*The Lottery* Film

Plot

I like how there is a surprise and shocking ending in the short story. A lottery usually has a positive connotation, but it is negative in this case. The irony in the short story really throws the reader off and keeps them guessing. If I were to make a film adaptation, I would also keep the surprise ending. However, I would continue following the crowd after Mrs. Hutchinson was chosen. I would continue on after the story trails off, because I would be curious to see how the people reacted once Mrs. Hutchinson was dead. I would want to know what her family does. Do they just move on like nothing happened? Are they upset? Do they grieve, or just accept things as they are? By continuing the movie for a short time after Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen for the lottery, I would hope to answer these questions that I have for myself and for other viewers that may feel the same way. I would also possibly tie in some of the history of the ritual and the significance or purpose of it. This would show how quickly the characters turn on each other and how they blindly accept tradition.


Point of View

The point of view during the short story is third person omniscient. This is done on purpose by the author because of the impact it has on the story. The detached narrator intensifies the cruelty of the story. It also shows acceptance and blind faith regarding the tradition of the lottery. The narrator is only factual and gives no sympathy for the characters going through the lottery. However, I would change the point of view to focus either on Mr. Summers who runs the lottery or one of the Hutchinson children. I think that either one of these changes would be interesting. If emphasis were placed on Mr. Summers, I think more tradition and more history of the lottery could be revealed. Also, if the focus was on one of the Hutchinson children, the viewers could see the ritual of the lottery from the perspective of a young child. Another possibility would be to change point of view as the plot develops, jumping from the minds of person to person.

Characterization

Characterization in the short story is done through thoughts of various characters or interactions and reactions of characters. In addition, some characterization is done through dialogue between characters. I would convey the personalities of the characters through conversation with others around them for the most part. If I took the approach of jumping back and forth from the minds of characters, their personal thoughts, feelings, and reactions would also convey what the character is like to viewers. I think by characterizing through thoughts, the theme of questionable trust between characters is emphasized. This would also show that the people of the village value tradition and habitual routine over real friendship and civilization.


Setting

The setting for the village in the short story is not very descriptive or lengthy. Not many details are given in regard to location. If I were to create a film adaptation for this short story, I would maybe add more detail to the setting. I would allow viewers to know where the plot is taking place. In the short story, I don't think any names of cities or towns are given. I also didn't see any clues that were given that would give the reader an idea of where the village was. I don't think that the setting is extrememly important to the plot and overall meaning. But if I had to decide where I would put the town, I would place the village on an island somewhere. I think the island location would emphasize their separation and differences from the rest of the modern world around them.

Theme

There were multiple themes that could be applied to the short story of The Lottery. Some of these themes include the random chance of persecution and blindly following traditions and rituals. Another theme that I would emphasize is the fleeting trust between the people in the village or the betrayal of friendships. By adding more to the plot, these two themes would be tied into the ending of the film. Including the death of Mrs. Hutchinson and life for the villagers after would show how disloyal the people were to each other when it comes to the lottery. Showing the family and close friends of Mrs. Hutchinson attacking her would show how quickly and easily people turn on each other. I wouldn't change much regarding the overall meaning or themes of the story, I would just add more to that section in the film adaptation.