Worksheet
Short Story Analysis Worksheet
Title of short story The Lottery
Author’s Name Shirley Jackson
Year of Publication 1948
Physical: Place & Time Place: in a small village, townssquare,
(include clues which help between the post office and the bank, clear
you determine this)
and sunny full-summer day.
Time: the morning of June 27th, 10 o’clock,
most probably a few years after World War
Setting
II
Social Context The story takes place in a small village in
(include clues which help the 50’s not long after world war II which
you determine this)
left society in a “every man for himself”
mindset. This is why the people in the
village don’t care about the outcome of the
lottery until it affects themselves.
Characters & character Mrs. Hutchinson: Flat dynamic
type protagonist
(Round/flat Mr. Hutchinson: Flat static character
/static/dynamic/
Mr. Summers: Flat static character
stereotypical/anti-hero/etc.
Mr. Graves: Flat static character
Old man Warner: Flat static character
Main character
Direct characterizations
(Which direct
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Indirect characterizations
(Which indirect
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Plot (max. 10 sentences) Exposition: Narrator explains the setting
Indicate the five stages of of a nice summer day in a village on which
Freytag’s pyramid in the plot of
“the lottery” will take place. The narrator
this story. If stages are missing,
Short Story Analysis Worksheet
Title of short story The Lottery
Author’s Name Shirley Jackson
Year of Publication 1948
Physical: Place & Time Place: in a small village, townssquare,
(include clues which help between the post office and the bank, clear
you determine this)
and sunny full-summer day.
Time: the morning of June 27th, 10 o’clock,
most probably a few years after World War
Setting
II
Social Context The story takes place in a small village in
(include clues which help the 50’s not long after world war II which
you determine this)
left society in a “every man for himself”
mindset. This is why the people in the
village don’t care about the outcome of the
lottery until it affects themselves.
Characters & character Mrs. Hutchinson: Flat dynamic
type protagonist
(Round/flat Mr. Hutchinson: Flat static character
/static/dynamic/
Mr. Summers: Flat static character
stereotypical/anti-hero/etc.
Mr. Graves: Flat static character
Old man Warner: Flat static character
Main character
Direct characterizations
(Which direct
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Indirect characterizations
(Which indirect
characterizations can you
locate in the story?)
Plot (max. 10 sentences) Exposition: Narrator explains the setting
Indicate the five stages of of a nice summer day in a village on which
Freytag’s pyramid in the plot of
“the lottery” will take place. The narrator
this story. If stages are missing,
