Shirley Jackson, The Stephen King Of Her Time
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Hunger Games
HijodelCid — 9 years ago(December 05, 2016 09:05 AM)
THE LOTTERY is regarded as an example of the type of story to which THG trilogy belongs; how did you like it?
After I read it in 2015, I showed it to my half sister, who is a very literal minded type of person. When she read the conclusion, she made a face and demanded:
?!QUE ES ESTO, UNA TOMADURA DE PELO!?=WHAT IS THIS, A PUT ON!?
The parents of Jackson did not like the story much. Her mother wrote her:
Your father and I are not happy with your story in THE NEW YORKER. It seems that this type of gloomy story is all that you young people can think about these days. Why don't you write something to cheer people up?
I wonder whether the parents of King also gave him this same advice.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein) -
CharlesTheBold — 9 years ago(December 21, 2016 08:40 PM)
For those unfamiliar with the story, here is the plot
In a small American town, possibly Jackson's own hometown of Bennington, Vermont, the people are called together for an annual lottery. After some forboding, mysterious scenes, the story ends with a shocking revelation: the purpose of the lottery is to choose a scapegoat who is to be put to death. The victim is a wife and mother named Tessie Hutchison, and the story ends with the abrupt lines:
"It isn't fair, it isn't fair"
And then they were upon her.
Obviously it influenced the Reaping scene of HUNGER GAMES, but with a big difference: in HUNGER GAMES we know what the drawing is about, while in the LOTTERY we don't know until the surprise ending.
It was written in 1947, and the portrayal of a peaceful community descending into savagery probably had reference to Nazi Germany. -
HijodelCid — 9 years ago(December 26, 2016 11:35 AM)
Sir Charles, what was your reaction when you first read THE LOTTERY? Did you understand Jackson's intention? Back when the story was published, most readers were baffled, and some were even offended.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein) -
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shieldsdraeger — 9 years ago(December 27, 2016 06:36 AM)
The feature film successor to "The Lottery"(which was also made into a 1969 short) is
"The Wicker Man" which concerns an isolated British island which still practices
the old ways. Get the original 1973 version, not the crappy 2006 remake.