The Lottery

by Shirley Jackson

The Lottery: Situational Irony 1 key example

Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—The Lottery:

The verbal irony at the heart of “The Lottery” is the fact that the cruel tradition of stoning a randomly selected community member to death is referred to as a “lottery.” Historically, the word “lottery” has been used to describe positive rituals in which the person who “wins” gets to leave with a sum of money or other such prize. The story's ritual, of course, is the exact opposite.