The Use of Setting in “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson effectively uses setting in “The Lottery” to foreshadow an ironic ending. In many stories, settings are constructed to help build the mood and to foreshadow of things to come. The story sets up the reader to expect good things from the lottery. However, the description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what the reader expects. Shirley Jackson develops this through a description of the …showed first 75 words of 724 total…

…showed last 75 words of 724 total…reader gets the feeling that the lottery is not a good thing. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson creates the mood of a typical town on a normal summer day. This setting creates an atmosphere of tranquility and peacefulness. The setting builds the mood and to foreshadow of things to come. Through the description of the physical setting and residents and the use of subtle details, Shirley Jackson is able to foreshadow a cruel, wicked ending.