Hayley Rathburn’s Blog

There are two main archetypes that are present in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. The more obvious one is that of the social outcast. In most pieces of literature or film there is an “outsider” character that does not fit in and is disliked for some reason. In “The Lottery”, the social outcast is Mrs. Hutchinson. She is the only character to arrive late to the town drawing. Also, she seems to be the only character that voices her disagreement with this lottery. She repeatedly says, “It isn’t fair” or “It isn’t right”. And in the end, her’s is the name that is drawn and she ends up being stoned to death. These details show that Mrs. Hutchinson fits the archetypal character of the social outcast. Another archetype found in “The Lottery” is the presence of a old or sage character. At the beginning of the story, the reader learns that, “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born” (pg. 253). Throughout the story, Old Man Warner talks about how things used to be done and the proper procedures for how the lottery should be run. The people in the town seem to look to him for direction. So, in this way, he represents the archetype of the wise, old character.