The author of The Lottery is primarily known for his work of horror and mystery! The Lottery is a short story that describes a fictional small American town that observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery”. This story has been dramatized several times such as a radio drama, film, and graphic novel. In today’s post, I will reveal who is the author of the short story The Lottery.
Who Is The Author Of The Lottery?
The author of The Lottery is Shirley Hardie Jackson who was a famous American writer. Her writing career spanned over two decades during which she composed six novels, two memoirs, and more than 200 short stories. The author gained significant public attention for her short story “The Lottery” which presents the sinister underside of an American village.
You can keep on reading further to know what is the author of The Lottery’s attitude toward the stoning.
About The Author Of The Lottery
Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California to Leslie Jackson and Geraldine. The author’s family resided in a two-story brick home located at 1609 Forest View Road. As her parents married at a young age, her relationship with her mother was strained. Her mother was disappointed when she immediately became pregnant with Shirley. Shirley’s mother wanted to spend time with her dashing husband.
The author spent much of her time writing due to her mother’s distress. Her mother made no attempt to hide her favoritism towards her son Barry. During her teenage years, her weight fluctuated resulting in a lack of confidence. She attended Syracuse University where she flourished both creatively and socially. Over here, she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism. As she got involved with the campus literary magazine, she met her future husband Stanley Edgar Hyman.
In 1948, Shirley published her debut novel “The Road Through the Wall”. This novel tells a semi-autobiographical account of her childhood growing up in Burlingame, California. Now, you must be wondering what is Shirley Jackson best known for. It was The Lottery that established her reputation as a master of horror tales. This story quickly became a standard in anthologies and was adapted for television in 1952. Even Marilyn Manson used The Lottery as inspiration for his music video. She used it for the song “Man That You Fear Off” for his album Antichrist Superstar.
Shirley Jackson the author of The Lottery also published “The Bird’s nest”. This novel detailed about a woman with multiple personalities and her relationship with her psychiatrist. But the publishing house marketed and published it as a psychological horror story which displeased her. The author of The Lottery and other books was a heavy smoker which resulted in chronic asthma. She was also suffering from joint pain, exhaustion, and dizziness leading to the heart problem. Despite her failing health, Shirley continued to write and publish several works in the 1960s.
Later on, she responded well to therapy and resume back with normal activities. This included a round of speaking engagements at writer’s conferences. In 1965, the author died in her sleep at her home in North Bennington at the age of 48. Medical experts declared her death due to arteriosclerosis or cardiac arrest. According to her last wish, Shirley was cremated.
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FAQ
How Is The Author Of The Lottery?
“The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, first published in the June 26, 1948, issue of The New Yorker.
What Is The Authors Theme In The Lottery?
The main theme of ”The Lottery” is the power of tradition and ritual. The tradition of the lottery is continued every year even though the original meaning behind the event has long been lost. The lottery has been held for so long that the only information about its purpose comes from hearsay.
Why Did Tessie Get Stoned In The Lottery?
Answer and Explanation: In The Lottery, Tessie Hutchinson is stoned to death, not because of what she did wrong, but because her selection allows the people in the village to take out their anger and brutality on her.
Who Is The Narrator In The Lottery?
In The Lottery, the narrator is an unnamed speaker who examines the lottery process from a third person objective point of view.
Is The Lottery Based On A True Story?
The story describes a fictional small American town which observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery,” in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned. The preparations for and execution of the lottery are both described in detail.
What is the moral lesson of the lottery?
The primary lesson that can be taken from ‘The Lottery’ is the danger of holding on to tradition or loyalty to a group at the cost of ethical and moral responsibility. All of the townspeople believe that killing someone every year is justified because that is the way things have always been done.
What Type Of Writing Is The Lottery By Shirley Jackson?
Clinical, Journalistic
The style appears totally barebones, without any overt emotion—or at least no negative emotion.
What Is The Author’s Purpose For The Lottery?
Shirley Jackson wrote “The Lottery” to examine how blindly following traditions can be destructive. Another topic Jackson explores in the short story is gender roles and how they can render women powerless.
What Happened To Tessie In The Lottery?
Tessie Hutchinson
The unlucky loser of the lottery. Tessie draws the paper with the black mark on it and is stoned to death.
Conclusion
In the above post, I’ve discussed whos the author of The Lottery and when was The Lottery published in detail. Shirley Jackson’s family life was quite disturbed as her parents were conservative country-club people. Later, her husband released a posthumous volume of her work “Come Along with Me”. The author of The Lottery continued to publish numerous short stories in literary journals and magazines.