it a read.

Here is a link to read the full story:
http://fullreads.com/literature/the-lottery/