February 14, 2015
English 11
Mr. Barazzoul
Setting in “The Lottery”
The setting in a story can be described as the physical and emotional atmosphere in which a story takes place. Physical setting is made up of factors such as time and place. Emotional setting, on the other hand, entails the mood of the story, which can include the sense of loneliness or serenity. Short stories use setting to set the tone of the text during which the story takes place and can even affect a character’s personality. In the short story, “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the physical and emotional aspects of the settings help build the mood and impact the character’s personality.
“The Lottery”, is started out by being described as, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” (Jackson, 1). This includes both the physical and emotional setting because it tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the story takes place and it also indicates the mood of the story by describing the grass as "richly green" and that "the flowers were blossoming profusely" (Jackson, 1). These descriptions of the surroundings give the reader a serene felling about the town, and they also make the reader feel comfortable about the surroundings as if there was nothing wrong in this quaint town. Jackson also uses the emotional setting in “The Lottery” effectively, to foreshadow an ironic ending. The town in which the lottery takes place is described as an ordinary and pleasant community. The children eagerly anticipate summer and play with one another: "They