Expect the UnexpectedWhat thoughts come to mind when you think of "The Lottery?" Positive thoughts including money, a new home, excitement and happiness are all associated with the lottery in most cases. However, this is not the case in Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery." Here the characters in the story do not gamble for money, but for their lives. A shock that surprises the reader as he reveals this horrible tradition in the village on this beautiful summer day. This bet for their lives is the result of tradition, a cruel and inhuman tradition, yet maintained in this city. Shirley Jackson provides the reader with a graphic description of violence, cruelty, and inhumane treatment that leads to the unexpected meaning of "The Lottery." Born in San Francisco, Jackson began writing early in her life. He won a poetry prize at age twelve and continued to write throughout high school. In 1937 he entered Syracuse University, where he published short stories in the student literary magazine. After her marriage to Stanley Edgar Hyman, a well-known literary critic, she continued to write. His first national publication “My Life with R.H. Macy” was published in The New Republic in 1941, but his best-known work is “The Lottery.” (Lit Links or Reagan). Jackson uses characterization and symbolism to portray a story with rising action that surprises the reader with the strange unexpected ritual in the village. While one would expect “The Lottery” to be a positive event, readers are surprised by a ritual that has existed for seventy-seven years, demonstrating how reluctant people are to make changes in their daily lives despite the unfair and cruel treatment it metes out to them. is associated with this tradition...... half of the paper...... actually consists of this short story. At the beginning of the story, Jackson uses the peaceful setting to confuse the reader about the violent event that occurs. He continues to obscure what is really going on in each character's mind by writing in the third person with an objective view. The escalating action that develops throughout the story continues to confuse the reader until the shocking ending is revealed. The unexpected and harsh stoning of the winner in this story is not what one expects when one begins reading “The Lottery.” Works Cited Coulthard, AR “Jackson's THE LOTTERY”. The Explicator 48.3 (1990): 226-228.Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Appalachian State University, September 21, 2008. Francoeur, Brian. “Review of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery”. BrothersJudd.com.(1999).October 7. 2008.