Shields, Patrick J. “Arbitrary Condemnation and Sanctioned Violence in Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery.’” Contemporary Justice Review, vol. 7, no. 4, Dec. 2004, pp. 411–419. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/1028258042000305884.
This work of political criticism on “The Lottery” uses the horrifying stoning of Tessie Hutchinson to illustrate the horror Shields argues is U.S. judicial sanction of capital punishment. It explores the themes of “scapegoating, ritual cleansing, gender, class structure, arbitrary condemnation, and sanctioned violence.” First, Shields comments on the fact that the short story features an incident of extreme, random violence “ritually” performed by people who seem to be “common decent folks” in a traditional execution rite. Shields then compares this to any society’s “inherent” injustices, specifically the death penalty in the U.S. Shield discusses the effect of the violent stoning in “The Lottery” on the reader and then transitions into a reflective series of question for his own readers. Do we resemble the mindless acceptance of the villagers in “The Lottery?” What are the collective-sanctioned acts of violence or execution that we do not question? In his comparison to the stoning in “The Lottery” and the acceptance of capital punishment in the U.S., Shields comments on the historical connection between “The Lottery” and the witch hunts of Salem, including the New England-esque descriptions of the village as well as how Tessie’s name resembles the name of Annie Hutchinson, a woman exiled from Massachusetts Bay Colony because of her contrary religious beliefs. He suggests that the villagers – like many U.S. citizens – are acting in an almost trance-like state when it comes to our perspective execution traditions. Shields paper is an interesting compilation of historical comparisons, symbolism, psychological criticism, and opportunities for personal reflection.
Kosenko, Peter. "A Marxist/Feminist Reading of Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery.'" New Orleans Review 12.1 (1985): 27-32.
“A Marxist/Feminist Reading of Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’” written by Peter Kosenko examines the social structure of the village, including the capitalist ideologies and patriarchal values that run their society. Kosenko begins with an interview from Shirley Jackson who says explaining her story (“The Lottery”) is “very difficult” and sums up the common interpretations from critics: “that it is about man’s ineradicable primitive aggressivity,” or that “it describes man’s victimization” (27). Kosenko states that the tradition of the lottery is an “ideological mechanism” that “serves to reinforce the village’s hierarchical social order” by using an unconscious state of fear so that if they do not participate, they will be chosen in the lottery (27). “The Lottery” is Marxist because the lottery tradition disguises itself as a democracy to keep the villager’s attention away from criticizing their class structure. Kosenko also speaks about the patriarchal status in Jackson’s piece. The most powerful characters in the story, Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves, and Mr. Martin, are all male. The female characters are all depicted as housewives and are described as if they are under ownership of their husbands, which ties into how they draw the lottery by the head of the household. Lastly, Kosenko reinforces that the lottery functions as a fear mongering tactic to keep the workers in their place and force them to turn against each other rather than the system itself.